Frontline workers have been getting their vaccine as per the vaccine rollout plan and posting their vaccine selfies.
But not all them were eligible to get the jab; some have been denied the vaccine.
Dr Nokukhanya Khanyile, who works as a medical doctor at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, shared her story on Instagram about how two weeks ago she wasn’t allowed to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
“As a healthcare professional and frontline worker, I was just as excited as everyone else to get my vaccination to protect me against Covid. I frequently work in the paediatric ICU, admission wards and outpatient clinics where I could be exposed to anyone with Covid at any time. This put me in the high-risk category and I was nervous about the vaccine.
“Being pregnant, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get the vaccine. I was in my second trimester and there hadn’t really been a lot of information and research about the side effects and coverage for pregnant moms and their babies. I did my research, I spoke to my foetal medicine specialist, my OG/GYN, my father-in-law who is also a OB/GYN, I read articles, I looked for evidence. I felt I had made an informed decision,” said Khanyile.
By the time Khanyile went in for the jab, she said, she was ready to tackle any argument anybody had with her facts. But that’s not what happened.
“Because the doses given to the healthcare workers was part of the trial currently running, I was excluded from getting my long-awaited dose due to my pregnancy. And I honestly was heartbroken.
“I also wanted the jab, I also wanted to post cool pics and share my Covid story with everyone. But more importantly, I wanted myself and baby Lenake to have some form of protection whenever I’m in those high risk situations” said Khanyile.
So what’s the point of her story, asked Khanyile?
“It’s a reminder that we still need to be safe. We still have people dying from Covid and we still have health-care workers who need you to do your part in keeping us safe. I’m always going to wear my PPE and make sure I stay safe: so please don’t get offended if I don’t hug you, when I don’t show up to your event until after my baby is born, when I don’t sit close to you or when I offer you my elbow when I see you in the street.”
Her key message: “We all need to adjust to a new normal, and sometimes I forget because I get caught up in the moment. We all need to remind each other to be safe. Social distancing, sanitising, washing hands wear your mask. You never know who you’re protecting. Not just me, but the future of this country too,” said Khanyile.