First Person: The COVID-19 vaccine experience on P.E.I.

This First Person article is the experience of Omair Imtiaz, a health-care worker in P.E.I. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

With each passing week, the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is gaining remarkable momentum — and it's up to all of us to help turn the tide.

As of July 28, 2021, more than 88 per cent of eligible P.E.I. residents have received at least one dose, and more than 50 per cent are fully vaccinated.

I'm a health-care worker who works directly with the elderly, who are classified as high risk, which means I was fortunate enough to be one of the first few thousand P.E.I. residents to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

For anyone who may still be hesitating, here's a first-person account of the vaccination experience on P.E.I. so you'll know what to expect. 

The 1st dose

It was appointment day and I had just come to the realization that I was literally the first in all my friends and family to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. 

I knew no one who had already had the vaccine that I could ask, so as I left for the hospital here in Charlottetown, I jumped on the idea of broadcasting my thoughts on Facebook Live. 

I ended the stream once I got there, threw on the mask that my mother-in-law stitched for me, sanitized, and followed the arrows downstairs to where I was checked in and shown where to sit. 

Everyone was neatly spaced apart in their chairs and symmetrically separated by plexiglass in their very own cubicle. 

I heard my name called minutes later and walked toward the voice as I slipped out my health card. 

I answered a few questions and before I knew it, I was on the hot seat, sitting by a cheery nurse who was drawing my first dose from a vial. 

We exchanged a few words about the future of COVID-19 and a prick later, I was vaccinated. It was that easy.

I found myself heading out the room with a sense of accomplishment and a plan to share what I had just experienced.

The 2nd dose

Three weeks later and I was on my way to get my second Pfizer shot.

The only difference this time around, apart from the sore arm, were a few normal side effects that I was already expecting. I had a low grade temperature, a runny nose and some tiredness.

Fast forward to a couple days later and I was feeling 100 per cent again. I was officially double vaccinated and could rest assured that I did what I could to do my part in mitigating the spread of the virus that has changed our lives so quickly.  

Doing our part

This pandemic has hopefully helped put into perspective our wants versus our needs and has revealed to us the things that matter to us the most. 

It has also given us an appreciation of the importance of the work that essential workers do so that we can continue to live in safety with a steady supply of at least the basic necessities during a global pandemic. 

2020 was a year of significant hurdles for most of us — lockdowns, losses, closures, restrictions, public health measures, supply chain issues, and food shortages. It's no wonder we're all hoping for a better 2021.

Thanks to Canada's vaccination campaign, we have the opportunity to significantly reduce the spread of this virus, thereby dropping the rates of serious illness and death — and, hence, restrictive public health measures. 

If we as a society are looking to head back toward a near normal future and leave behind the significant societal disruptions due to COVID-19, then we must all do our part. 

Please do your part.

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