Alison Smith: Why I didn't rush to get vaccinated - but I got there eventually

Let's get back to summer, people. Photo / HC Post

OPINION

I didn't rush to get vaccinated, but I got there eventually.

It's called 'vaccine hesitancy', and I was a sufferer.

Some people suffer needle phobia – as many as one in six people – but this wasn't my concern.

I saw adverts on television saying 'Covid-19 can be mistaken for the common cold', and of course visited New Zealand's Medsafe website, where statistics detail adverse events of special interest (AESI) following administration of the Pfizer vaccine.

This site has been reportedly misused by people who are vaccine-hesitant, or against the use of the vaccine. It's important that we all get to see the latest information on studies being done on how this vaccine is performing in the global and New Zealand population, and that's the level of transparency that this site provides.

However, a little bit of knowledge to those with an untrained eye can be a bad thing.

Those who aren't medical or research professionals might be shocked to see that of the population that has received their vaccine in any given week, a proportion suffer a medical event. This medical event is likely to occur in a group of people this size anyway in that timeframe. It doesn't mean the vaccine caused it, and this is what the Medsafe site explains.

Social media provides armchair experts with the power to communicate widely, and it is causing unnecessary angst in our communities.

As for my experience, the nurse who administered the vaccine spent several minutes explaining more than I needed to know about the safety of the vaccine, because by the time I'd rolled my sleeve up I'd made my decision that it was much safer than Covid.

In less than a second - with little sensation at all on my part - it was done.

My arm was sore for 24 hours and I felt extremely tired the same night I had the jab.

I took 24 hours off my usual cardio exercise as I felt I was operating at about 80 per cent, I ate well, I slept in and avoided alcohol.

Before the needle penetrated my skin, I had a little word to myself that this would provide my body with the best tool to protect it if it comes into contact with Covid-19.

I made peace with vaccination.

I told the vaccine: "I know you're here to protect me."

The decision to protect my body from a virus that's caused public health states of emergency around the world is no longer one that takes up any of my headspace, and cheers to that.

I repeat – this is a public health state of emergency. So inaction is not the right thing if we care about the most vulnerable people in our community.

I empathise with people who've not reached a level of comfort yet with their decision to embrace the best tool that we have to protect ourselves from this virus. But my empathy disappears when they try to politicise their personal views or instil fear in others.

International experts are monitoring adverse events of special interest from the Pfizer and other vaccines and reporting their findings, which anyone can read – but scaremongering is not going to help any of us get through this pandemic.

Avoiding getting the jab won't influence any 'new global economic system'.

It's just going to put you at a higher risk of getting very ill with Covid-19, put further demands on an already overwhelmed public health system that we all need in our most vulnerable times, and leave you trolling the internet in a state of fear.

Don't tell me that's good for my well-being.