A new survey of McMaster faculty and staff found 93% of those who responded will be fully or partially vaccinated by the beginning of the fall term (91% will have two doses and 2% will have one dose). The survey was sent to over 6,200 faculty and staff members and had a 61% response rate.
Check out these reflections from across McMaster to find out why faculty and staff #GotTheShot.
As departments and faculties across McMaster prepare for a gradual return to campus and in-person activities, the health, safety, and well-being of the community remains top priority. Getting vaccinated is an important part of this strategy.
If you haven’t already, you are encouraged to book your vaccine, or read how McMaster experts answered common questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Teresa Chan
Associate professor, department of medicine; associate dean, continuing professional development
“As a frontline doctor (emergency physician) I have witnessed the devastating effects of the COVID-19 virus on patients. Gasping for oxygen, many have needed to be intubated and placed on ventilators to stay alive. I would not wish this fate on my worst enemy. That’s why I am so proud of my fellow colleagues who have banded together to help fight this virus! But the ultimate win is when you take YOUR shot. Just like I took mine. #ThisIsOurShot to end the COVID-19 pandemic. If we are all in this together, we can get back to doing the things we love most!”
Stu Phillips
Professor, department of kinesiology
Wil Prakash Fujarczuk
Coordinator, sexual violence prevention education
“Keeping up with the ever-growing body of research about COVID-19 and vaccines often felt overwhelming on top of just trying to get through each day in a pandemic. Following Instagram accounts like @science.sam allowed me to keep up with newfound knowledge, share it with others, and go into my vaccination appointments well-informed. For me, doing what I can to stay safe in this pandemic and minimize the spread of the virus is a form of care for myself and my community.”
khalid Azzam
Professor, department of medicine
Lynn Armstrong
Administrator, McMaster Okanagan Committee
“I jumped at the chance to be vaccinated as soon as I could. I was a little worried at first about what vaccine I was going to get until I listened to the McMaster experts who reassured that the best vaccine is the one in your arm. I am personally a vaccine mixer – my first dose was AstraZeneca followed by Pfizer. When I went to the First Ontario centre for my second vaccine I was surprised and thrilled to find that my randomly assigned physician administrator was McMaster’s own infectious disease expert, Dr. Fiona Smaill.”
Nancy Waite
Coordinator, Library accessibility services
Bernice Downey
Assistant Professor, Indigenous Health, School of Nursing
“Covid-19 vaccination to me was not a debate. Mainly because of the devastating impact of the virus on our elderly population which also impacted the implementation of restrictive visitation protocols for Long-Term Care facilities. I have a 92-year-old parent currently in a LTC facility with advanced dementia who experienced isolation/detachment from all family members during the first and second wave of the virus.
Necessary perhaps to prevent the spread but devastating for both residents and family. When the vaccine was offered, there was no second guessing. I was grateful to be among the fortunate few to initially receive the vaccine. The other key factor for me is how devasting the virus was to other vulnerable groups related to exacerbated social determinants of health that contribute to health inequities. Vaccination is a key component to both addressing public health system barriers to wellness and preparing for future pandemic/infectious diseases risk for these groups.”