Its been a tough 12 months for all of us, but there is light at the end of the tunnel with the development and roll out of a series of vaccines that will protect us against Covid 19.

As I work within the care industry my company requested I get the Covid 19 vaccine as part of the NHS frontline worker roll out. Everyone within social care is being encouraged to take up this offer not just to protect them but to protect everyone around them.

I know that a lot of people are quite anxious or maybe just curious about the vaccine, so I thought it was a perfect thing to write a blog about it. I felt very privileged to be able to receive the vaccine during the early stages of the UK program and wanted to share my story…

After booking my appointment via a secure NHS portal I arrived at the vaccination centre at the allotted time. I had to provide my NHS number, show my staff ID and answer some questions about my health and confirm I didnt have any Covid symptoms.

I felt a little nervous but everyone was very kind and there were lots of volunteers to show you where to go and what to do. I received the Pfizer vaccine and was given a pamphlet all about it as well as guidance on any side effects and what to do if you experienced any of them. You had to wear a mask the whole time and come in a short sleeved top and there was lots of hand sanitising points as well as social distancing.

At your appointment time you go into a large room where chairs are set up 2m apart and you sit and wait for the doctors and nurses to come to you. Everything was very well organised with plenty of time taken on everyones appointment. After a doctor went through my medical details and checked I had no questions I then waited for my injection. I waited for about 10 minutes as I was quite near the back of the room.

When it was my time, a lovely nurse came to me and gave me my injection quickly and painlessly. I mentioned I was a bit nervous and she said not to worry it would all be over very quickly. Like all injections theres a pinch when you are injected and then your arm feels a little heavy but thats it. You then wait 15mins to check you feel ok and after that you can leave.

I even took a selfie!!!!

You are given a card saying what vaccine you had and the date. This is important documentation which you need to keep safe. I then went straight home – I had cleared the rest of the day so I wasnt too busy and could rest, but to be honest I felt completely fine.

The next day I felt completely normal with no side effects whatsoever – my arm hurt a bit which lasted a couple of days but over the next few days I did all my usual things – worked, did exercise, looked after the kids, all the normal things. I slept fine too – just had to remember to not sleep on my injected arm.

Obviously deciding to have the vaccine is a personal decision but I am so happy I am protected and just need to have my follow up injection in 12 weeks (as per the NHS advice).

To find out more about the UK’s governments vaccine advice see here.

I received the vaccine because of my job but most people will be contacted via their GP when its their time. There are sadly a lot of scams around at the moment – if you are not sure about anything check the Gov.uk website or speak to your doctor.