PSW Kathleen First Fully Vaccinated for Circle of Care
“I am the luckiest woman in the city!”
With a warm chuckle, PSW Kathleen shares her vaccination experience. She is the first Circle of Care PSW to be fully vaccinated, having received her second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at Sunnybrook’s vaccination clinic.
“I give thanks to God to be one of the first,” says Kathleen. “I feel very privileged. I love the people I care for, and by protecting myself I am protecting them.”
Kathleen, 67, has worked for Circle of Care for eleven years. She says working during the pandemic has made a very challenging job even more difficult, but safety is always on her mind.
“It can be frustrating, it can be hard, but the PPE protects us if we use it properly,” says Kathleen. “It will save us all until we can all be vaccinated.”
As others have reported, Kathleen says the second dose induced the expected side effects, namely a fever, headache and a sore arm. These were all signs that the vaccine was working, and that her body was building an immune response. And these side effects were all shortlived – “I received my vaccine on Thursday, and by Saturday I felt well again.” For Kathleen, it was a small price to pay for the peace of mind vaccination has provided.
To her fellow PSWs considering vaccination, Kathleen is encouraging. “When you get an opportunity, do it. Don’t hesitate and don’t be afraid.”