‘SEEING MY VACCINE ROLL OUT GAVE ME IMMENSE PRIDE’
consultant at John Radcliffe Hospital who specialises in infectious diseases, was one of the women responsible for the Oxford/ Astrazeneca vaccine. Here, she recalls a year that brought the best and worst months of her career
As a specialist in infectious diseases, I get emails about small disease outbreaks around the world all the time, so when I first heard about this ‘weird pneumonia’ in China I thought, ‘Oh, that’s not going to be a big deal.’ At the same time, my research team is always developing vaccines against new and emerging bugs, so we started working on a vaccine for it as an academic interest project. Within months, it became clear: our ‘little project’ was vital. For me, the urgency hit one Monday morning when I arrived at hospital and there were nine Covid patients out of nowhere. The next day, we had another five, then 10, then 15 – and around 20% of them were dying every day. It was just awful. I’m used to dealing with dangerous bugs but we usually have treatments. There was nothing for this. It was clear we needed to stop people getting sick in the first place – we needed a vaccine.
So, throughout 2020, I was developing the Oxford/astrazeneca vaccine while treating patients on my ward. The pressure was immense but I didn’t have a second to process it. I had three kids at home and a husband who is a fellow doctor. While we were lucky to have ‘Covid school’ for key workers, it finished at 3pm – so I would be taking critical calls about clinical trials while picking up my kids from school.
By January 2021, our vaccine was rolled out and I got to see people get vaccinated for the first time. It was the most amazing feeling. But the second surge of Covid meant case numbers were out of control – my hospital had 400 Covid patients at one point. The first two months of the year were horrific: watching vaccination numbers rise was the light at the end of the tunnel.
Over the summer, as those digits grew, my sense of pride in Britain was immense. I received so many lovely emails from the public thanking me and kids telling me I’ve inspired them to study STEM subjects.
Of course, one of the challenges of the year was vaccine hesitancy. For me, it’s difficult because some people are genuinely unsure, so it’s really important they’re given reputable sources of information – not just some crazy Whatsapp group or Youtube channel. What I don’t have time for are Covid deniers. The people who believe Covid is a hoax need to come to my ward and see what this disease does.
One of the hardest groups to reach has been those who are pregnant or breastfeeding. We’ve since done studies to show the Covid vaccine doesn’t impact fertility, and that vaccination in pregnancy is safe, so if you’re offered a vaccine: take it.
Now we’re in winter, with cases rising and seasonal bugs to worry about, so the pressure never ends. #Clapforthenhs made us feel so valued last year, but we’ve never stopped working hard; my colleagues haven’t decompressed in two years.
As Omicrom shows, we’re not out of the woods yet, but I’m optimistic that Covid will become another mild infection one day. With a combination of natural immunity after infection and vaccinations, I think, eventually, we’ll be OK.