Coronavirus

Ospreys urge Swansea Bay men to ‘roll up your sleeves’ for vaccine campaign

Published

2 years ago

8th September 2021

Editor

Rugby giants the Ospreys have backed a Swansea Bay campaign to get as many men as possible aged under 40 vaccinated in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot.

Seven out of 10 men in this age group have already had at least a first dose of Covid-19 vaccination. Now the others are being urged to ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’ and join them.

Players from the team took time out from their training schedule this week to roll up their own sleeves as a show of support for the campaign and urged men who have yet to have their vaccination to take action now.

Welsh international, Owen Watkin, said: “We’re all backing the ‘Roll Up Your Sleeves’ campaign and we urge men who haven’t yet had their first vaccine to get it done as soon as possible. We all want to get back to the things we love in safety and with confidence – this includes our favourite sporting events.

“The ongoing pandemic is affecting every part of our lives, including our ability to stay fit, to make plans for the future and to spend time freely with our mates. The vaccine is the best way out of it so let’s roll up our sleeves now and get this done!”

Dr Keith Reid, Swansea Bay University Health Board Director of Public Health said: “The Roll Up Your Sleeves campaign is an important reminder to anyone who has not yet had a vaccine, and especially men in the 18 to 40 age bracket, that it is essential for them to do so. I don’t care why you haven’t had the vaccine yet and neither do my colleagues, but we do care that you get it now. You just need to attend a drop-in session or the Immbulance, our mobile vaccination unit.

“The vaccine has been through the same safety checks as all other vaccines, is approved by the MHRA and has now been administered safely to tens of millions of people in the UK and even more around the world. Even if you’re young and healthy, you can still get seriously ill with the virus. By getting yourself vaccinated, you provide protection for yourself and others around you.

“You can’t get Covid-19 from the vaccine but it works best if you have two doses – preventing hospitalisation and death in more than 90 percent of people. Also, the vaccination is recommended as protection against long COVID side effects which can include erectile dysfunction in men.

“We know everyone is keen to return to some sort of normality as soon as is safely possible and widespread double-dose vaccination is the fastest way of allowing us all to do this.”

**Ospreys players are supporting the Roll Up Your Sleeves campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated.**
*From top left to right: Joe Hawkins, Kieran Williams, Michael Collins, Elvis Taione and Bradley Davies*

Please go here for details of the latest drop-in vaccination sessions: https://sbuhb.nhs.wales/go/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-drop-in-sessions-for-adults-age-16/

Or search @SwanseaBayNHS on Facebook and @SwanseaBayUHB on Instagram for more details on drop-in sessions and the Immbulance (mobile vaccination unit) tour.

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