My first dose of Pfizer Coronavirus vaccine

And the lab technician jabbed the needle in my arm. In one small moment all my fears, apprehensions, and doubts waned away. I waited for my face to twitch for temporary paralysis, or faint but nothing happened. I was convinced haziness or a dizzy spell would follow shortly but that did not happen either. I was asked to wait for 15 minutes in a waiting lounge where already more than 200 inoculated persons were waiting for something to happen. Those fifteen minutes certainly felt equal to 24 hours. It seemed like the clock was taking sadistic pleasure in delaying every tick. My 15-minute wait eventually came to an end, and I was the conqueror, not only I but every other person coming out of the COVID-19 Vaccine Center at Dhahran Expo was a winner, we had just taken one bold step in our fight against COVID-19.

The process of inoculation started a week ago when the Saudi Ministry of Health urged residents and citizens to register themselves on the new application, Sehhaty for vaccination against COVID-19. The first consignment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in the Kingdom on last Wednesday as the country started its inoculation drive to end the outbreak. More than 500,000 people have already registered online to be vaccinated. Saudi Arabia is the second country in the Gulf Cooperation Council, after Bahrain, to use the vaccine following its approval by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. The vaccine is a free gift from the Saudi Government to the citizens and residents of the Kingdom.

Just like initial denial by scores of people about the gravity of this pandemic and calling it a game played by superpowers, doubts have been raised over vaccines. Rumormongers have had a field day. Messages were exchanged on social websites listing ‘grievous’ side effects of the vaccines ranging from ‘paralysis, memory loss, dementia’ to ‘affecting women’s ability to conceive’. There were also rumors (mis)quoting reports from google and other search engines that “this was a conspiracy to curb child birth to control world population”.

One of several incidents that fueled these controversies was when a U.S. nurse fainted on camera immediately after getting vaccinated. The video clip became viral on almost every social media. Later users have been sharing posts that claim that the nurse who fainted after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is dead. Reuters has been fact-checking various false reports surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines and also reported that this claim was false. It quoted the Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where Nurse Manager Tiffany Dover works, that she is well.

Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia, images of Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, Eastern Province Governor Saud Bin Naif and Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah taking the vaccine reassured people about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. These images and consistent campaign by the Ministry of Health allayed all fears and citizens and residents in bulk started registering.

Last Thursday I received a call from my friend who is also my cardiologist, Dr. Abdalla Osman Eltayeb, asking me to take the vaccine at the earliest. He even prepared a two-minute video allaying all apprehensions about the vaccine. His two minutes speech was so powerful and convincing that immediately I registered on Sehhaty App. The next day itself I got my appointment for January 3 at 4 P.M and booster doze on January 22.

On the day I accompanied by my wife Zeba Haider set out for Dhahran Expo, the venue for the vaccination. I have been living in Saudi Arabia for the past 35 years. As an Arab News reporter and later as an Al-Youm and Saudi Gazette scribe have covered hundreds of events in the Kingdom and abroad organized by Saudi institutions and international bodies. Covered two Gulf Wars. Covered several Summits. But never in my professional career of 42 years,  have I witnessed an event crafted so beautifully. I was witnessing a new Saudi Arabia. There was no arrogance but humility. Rudeness was replaced by politeness. It was a modern young Saudi Arabia spreading its wing to take off and dominate the world horizon. Many might take it as my flattery or sycophancy. Just visit the vaccine center and see for yourself the new Saudi Arabia.

Two km. before the venue, there were volunteers and security guards stationed all through the venue. We reached the main gate and walked to the entrance without realizing that we had taken a wrong turn. But immediately a young volunteer appeared and she directed us to the right entrance. When we entered the main hall, I was taken aback by the ambience of the hall and the orderly manner in which people were seated. We were directed to a desk where a young girl, probably a staffer of the ministry, scanned my Iqama, and gave me a token, carrying number ‘2214’. At the moment time was 3.56 P.M and the call was for number ‘1554’. I was a bit disappointed as I was behind nearly 700 people. I thought it will take at least 3-4 hours before my chance would come. The ministry has installed monitors all over the place displaying the number of the next person. Another volunteer guided us to a seating area. At each corner table variety of soft drinks, water bottles, and sanitizers were placed, needless to say, free of cost.

Dot at 5.05 P.M my turn came. I was directed to cabin D-05 where I was received by a lab technician Ghaida who was fluent in English. She had some basic questions on allergies and other medical conditions. Once satisfied she prepared my left arm (my choice) for the shot. She rubbed my arm with an alcohol swab for a few seconds and then jabbed the needle. The content inside the syringe was not more than 5 ml which went into my system through deltoid muscles. I have made my first combat against COVID-19!

I was taken to another lounge and asked to wait for 15 minutes in case there was any allergic reaction to the vaccine. At the instructions of my overcautious daughter Dr. Afreen Haider, a scientist at Cambridge University, I remained there for another 15 minutes. At 5.45 I was guided to the exit. While leaving I saw a large number of people entering the premises for their inoculation. People who have listened to their wisdom and are now responding to the Health Ministry call to join the fight against COVID-19 by taking the vaccine. If you have not registered yet, do it now for a healthy tomorrow.

This article was first published in Albilad