Transcription:
What It's Like To Get The COVID-19 Vaccine

Caitlin Whyte (Host): There is a lot of information swirling around out there about the COVID-19 vaccine. And often truthful information is mixed in with misinformation and rumors. It can be overwhelming and confusing. So, today we're talking to Heba Abbassy, an employee at VCU Health who received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, to get her firsthand account of what it felt like to get vaccinated.

Welcome to Healthy With VCU Health. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. So, to start off, Heba, tell us about what you do at VCU Health.

Heba Abbassy, MHSM, MLS (ASCP) (Guest): Well, I just actually took on a new role within the last three weeks as a STAR Service Coordinator. But basically a lot of my role is to kind of like ensure that we are delivering, you know, STAR service. For us, STAR is really important. It's kind of like what we go by for our organization and STAR just, you know, stands for safety, teamwork, accountability, relationships. Service that shows I care. So, it just kind of going around and doing like inservices on different units or with different teams. And just making sure that we truly are providing STAR service. Previous to that though, for the last five years, I had actually worked with the Department of Pathology and the Department of Pathology is what does all the testing throughout the health system, you know, clinical and pathology for example. So, one major thing we took on this last year was COVID testing. And so, this year was really cool.

Just, you know, we worked really hard on building a platform for COVID testing, right. Because we were like, what? COVID. What? We developed the testing. Got it validated. And, you know, thankfully, with two of our laboratories, we were able to go ahead and provide testing in house. So, that was awesome. That was a great experience working together.

And, you know, I was a Safety and Compliance Specialist. So, my goal was to ensure that the policies and procedures we put into place, you know, that we were communicating with the environment on how we can ensure that we are doing testing correctly and ensuring that the pre analytical side, you know, with the units and the specimens that are coming in, how they're handled so that we can ensure that we are providing quality results to our patients and to our physicians.

Host: That's incredible. So, you've just been wrapped up in all things COVID for the last year. Now, as one of the first in the country to get the COVID-19 vaccine, I mean, just walk us through that a bit. How did it feel? What did you think leading up to it? How did you feel after you got your shots?

Heba: You know, at first, you know, I was listening to all these different people, you know, I was listening to what people had to say. And then I had to sit with myself and realize what is important for me. And, you know, I said to myself, my, what are my goals? My goal is I want to move on. I want to, I want to be able to live normally I want, you know, I have a, I'm a single mom to a six year old and she's in kindergarten. And so, the fact that she just doesn't know what school really is, or hasn't really had that experience, it really hurt. It really hurt me a lot. Just seeing that she's like struggling. She's not able to do all the things she's supposed to do. Right. So I said, you know, I have to do what's important. This is not the first pandemic that the world has experienced. You know, this is definitely the first pandemic that my generation has experienced and I think it's everybody's duty to keep everybody safe.

So, I said, without a doubt, you know what, I'm going to take it. We have to trust science. There's no way that they're going to give us something that's not good for us. You know, everything has a risk, of course, but that's how life is. You, you can't just hold back. You have to take that risk and you have to see what happens next.

So, I took the first dose, my parents and my family was like really skeptical about it. And they were like, oh, you're going to get COVID or, oh, you know, you're going to get sick or something's going to happen to you in a few months or you're going to be infertile. You know, it was just the list goes on and on and on. And it was like, well, I'm still here. My arm hurt. I did have the side effects, but again, that was all part of what I signed up for. When I got my first dose, and after a few days, my parents were like, oh, okay, well she's, she's doing okay. Everything is fine. Then they started thinking and then they started telling their friends, well, you know, my daughter, she got her COVID vaccine, her first dose.

Yeah. I think, I think we're going to be okay. And, you know, I think we need to do it. I think we should try it. And so then they started like researching more and reading up more and asking me questions and their friends were asking me questions and so, it was, we were kind of building like a safety, like, like a safe network together, you could say. And we were kind of building trust, which was really great. And I think really, really important in these times, you know, just trust and just building that safe haven for everybody, letting everybody know it's okay, we're going to be okay. I'm going to, I'm going to take care of you and you're going to take care of me, that kind of mentality.

And then I went and got my second one. They did get a little scared after I got my second one, because with my second one, I got like a fever, chills, and I was sick for a little bit longer, sick for about 48 hours. And I didn't have a fever with the first one. With the second one it was like 101.7 fever. But then again, I was okay and, you know, I let them know like the science behind it, like this, I had a fever, I had all these side effects because the vaccine was doing its job. You know, it was building those antibodies so, that I could protect me that way so that when it recognizes, hey, you have COVID, here's what we're going to do to fight it off. Hold on. I was like, look, I would rather be sick for two days, then be sick for five to seven days and then hospitalized. You know, I was like, you got to think about the risks that are involved.

Host: So, how do you feel? I mean, you mentioned you had a little fever, your arm hurt a little bit, but what about, you know, mentally? Do you feel any more confident going out or just that you've helped people?

Heba: Oh, definitely. I feel so much more confident, you know. I feel like I did my duty, I've done my part to build that herd immunity. And I feel like I'm not just protecting myself, but I'm protecting my coworkers. I'm protecting my neighbors, my friends, my family, my community members. I'm doing my part. So, if I could have a part in that and I can encourage others to do that, that is the greatest satisfaction right now in life.

Host: Now you mentioned you created this little network of family members asking about it and you were there to tell them, you know, your firsthand experience. What would you say to someone that, you know, maybe doesn't know someone who's gotten it yet, they're still a little skeptical?

Heba: You have to make sure to, just to have the courage to ask, to not be afraid to ask, you know, and you have to kind of build that safe network. The problem is right now in their community and just in general, and even if you go to social media, everybody's so judgmental and nobody really takes it into account how everybody's feeling.

So, I would say, ask the right people, go to the right resources. Go to the CDC, you know, research the vaccine itself from the actual companies who are making these vaccines. You know, all this is public, it's all public knowledge, nothing is hidden. And, you know, I always say, go to people who have actually taken the vaccine and listen to their experience firsthand. Do not go to, you know, social media and all these other influencers who could potentially be negative.

But at the same time, you have to feel comfortable in yourself, you know, because if you're not comfortable in you, then you're not going to really feel the benefits of the vaccine. Do you, does that, does that make sense?

Host: Oh yeah, absolutely. Cause if, you know yeah. If you're doing it for someone else or you're doing it because you're forced to, it's different than doing it because you chose.

Heba: Yes, exactly. Exactly. And it's okay to be, to be fearful right now. It's okay. Just because we've just been through so much this year, but when it comes down to it, think of this year that we went through, think of the loved ones that we have lost. Think of the people that we have not been able to say goodbye to, think of you know, these, these memories that we weren't able to make with, you know, family members or with ourselves, or, you know, these goals that we had, that we weren't able to reach. Like think of stuff like that and think of how now you have the chance by taking this vaccine, building this herd immunity, herd immunity, and the ability to move on. You have the key to life right now. So, you either turn it and open it. Oh, you just can keep it closed.

Host: Ooh. I love that analogy. So, wrapping up here, you've given us so many important, solid, good reasons to get vaccinated, is there anything else you'd like to share as we close out?

Heba: I do. I just want to tell people that you know, the vaccine is safe and it works. It works for even the new emerging variants. There's a lot of research behind the vaccine. The vaccine can not give you COVID, you know, there's that myth. Well, I'm going to get COVID, you know, it doesn't give you COVID, it doesn't even contain the dead virus. You know, side effects are normal and even if you've had COVID, get the vaccine. People are like, well, I've already had COVID so I've got antibodies, I don't need to get the vaccine. The antibodies that you develop doesn't really last more than three months from actually having COVID. So, the antibodies you produce from the vaccine are longer lasting. So, you know, these, you know, there have been cases of reinfection and you know, COVID-19 comes from a virus which can mutate, so you can get reinfected from another strain or a mutation. And just I think it's just really important that we all just take the time to keep everybody safe. That's what's important.

Host: Well on that wonderful note, Heba, thank you so much for sharing your experience and of course, getting the vaccine and hopefully your story will ease the minds of some of our listeners. For up-to-date information on VCU Health's vaccination efforts, please visit VCUhealth.org/covidvaccine. And if you're a Virginia resident, please visit the Virginia Department of Health website@vdh.Virginia.gov to see when you're eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. This has been Healthy With VCU Health. I'm Catlin Whyte. We'll see you next time.