A NURSE has sought to reassure people about the effectiveness of taking the Covid vaccine. 

Matron Sarah Canfield, who is leading the vaccination programme at Great Western Hospital, said it has been through a rigorous assessment process before being approved.

She said: “Any vaccine that is approved must go through all the clinical trials and safety checks that all other licensed medicines go through.

“It is also important to note that the MHRA follows international standards of safety. Some people have also been concerned about the pace of development of the vaccine and it is really reassuring to realise that no safety shortcuts have been taken to produce the vaccine.”

She said there was no evidence showing that the vaccine works differently for those from minority ethnic groups.

“Whilst you might experience some mild side effects after having the vaccine such as a sore arm, fatigue, feeling achy or sick, the vaccine itself does not contain a live virus and cannot give you Covid.”

“These symptoms should not last longer than a week and the benefits of having the vaccine far outweighs its side effects. The vaccine will give you the best protection against the virus, and will potentially save tens of thousands of lives.”

She added: “Since the start of our vaccination programme, we have administered many vaccines, and I would encourage everyone to get it. I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t have full confidence that the vaccine is safe to have.”