Fleming’s DSW students receive COVID-19 vaccine and what they want you to know about it
Peterborough ON – (March 26, 2021) – Students in Fleming’s Developmental Services Worker program have the opportunity to make a difference every day by providing practical and meaningful support to those in need. But doing that important work has been challenging during the pandemic.
For fourth-semester students Shweta Gondalia, Swany Kaji and Natasha Maurik, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine gave them the assurance to continue to protect and provide safe and meaningful care to the community.
Q: When did you get the vaccine?
Q: Why did you want to get the vaccine?
Shweta: I am currently working in Stewart Homes, a residential setting for children with developmental disabilities. I wanted to get the vaccine to keep the ones I work with safe. Children with developmental disabilities are vulnerable, and I wanted to be there for them. Their safety and protection are my priority.
Swany: I work at a long-term care facility, and the residents are vulnerable to this virus. In order to minimize their risk, I got vaccinated.
Natasha: I wanted to get the vaccine to keep the people I support safe, as well as my friends and family. It also ensures my safety, but the people I support, and my loved ones, always come first.
Q: How will getting the shot help you in your studies and work?
Shweta: By getting the vaccine, I will keep myself and the individuals I support safe and healthy. During these challenging times, I feel proud to have gotten my first dose of the vaccine and do my part for the community as a frontline worker.
Swany: It will help me have peace of mind every time I go to work. Even if I have the common flu or the cold, I had to get tested. With the vaccine, I will be able to work without affecting the people around me.
Natasha: As a healthcare worker, my duties are to ensure the safety and good quality of life for the people I support. With the world’s current circumstances, it’s the next step to getting society back to what it was before.
Q: What do you want people to know about getting the COVID-19 vaccine?
Shweta: I know there is a lot of confusion and fear around taking the vaccine. I was scared, but I also believe that reading more about the vaccine from a valid source helped me. We all should trust the facts instead of myths at this hour. Let us all do what we can in keeping ourselves and our communities safe by taking the vaccine.
Swany: It is a quick and easy process to get and doesn’t hurt at all. They keep you under observation for 15 minutes after you have taken the vaccine. You might have symptoms like body pain, redness and swelling at the site for a day or two, but it all goes away within a few days.
Natasha: I want people to know that the COVID-19 vaccine is used to help your body build immunity to the virus. If you were to contract it, the symptoms and illness would be less severe than in other cases. It can be scary thinking about getting a vaccine that came out superfast, but this is necessary to keep people safe and get society back to normal.