Covid jab offers hope for mum
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
SHIELDER Wendy Clarihew admits that amid the excitement of getting her first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, there remains uncertainty while the virus remains widespread.
Wendy (38), from Elgin, had to shield for six months in 2020 due to medication she takes for her Crohns disease which lowers her immune system and leaves her more vulnerable to serious illness if she was to catch the coronavirus.
That immunosuppressant medication means that the vaccine is likely to be only 60-70 per cent effective in Wendy’s case, compared to around 90 per cent for most other people.
That means Wendy will remain wary even after she has her second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in around 12 weeks.
However, for now Wendy, partner Graeme Christie (40) and their daughter Lacey (3) are trying to enjoy life as best they can, despite the ongoing restrictions of another lockdown.
“I will still be a bit wary, even when I get my second injection and will be really careful,” she said.
Wendy, who works in Matalan but is currently on furlough, had to shield when the first lockdown came into force on March 23 last year and it was August before she ventured much out of the house.
Partner Graeme also became a shielder and was off work for that initial period in order to protect Wendy, who is classed as clinically vulnerable.
Wendy admits she coped better with the first lockdown because the weather was better and she could get outside with Lacey and Graeme.
The current lockdown which came into effect on Boxing Day has been harder because of the poor weather and darker nights.
However, she can now see light at the end of the tunnel and is looking forward to seeing family again in the near future.
“If the vaccine helps us to see family again and eventually go in each other’s houses it will be good,” she added.
With Graeme back at work now, Wendy and Lacey are ‘partners in crime’ during the day and Wendy said having a young one to look after has been a welcome distraction from the pandemic.
“She keeps us smiling and we have to think up ways to keep her entertained,” said Wendy.
“We have told her there is a virus that makes people ill but it is difficult for her to understand.”
Wendy and Graeme have tended to exercise close to their home and in less crowded places.
Lacey was due to start nursery in January and Wendy is looking forward to her starting on February 22, although she admits it initially gave her cause for concern that she would be mixing with so many other children, and potentially being exposed to the virus.
However, she says Lacey is ready to begin learning and socialising with other children her age, and the vaccine offers a measure of comfort.
Wendy got her jab at the Fiona Elcock Vaccination Centre in Elgin last week and while there was a small queue, which initially prompted her to wait in her car, she said once inside the organisation was really good and her appointment went smoothly.
“I was really excited when the big blue envelope arrived (vaccination appointment letter). I said to the postman, ‘this is an exciting letter’, and then when I was there I felt a bit nervous, because there were a lot of people inside and had not been around so many people for a long time.”
Wendy’s parents Bill (71) and Caroline (66), who live in Lhanbryde, have both had their first jabs, as has her sister who works in the NHS.
The rollout in Moray is part of a national effort to vaccinate every adult in Scotland by the summer.
