Dear VCS colleagues

I thought I would let you know that I had my first jab (Astra Zeneca) on Friday at the Excel Centre. It was really straightforward. Although I’m not yet 50! I think I was invited early as I had an operation last year so was deemed to be at some risk.

Anyway, I turned up at the Excel Centre (where parking was free), had my details registered then joined a very short queue to then have my jab.

The staff and volunteers were really welcoming and made you feel at ease – the whole process took about 20 mins.

The jab itself was virtually painless. My one concern ahead of the process was the fact that I am hyper allergic to fish so was worried I might have some sort of allergic reaction to the vaccine.

The staff explained that the vaccine didn’t contain any fish products so I would be fine. After the jab they advised that I sat down for 15 mins so that they could observe me. Everything went fine so my concerns were unfounded.

Since Friday I’ve felt a little bit under the weather but it’s a small price to pay for knowing that I’ve done my bit to protect myself and others. I’ll be able to register for my follow up 72 hours after the first jab.

I realise some of you may also have reservations but I can vouch for a really impressive service, excellent staff and a simple straight forward process.

It’s super important we get access to the right information to make informed choices. My concern is that Hackney has the lowest vaccine take-up rate in London so we all need to do out bit to share our thinking and to ask the right questions so we can make the right.

Jake Ferguson, CEO at Hackney CVS