More than 3.5 million people in the UK have received their first dose of the Covid vaccine, according to the latest government figures.
That means an awfully large number of Britons will have to be vaccinated if the UK is to hit its target of all adults being inoculated by September.
Along with patchy regional supplies, reluctance to take the vaccine among certain cohorts will be an obstacle to achieving this goal.
Some of this reluctance stems from a fear of the unknown – and in a bid to assuage trepidation, the UK government has released comprehensive guidance on what people can expect after getting vaccinated.
This guide distils the key points at work in the UK.
Will I experience side effects from taking the vaccine?
Vaccines can cause side effects but the majority are mild and short term, says the guidance.
Common side effects include: fatigue, headaches, tenderness where the vaccine was administered, and mild flu-like symptoms.
It is rare to experience high temperatures, however.
The guidance stresses that, even if you do experience symptoms, you will still need the second dose of the vaccine. It also mentions that occasionally your glands might swell but that a normal regimen of rest and paracetamol will clear it up.
Can you catch Covid from the vaccine?
No, is the simple answer.
It is possible that you may have Covid on the day of your appointment, though, and so the guidance urges vigilance.
If you experience any of the three major symptoms – a new and continuous cough, a high temperature, or a loss or change to your sense of taste or smell – then you should not attend the appointment and book a Covid test.
If you are unwell on the day of your appointment for non-Covid reasons, the advice remains to stay at home and book a new appointment.
What happens after my first appointment?
You should plan to attend your second appointment. It will be between three and 12 weeks after your first, according to the guidance.
Best protection is conferred by having two doses of the same vaccine.
Will the vaccine protect me and how long will it take to give me immunity?
Yes, in short.
Either vaccine you are offered in the UK has been proven to reduce symptoms and "been tested in more than 20,000 people in several different countries and shown to be safe", says the guidance.
Immunity won't happen instantly; it may take a week or two before protection starts to build up.
No vaccine is infallible, the guidance emphasises. It is possible that Covid can be contracted even after a vaccine is administered. But it will almost certainly be a less severe infection.
Can I still pass Covid on if I have had the vaccine?
This is a grey area and scientists are still unsure whether you can transmit the virus after vaccination.
But they are confident that the risk is greatly reduced. The guidance still advises vaccinated people to adhere to current Covid guidelines such as wearing face masks and social distancing.
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UK vaccine rollout - in pictures
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
