A COVID-19 vaccine was critical for Rosie Love, MPH, a PhD candidate at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy who has kidney disease.
Rosie Love, MPH, a PhD candidate in the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, recently received the COVID-19 vaccine and explained that she needed this protection because she has kidney disease.
“I am a kidney disease warrior. I wanted to protect myself, my family, and share my experience with the COVID-19 vaccine as a patient with a high-risk medical condition,” she explains, adding that she did a lot of research before being vaccinated. “I was not scared or anxious at all to get the vaccine! I had an appointment with my physician prior to getting the vaccine. He advised me that I should get it as soon as I had the opportunity.”
While there have been patients with kidney disease that have been included in the clinical trials for the vaccines, there is no long-term evidence to show that their outcomes are worse or better with the vaccine than patients without kidney disease, Love explained.
“I do understand why there is some hesitancy from some patients about the vaccine. However, the risk of poor outcomes from COVID are worse for patients with kidney disease than those without. This is known. So my risks of going unvaccinated are greater than any potential side effects I may experience from the vaccine."
Helping her in her decision to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Love researched the American Kidney Fund's resources about kidney disease patients in clinical trials.
“I felt informed, prepared, and empowered when I made the decision to get the vaccine as a high-risk patient. This is the way I believe all patients should feel!”
Share Your Experience
Why did you decide to get the COVID-19 vaccine? Why should others get it? These are questions on the minds of many now that vaccines are available to help end the coronavirus pandemic.
At the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), personnel from UMB, the University of Maryland Medical Center, and Faculty Physicians, Inc. are being vaccinated at the SMC Campus Center.
Over the next few months, we will be highlighting members of the community and their vaccination experience. Share your experience getting vaccinated by tagging us @umbaltimore and using #UMBVaccinesWork on Twitter or Instagram. Include why you got the vaccine. You can also submit your photos and comments about your vaccine experience, by clicking here.