COVID-19 Vaccination

I was sitting with my family one evening last week when out of the blue I received a Text from my GP Surgery inviting me to book an appointment for my first COVID-19 vaccination. For some reason I felt excited at the prospect; but once I had booked my appointment for the next day I began to feel apprehensive. These emotions were so weird. I wanted to have the jab to protect myself, family, friends, and work colleagues. However I was also worried that something so new could go terribly wrong. It was at this point I felt I didn’t know enough about the vaccines on offer.

Procedures! Procedures!

I arrived at the venue for my COVID-19 vaccination a little nervous. This felt very out of character for me as having injections in the past have never bothered me at all. I was greeted by a member of staff who checked my appointment on my phone and passport. I was then directed to another member of staff. This member of staff took my name, left me for a minute or two and came back with “my” paperwork. She directed me to yet another member of staff who showed me to a chair which had a clip board and pen on it. I was asked to sit down and fill out the first 9 questions on the paperwork. She said that when I had completed this I should raise my hand and a medic would come and talk to me.

The 9 questions were straight forward enough. However, for some reason I felt like I was in a classroom taking an exam. So I checked my answers a couple of times just in case!  I raised my hand and waited for someone to come over to me. It was strange sitting in a room with about another 15 adults or so and watching these random hands going up in the air.

Come in Number 40 for your COVID-19 Vaccination

The medic came over to talk about the COVID-19 Vaccination and went though my paperwork and gave me a handout about the vaccine I was having and what side effects I may experience and what to do if I was concerned. She then gave me a ticket with the number 40 on it and said to wait for my number to be called.

At this point they were only on number 22, so I thought I was going to be in for a long wait. How wrong was I! The numbers were called at a steady pace and then my number was called. I joined a line of other people, keeping socially distanced of course, until I reached the front of the queue. After applying hand gel, I was taken into a cubicle where I met the medic who was about to give me my COVID-19 vaccination into my arm. My ID was checked again, and side effects were discussed.

The Injection

I was warned that the injection may hurt a bit, and boy was the medic right, it bought tears to my eyes! I was then given a card to keep with information about when I had my first dose of the vaccine and the batch number. It was explained that I would receive a text in 10-12 weeks to have my second vaccine and that I must take my card with me.

I was then given a slip of paper with the present time on it which I had to give to a member of staff along the corridor. This member of staff directed me to a seat and advised me to rest for 15 minutes. When this time was up I had to raise my hand again and someone would come and check on me. After reading the news on my phone for 15 minutes I could leave the building feeling perfectly ok. From leaving home, which is about 10 minutes away, to returning home, the whole process took about 45 minutes.

The After Effects

The next day I woke up and the vaccinated arm was very sore. It was sore for the rest of the day but was gone the next.

I am so grateful to have had the COVID-19 Vaccination. Hopefully, I will not get COVID and I can protect those I encounter.

It is important to remember that  having the vaccination doesn’t mean we can flout the Lockdown rules. There is still a long way to go. By working together we will eventually get back to some sort of normality and help save lives along the way.

Remember   Hands. Face. Space.