Coronavirus Vaccine: The best arm to get the COVID-19 vaccine in, according to experts

The vaccination drive has started in various parts of the world to protect people against the novel coronavirus. The vaccination right now is being given to frontline workers like doctors, nurses, army and other people who are helping in the treatment and management of COVID-19 patients. The vaccine is expected to be available for the general public soon. And naturally, people have a lot of questions and apprehensions about getting the vaccine.

Just like most vaccines, the coronavirus vaccine is injected in the upper arm. Most of the vaccines that have been approved till date are two-dose vaccines, where the second dose is being administered about a month after the first one.

Vaccines do tend to have certain side-effects which can be a little unpleasant to deal with. The most typical one which people experience, and has been commonly seen with COVID-19 vaccines too is muscle soreness and pain at the site of injection.

Some people experience so much pain that they are unable to move their hand for hours or days. This is the one reason why people are concerned about choosing the arm to get the vaccine in. Read on to know the answer.

If you have got the COVID vaccine and have noticed a swollen skin rash around the injected area, then chances are that you have developed a 'COVID arm'.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a 'Covid arm' refers to a rash that may appear after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. In medical terms, the condition has also been called delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity, which essentially means a delayed reaction on the skin.

You can choose the arm yourself in which you want to get the vaccine. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine is just like any other vaccine. There is no right or wrong choice in choosing the arm. The doctor can only suggest but the final decision lies with you.

It's absolutely your choice which arm you want to get the vaccine in. But as the pain remains for a day or two after the vaccination, it is best to choose the non-dominant arm, which is the left one for most people. If you are a lefty, you can get the vaccine in the right arm.

As opposed to this, there are a few people who feel that the soreness in the arm gets relieved by movement and thus they choose their dominant arm to get the vaccine and ease the pain quickly. The continuous movement of the arm can increase the blood flow in the affected area and help relieve the soreness and pain after the vaccination.

The simple answer is yes. You can get both the shots of the vaccine in different arms.