Cape Town nurse opens up about Covid-19 vaccine jab

File picture: Ian Landsberg/African News Agency (ANA).

File picture: Ian Landsberg/African News Agency (ANA).

Published Mar 28, 2021

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Sister Rowena Jacobs, a nurse at Groote Schuur Hospital who has been in the medical industry for nearly 40 years, is also one of the hospital’s vaccinators.

Jacobs, who recently received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, contracted the virus during the first wave and has first-hand experience of working during the pandemic.

“I had the vaccination three weeks ago. All staff were given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. I had no side-effects, although some might experience a fever or swelling,” she said.

Jacobs said various medical questions were asked of a person during the vaccination process such as “whether they have previously had Covid-19; whether they were pregnant, and if they had comorbidities such as hypertension or diabetes”.

Jacobs said she wanted to address the myths about vaccination. “I use the baby’s vaccination as an example. That baby is unable to speak and yet they are given the vaccination without their consent. That baby also experiences fever, for example, after an injection.”

Meanwhile, the Health Department said the Sisonke Implementation Study confirmed that an additional 200000 doses had been secured, bringing the total doses to be made available in the province to 500 000. The department estimated that the Western Cape would be able to cover 50% of its health-care workers.

Additional vaccination sites are expected to be opened. There are currently nine in the province.

The training of vaccinators continues, with 4 419 vaccinators already registered and 2 303 who have completed their training.

Weekend Argus

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