NHS staff across Barking, Havering and Redbridge who were taken off the frontline because they were shielding are ecstatic to get back to work after getting the Covid-19 vaccine on the second day of its rollout.
Eileen Gook, 26, who works at the medical receiving unit at BHRUT needed to shield during the pandemic because she has an autoimmune disease.
She said: “It certainly wasn’t nice to not be able to work as I wanted to be here, supporting my colleagues and caring for our patients.
“I’m keen to have the vaccine so it can give me a bit of normality back and I can get back to the job I love. The more people that have it, the better it will be for all of us so I hope everyone will have it when asked. I’m just so excited that getting my life back is now in reach.”
It’s also great timing for Eileen to get back to work, having joined the trust as a healthcare assistant, she worked her way to become a nursing associate, and has now almost completed her training to qualify as a nurse.
Basil Hollington, director of Bennetts Castle Care Home in Dagenham, is finally able to get back to work since he was also shielding for months.
He said: "The most important thing for me is protecting our vulnerable residents, so I haven’t been going into the home during the pandemic as I don’t want to bring any bugs in.
"I'm 69 so I've also been isolating. I've been very careful as you can't take any chances and our residents are the most important thing.
For care home workers, having the jab means they can better protect themselves to care for their vulnerable residents.
Tayvanie Nagendran, manager and director of Cambridge Nursing Home in Wanstead, said: “It’s great to be getting the jab and I want all my staff and residents to have it. We work with the most vulnerable people in our community so it’s really important to protect ourselves.
"I’ll sleep better knowing I’ve had the jab and that my family and I are safer, especially my mum; I’ve not hugged her all year.
"It’s been a stressful year with continuous worry for organisations like ours, that’s why I’d encourage people to talk about the jab – if you have any questions, ask someone who knows."
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