“It feels as if in the darkness there is a glowing light that is getting brighter as the vaccination programme is being undertaken.” Dr Harpal Hunjan
To control the spread of Covid-19, nations across the globe implemented specific measures according to their needs. Some professions, known as ‘key workers’ – considered to provide an essential service to the public – were excluded from various restrictions and they continued working throughout the Pandemic. One such key worker here in the UK was Dr Hunjan. Kamaljit Kaur spoke with Dr Hunjan.
Thank you Dr Hunjan for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. Lets start with you telling us a bit about yourself.
I am a senior GP and clinical director currently working in Oldham, Greater Manchester, with a long background of primary care experience in many different fields. In my career, I have undertaken work in commissioning and service provision successfully, and continue to be motivated and ambitious in clinical leadership.
My passion lies in improving health care services and aligning clinical pathways effectively in order to provide better care for patients. I was awarded the Clinical Leadership TOPS award in Oldham in May 2017 and have received many other accolades.I have an equally busy family life. I have a great husband and 2 lovely sons and I really cherish the moments I spend with them.
My family life has been truly blessed. My husband is a professional tabla player and I am a self-taught harmonium player. We have taught Kirtan in our local Gurdwara in Manchester for over 11 years. Both my children have learnt and performed Kirtan in many Gurdwaras across England as well. I am thankful that my children have had access to Sikhi Gurmat and Gurmukhi classes as well as learning Kirtan from a young age.
You have certainly been blessed with a fulfilling life. What is your role during this Pandemic and the current vaccination programme?
In Oldham, my primary care network was chosen to host the first wave for providing the BioNTech, Fosun Pharma, Pfizer vaccination. We actually received the vaccination on the day of my birthday, 14 December. It was an honour and the best present I could ever receive – to be able to administer and receive the vaccine myself knowing that it would be the first step in protecting us from this ever challenging pandemic. I will always thank Waheguru for that blessed and remarkable day.
It feels as if in the darkness there is a glowing light that is getting brighter as the vaccination programme is being undertaken. The vaccine programme is our only exit out of this Pandemic.
As we were the first group to be chosen, we had to set up and vaccinate just under 1,000 patients and staff in three days. It was a very stressful time. The clock was already ticking as the vaccine had been defrosted 24 hours prior to arrival so it gave us less time to vaccinate. Also the protocol kept changing as new information kept trickling in throughout the days. At the time the I.T systems hadn’t been decided and things were pushed through very quickly.
But despite that, we managed to vaccinate many Over-80s and staff within the timeframes. I thank all the staff and patients who supported us. Many patients were extremely thankful and emotional to receive their first vaccine as it dawned on them that this would be the key for them to be able to finally meet their family and friends whom they have had to isolate from for many months.
The first people to be invited for their vaccination were the Over-80s and frontline workers and as soon as the next group of people are confirmed, we will be inviting in those and we will keep going.
What message would you like to give to people who are skeptical of this vaccination?
It is important that everyone invited for the vaccination takes us up on the offer. Just having one vaccine of either the Pfizer or the Astra zeneca will stop you developing severe symptoms of Covid-19 and prevent hospital admission. The side effects are reported in about 10% of patients of an achy arm or mild cold like symptoms that normally last a few days.
The vaccines are safe and highly effective. Evidence has shown that the first dose provides a much higher level of protection (73-90%) than originally thought and therefore the second vaccination can now be offered up to 12 week after.
The University of Oxford, AstraZeneca vaccine was recently approved which is more stable and allows us to take it to care homes and house-bound patients.
A study from the Royal Society for Public Health found 57% of BAME people said they would take the vaccine compared to 79% of their white counterparts.
We know that people from BAME communities have been disproportionately impacted by Covid-19, and this is the reason I am urging people from these communities to have the jab. Please protect our elders and vulnerable from this terrible virus by encouraging them to have the vaccine when they are called.
I think lack of knowledge and understanding are barriers to low take-up. There are a lot of anti-vac messages out there that get passed around WhatsApp groups for example. This online scare-mongering spreads rumours and I have seen messages that say the vaccine contains a microchip or that it changes your DNA for example – I assure you this is false information.
My message to the BAME communities is it is really important that you get your vaccine when you are invited. All vaccines go through a robust clinical trial process and are only given to patients once they have met the strict safety, effectiveness and quality standards of the UK’s medicines regulator.
There is a lot of positive public health messaging out there proactively targeting BAME communities. Don’t be afraid and definitely don’t believe everything you read unless it is from an official healthcare source. Here’s to a safer future.
Thank you to Kamal Kaur Reehal for writing this post and bringing the incredible efforts of Dr Hunjan to our attention.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of AWMB or its members.