Following a difficult couple of years, it feels like the world is starting to 'open up again’, with Scotland being the last place in the UK to end the legal requirement for mask wearing in crowded indoor places yesterday. This reopening of society has largely been due to the effective and rapid vaccination rollout. Around 140 million doses have been given to date, including 39 million booster doses. The rollout which has been estimated to save 100,000 lives across the UK, would not have been possible without the support of thousands of volunteers. As we come out of the pandemic, we are able to reflect on the crucial role of volunteer vaccinators.
I spoke to our school nurse, Helen Mandefield-Chang, who during the coronavirus lockdown, stepped up to help out her local community by training to be a Covid vaccinator and has since been volunteering at the Tessa Jowell Health Centre. She was inspired to put herself forward as she felt that volunteering was 'an opportunity to give back to the NHS'.
Helen’s role entails working with another team member to check people are okay to have their vaccine, and then administer it. Though she says her job can be stressful at times, especially ‘when there’s a great long queue, and you can see people are getting a bit uncomfortable because they are waiting', she overall feels that it is very rewarding, and has benefited her in a lot of ways. She says that working as part of a vaccination team has allowed her to meet people in her local area, who she would not have met otherwise. She recounts working alongside a really broad range of individuals, including ‘medical students, nursing students, retired teachers, retired GPs, physio students, language therapists’, and many more! Volunteering in the vaccination programme has also helped her in her usual day job, a school nurse at JAGS. ‘When parents and staff have got questions about vaccines, I’ve been able to answer them’. Another ‘absolute joy’ that has come out of being in the vaccination centre, ‘is that you never quite know whose going to come through your door, so it could be a couple, it could be a whole family, it could be one person who hasn’t spoken to anybody all week’. She has vaccinated people from age 12, all the way to 104!
People like Helen, who have volunteered in vaccination centres throughout London, have been vital in helping us through the pandemic, providing hope, protecting so many against severe illness and hospitalisation from Covid 19, and allowing society to open up again. We are all so grateful for people like Helen, who have dedicated their time and effort to keep us all safe. Thank you so much!
