I’m 23 and suffer from asthma – I never had any doubts about taking the AstraZeneca vaccine

For four months I waited to be called up for the vaccine. Four months of walking on eggshells to protect my parents from a virus we still do not know enough about; of fearing for my own health and immune response if I were to get the virus.

As an asthma sufferer on steroid inhalers, I expected to be one of the first to be called up. Every day, I would eagerly greet the postman only to be left in the dark week after week. I would see friends and strangers my own age advertising their vaccine card on social media and I kept thinking, when will it be my turn?

Over the past month, the AstraZeneca vaccine has faced increased scrutiny from governments and media outlets across the world with the risk of blood clots, however minor, being reported, resulting in increased scepticism and vaccine hesitancy. Under no circumstances was I to take the AstraZeneca vaccine, my father warned me – 15 minutes later and I had a cotton wool ball taped to my arm and a signed card.

On entering my doctor’s surgery, I was escorted away from the communal vaccine area to a private room, where I was then approached by a doctor detailing the risks associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Due to my age and gender, I was warned of potential blood clots in light of recent government guidance. While there certainly is a risk of a blood clot, this is extremely rare – especially when considered alongside flying, pregnancies, and female contraception.

Why, then, did I take the vaccine? Because the risks of Covid-19 are far greater than the risk of a blood clot. While I am not a sufferer of severe asthma (such patients require regular hospital visits and medication), I still take a steroid inhaler daily and have to carefully control my triggers to prevent an asthma attack. According to Asthma UK, only those with severe asthma, those who take oral steroids, and those whose asthma attacks have warranted a night in hospital would warrant an early vaccine – not me, then.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was the only vaccine on offer for me; I was told I could wait weeks, even months for another opportunity. It then boiled down to one battle: blood clots vs Covid. Fellow sufferer, Orla McAndrew, agreed with me: “I was offered the AstraZeneca vaccine before the news about the blood clots came out. However, even when the guidelines changed, I still felt happy that I had it.”

For the majority of young women, like myself, we have a greater risk of contracting a blood clot from our daily pill – something not enough people seem to be speaking about. Paul Hunter, a professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, agreed: “The risk does vary clearly depending on your age but for women undertaking hormonal contraception [...] the risk of thrombosis is about 60 in 100,000 per year.” If we compare that with the risk of blood clots being 10.5 in 1 million for the AstraZeneca vaccine, the numbers are not even on the same scale.

This pandemic has been a whirlwind. We have seen unthinkable death tolls and lost loved ones; pain and anxiety hide in every corner. Waiting four months for a vaccine that could save my life, I was not going to pass this opportunity up. The fact that I was not offered an alternate vaccine certainly played on the decision-making process. Would I have taken another vaccine that same day? Who’s to say? But what I do know is that I made the right decision for me.

Speaking with Rachael, a young woman from Surrey, the risks of a blood clot outweighed those she could acquire if she did not take the vaccine: “As someone who developed chronic illnesses after having a virus, I know how dangerous catching Covid-19 could be and the long-term effects long-Covid could have, which worried me more than the risks from the vaccine.”

For young people, weighing the risks between the vaccine and Covid-19 is not always a simple one. While I had my doubts at first, having taken the AstraZeneca vaccine as a 23-year-old asthma sufferer, I feel safer than ever before and can finally get back to living my life without fear of contracting the virus. I urge anyone in a similar position to take the vaccine; the benefits far outweigh the risks.