Bad jab experience turns good second time around
Afour-hour wait to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine back in August resulted in Janice Smith collapsing on the grounds of St Ann’s Bay Baptist Church, being used as a site at the time.
After what she describes as a traumatic experience rested heavily on her mind, Smith almost neglected completing her inoculation.
“I was so scared to go back and having to go through the same thing a second time. From 12:15 pm I was standing and the sun was getting hotter. we had no tent until about 3:15 pm and it was a small one that couldn’t fit all the people. At this point it was just unbearable for me and the next thing I can remember was my husband and a few people picking me up and some people rushing and shouting for the medical staff on duty,” detailed Smith.
“I believe this happened because they were so unorganised, and a lot of persons suffered that day. The nurses had also run out of application forms within 10 minutes of arriving and things were just all over the place,” she added.
The 64-year-old and her husband have retired to Jamaica after years of being the United Kingdom but the experience, she said, had them contemplating their move back home.
“It was after I collapsed, [that] my husband, with deep concern, requested that we were given the vaccination and we finally left the church at 5:00 pm. This was concerning because of over 50 years plus living in the United Kingdom I have personally never experienced such a disorganised assembly,” Smith told the Jamaica Observer. “I had doubts regarding my stay in the island or did we make the correct decision to retire in our homeland.’’
Smith said while she is cognisant of the struggles Jamaica is facing as the island grapples with changes brought on by the pandemic, better provisions can be made.
“I clearly understand the pressure and the issues and worries around COVID-19 but the experience I had was horrible. The amount of people that I believed may have contracted the virus on this particular day was unbelievable. where was the social distance and provisions necessary to provide a successful gathering?” she questioned.
However, Smith has been able to say otherwise of the services being offered at other vaccination sites and the efforts being made by the Government to vaccinate Jamaica, after her second vaccination experience on October 5. She visited the St Ann’s Bay Health Centre after much self-reassurance and concern about her health. Smith was greatly surprised as the procedure was almost flawless.
“All my fears were things of the past. what a transformation! The centre was newly refurbished, the doctors and nurses were on site, a large tent was provided with adequate chairs, and extra staff plus some voluntary nursing staff. we waited for one hour and the procedure was finished,” she said with pleasure. “I can hardly believe that the health and wellness centre did so well to overcome some of the issues related to the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination.”
She went on to commend the front line workers and the efforts being made in the fight against the virus.
“It is not easy for the staff to put their life on a hold for us. The many sacrifices among the hospital staff, and above all, the people in charge making difficult decisions [is appreciated]. Thank you for stepping up and working tirelessly to help us through this pandemic,” she said.