Meet our Covid
Veterans, staff and volunteers making a difference by stepping in to protect people from Covid-19
From helping out at vaccination centres to using their valuable skills to help with logistics, veterans are playing a big part in the fight against Covid-19.
And as the Omicron variant continues to spread rapidly and more people book in their all-important vaccine booster, veterans, along with other volunteers, are doing vital work to help the NHS deliver the programme.
Every adult in the country needs a booster dose, so if you haven’t already had yours, now is the time to do it. Just go to nhs.uk/covidvaccination to book – and you can also make an appointment for 12-15-year-olds and help older teenagers get theirs too.
Here we speak to some of the veterans about their work…
‘Even if you get five people vaccinated, that’s five people who won’t suffer’
Nigel Jones spent 11 years in the Army and now works in the ambulance service near Abergavenny. During the pandemic, he’s been working as a Re:Act responder
Working for the ambulance service, I saw the effects of Covid-19 during the first wave – almost every patient we took in was ill with the virus. I was part of the Re:Act Disaster Response team who stepped up to help. The NHS was under the cosh at the time and I was part of the RE:ACT Disaster Response team who stepped up to help.
I helped build the Nightingale hospitals in Wales and also worked with the local council in Hereford to distribute PPE. Now I’m at the pop-up vaccination centre in Hereford. There are two of us here who are ex-military – the other guy is an ex-submariner so we’ve got a broad range of skills. There’s not a lot that comes across our path that bamboozles us.
The first time I volunteered was on a day off from work. We were tasked with letting people know about the vaccination centre, but of course we didn’t want to browbeat them so we let people come to us.
Initially people thought we were giving out lateral flow tests – we’d say, “No, we’re here for boosters or your first or second vaccination.” It was quiet for the first hour, but word obviously spread around Hereford and by the end of the day I’d say we’d vaccinated about 120 people, from schoolkids upwards.
I think 99.99 per cent of people were happy to have a vaccination. I thought: “Even if you get five people vaccinated, that’s five people who won’t suffer.” Yes, you might catch it, but you’re much less likely to end up in hospital. When people ask me if I think it works, I feel like I can provide the back story for them.
We’ve now even had people come in for their first jabs. I asked one, “What changed your mind?” He said, “Omicron, because it’s more infectious’. I just said, “Well done.”
So while I don’t strong-arm people, I do tell them, “I think you should get vaccinated.”
involves collating, analysing and improving plans, reporting to the programme director and the national team, using my past experiences to collaborate, advise and implement processes.
I’m good at seeing a problem and thinking outside the box to solve it. I can get parachuted into a project within the Covid-19 programme and am able to run with it. Every day is different, but that doesn’t faze me. I’m very adaptable and flexible – and I’ll give 100 per cent to achieving the common goal.
Working with other people from the Forces means there’s a great sense of camaraderie. We share the same service ethos. If there’s a deadline, we’ll just knuckle down and get the job done. This is not a 9-5 job. Even though I might have to get up at 5.30am to jump on a work call, I have no problem with that. I was motivated to join the Covid-19 programme by my sense of duty, and I’m really proud to be part of it. I have a passion for helping people and making sure things are completed to the highest standard. This gives me a real sense of achievement. I like being able to make a difference.
The public response to getting boosted has been great, but there is still a long way to go. I believe the Get Boosted Now campaign is so important because we need to protect ourselves, the vulnerable and the future generations. We also need to get everyone boosted so we can get life back to normal as soon as possible.