Sanford Health News asked nurses to share their experiences with COVID-19 patients and their reasoning for getting vaccinated. These are Eric’s words.
I’ve been at Sanford Health for about 11 years, but I’ve been a critical care nurse for about six years.
I got vaccinated in December of 2020 to help my family, friends and community and reduce the spread of COVID-19. My wife is vaccinated, my mother and father are vaccinated and my wife’s family is as well.
Getting the vaccine was right for me and my family because it helped us feel safe knowing that we have a level of protection. My wife was pregnant at the time, so we did a lot of research. Our information came from physicians we know and other health care workers. For those of us in health care, we want you to feel comfortable coming to us for information about the vaccine.
I wanted my family to get the vaccine because of the amount of sickness that comes with this virus. I see people who are very, very sick with this. And I don’t want my family going through any of that.
Treating COVID-19 in the ICU has been difficult. It’s hard to watch people struggle to breathe and watch them struggle to have a connection with their loved ones. And then at the same time, working to be everywhere we need to take care of all our patients, while keeping ourselves safe, too.
We’re really tired from watching people suffer from COVID-19. It’s hard to watch them go through the things they’re going through, all while being separated from family and friends.
From my standpoint, it’s easier to get the vaccine than to fight off the infection.
Last year, we didn’t have a vaccine and we were really struggling to help treat people. Now, we have a vaccine; I feel like it’s something we can all do to help decrease the prevalence of COVID-19 in our community and help us in health care treat everyone that needs to be treated.
Sometimes people think COVID-19 will be here and gone. I don’t think they understand the lasting effects it can have on your body, especially for those who are very critically ill and need to recover afterward. It can have a long-term impact on their health. This can happen to a healthy person or to someone who’s not as healthy.
You can make a difference. Get vaccinated today.
Learn more
- COVID-19 diary from a medical-surgical nurse
- Caring for COVID-19 patients as a pulmonary nurse
- Getting your COVID-19 vaccine at Sanford Health
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Posted In COVID-19, Immunizations, Nursing and Nursing Support, Sanford Stories
