I have done my duty – now ensure all of you follow suit
It is natural to be nervous about having a vaccine. But there is really nothing too it, as Sue Smith reveals.
Sue had always been a little bit wary of vaccines.
But she says she realises the importance of protection against coronavirus both for herself and the country’s effort against the pandemic.
Having the jab was quick, hassle-free and virtually painless.
Sue today writes in the Shropshire Star, describing the process of vaccination. She was called to her local medical centre, where she was given the Pfizer jab. It means that, within three weeks, she should have good protection from the virus. And she will return later for another jab to increase her immunity further.
She said: “The atmosphere was calm and efficient. I was doing my part to help in the battle against the pandemic.
“I have always been a hesitant vac person. But now is the time for everyone to put unfounded fears behind us and take up the challenge.”
Read about Sue's experience
Anxious about taking the vaccine? Don’t be, writes Sue Smith.
A line of cars led to the doctor’s surgery as people joined a queue to take up the offer of a coronavirus vaccine.
I joined the queue hesitantly as the previous night I had convinced myself I was suffering from a cough and cold.
But shamed by my two neighbours, who had previously had their shots, I contemplated the alternative of not having the vaccine and possibly ending up on a ventilator in a hospital ward.
It is an internal debate many of us will face as our turn comes for the vaccine. But I felt that it was absolutely the right thing to do – not just for my own health but for the sake of a country that is battling its way to some kind of herd immunity.
Everyone awaiting their vaccination appointment appeared light-hearted and the queue was well-organised. The atmosphere was calm and efficient.
I only had to wait patiently in line for a short time before being ushered to a waiting room at Ombersley Medical Centre where administrator Meg Scurrell checked my identity before nurse Hilary Dixon asked questions about allergies.
Then came the moment when Hilary prepared to give the injection.
It is a natural reaction I presume to expect the worst. I gritted my teeth needlessly – I only felt a small sting as the needle hit its target in my left arm.
It was all over in a flash and I wondered why I had been concerned.
Issued with leaflets to take home should any ill-effects occur I left the surgery and felt I was doing my part to help in the battle against the pandemic.
I had been given the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine, the one that has to be stored in industrial freezers.
But the one from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is now out there, not just in GP surgeries but in care homes too. That is the vaccine that should bring us an escape because it is easier to store and can hopefully be produced in quantities that will take us towards two million vaccinations a week.
Practice manager Andrea Hinton at Ombersley Medical Centre said that about 3,000 vaccinations had been given since December 15 to people living in the Great Witley, Knightwick and from areas leading to Stourport and Hartlebury in only five days.
As health chiefs warn that the next few weeks in the battle against Covid could be the biggest challenge the National Health Service has faced in it’s history, it is down to all of us to play our part.
Seeing the exhaustion of staff at hospitals on our television screens is heart-breaking.
I have always been a hesitant vac person. But now is the time to put unfounded fears behind us and take up the challenge.
Why Premier League footballers and celebrities believe they can flout Covid rules and put the rest of us at risk is beyond my comprehension.
We must act well to protect others and then take the vaccine without hesitation.
Anyone with any concerns should take a leaf out of the book of my neighbour and retired optician John Chapman, aged 82, who said: “We took the vaccination and had no ill-effects whatsoever.
“It was all done 100 per cent without pain.”
His wife, Ann, aged 81, said: “People should not worry – we suffered no ill-effects at all.”