My Covid vaccine story: Farai Makanyire
Staff Nurse Farai shares her experience of receiving the Covid vaccination
Losing a close friend to COVID during the early stages of the pandemic made me realise the seriousness of the disease and the need for a robust approach to ending the spread of the virus. It was clear early on that lockdowns were only going to be a temporary measure for minimising the rate of infections and never a plan out of the pandemic. From my perspective, this indicated an urgent need for rapid development of an effective vaccine or ensuring achievement of herd immunity by allowing a controlled fraction of the population to get infected while isolating those with underlying conditions and the elderly. These two options really made me uncomfortable.
Firstly, both my husband and I could be considered ‘vulnerable’ due to underlying conditions, therefore the option of relying on heard immunity was unsettling, more so considering that we are both frontline staff. Secondly, the rate at which the coronavirus was spreading meant there was little time for a safe vaccine to be developed and fully trialled – this particularly worried me. These fears were compounded by the fact that I work with groups that are more vulnerable than me, which include the elderly and those with serious underlying conditions, most of whom need to be protected. This means that protecting myself and minimising the risk of getting infected by coronavirus is of paramount importance. The news on success of trials from the three front runner vaccines was a breath of fresh air, though a short-lived one. Soon after announcement of the successful trials, social media was awash with both conspiracies and genuine concerns surrounding the rapid development of the vaccines and lack of long-term studies. I was particularly concerned about the mRNA vaccines as they were reported to cause alteration of one’s DNA. Through discussions with more knowledgeable colleagues and our network, I was able to quickly understand how the vaccines work, which helped convince my husband and I to take the vaccine. It was however after my son and his wife tested positive for COVID during the Christmas holidays (we decided not to meet for Christmas, fortunately!) that I realised it was time to book for my jab.
Being vaccinated means I can now practice more effectively and provide my patients with the safest care knowing that I do not risk infecting them while providing care. More importantly, I will soon be able to safely meet my children and grandchildren – I am certainly encouraging them to take the vaccination offer as soon as it comes. To all those who are concerned about taking the vaccine, my advice is speak to your GP and only take/share information from credible sources such as the NHS and gov.uk websites – there is a lot of misinformation on the internet. I have also often heard younger people suggesting that they won’t take the vaccine because COVID is not killing many young people, if not for you, please do it for the vulnerable population.
You can read more Covid Vaccine stories on our news page: https://www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/news/articles/covid-vaccine-stories/