In January, around 2 million people in the UK had received ate least the first dose of their vaccine against SARS-COV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. As of 11th March 2021, that figure had risen to more than 23 million people, about a third of the UK population. Tom had his vaccine in January, and you can read a little more about his experience here.
In Tom’s own words:
On Saturday (9th January 2021), I felt extremely lucky to have received my first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, as a result of my proximity to the elderly in my line as a nursing support assistant. Whilst I believe I would not suffer from severe symptoms due to my demographic, I understand the requirement to vaccinate those in close proximity to high-risk groups, in an attempt to curtail/prevent transmission towards them. Residents of the carehome were also vaccinated, if they had given consent.
So how did it work?
The jab, which as a volume was only about half a millilitre, was administered in my left arm in a process that probably took no more than five seconds by a nurse who was in a team of three – it was extremely quick and felt like a small scratch on my arm. As with any needlestick use or injection, the arm was cleaned and wiped with an alcohol wipe, to keep it sterile, and then the injection administered. Afterwards, you are monitored for 30 minutes to ensure you don’t display any acute allergic reaction (rare) to the vaccine, in which case, you can be treated immediately with an EpiPen (containing adrenaline, to reduce the effects of the allergic response).
After being vaccinated, I returned home and took a long nap. There was talk among some staff who had said they experienced tiredness after receving the jab. I was no different… but then again, I am essentially Garfield and always sleepy (brilliant – I’m hungry for lasagna now). I have a small bruise from where the jab punctured the skin and the arm is slightly sore at the site, otherwise, I feel great and healthy!
Despite the jab, I still have to wear protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves while working, and of course act responsibly and follow the rules as I could still transmit the virus. No vaccine is 100% effective to everyone, but things are looking up and we’re almost there! In fact, these coronavirus vaccines have a much higher efficacy (upwards of 90%) than some other traditional vaccines (which typically are about 50-80% effective).
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or thoughts and me or one of the team will do our best to answer!