"I was proper against it back then."
A woman who was an adamant anti-vaxxer has now changed her views after contracting Covid-19 twice.
Saja Ali was firmly against the vaccination until she fell ill.
The mother-of-three said the experience of having the virus twice has changed her mind on getting vaccinated.
She is now calling on other anti-vaxxers to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Saja said: “A lot of people are still claiming the vaccine doesn’t work.
“I think those who have caught Covid more than once should speak out to raise awareness.
“The vaccine does work and does prevent worse symptoms.”
Saja fell severely ill with Covid-19 in February 2021 and she had not been vaccinated at that point because of what she had read online.
She admitted: “I was proper against it back then.
“For me, it was all because it was new. It was a new vaccine and I was hearing a lot of conspiracy theories.
“At the time my husband was also really against it. I did not think twice about not having a jab. Then I got it really, really bad.”
Saja’s bout with Covid-19 left her ill for a month. The virus also infected other family members, including her father who became seriously ill.
He was so ill that he spent 11 days in hospital.
After recovering, Saja got both jabs. However, she contracted the virus a second time shortly before Christmas.
But Saja believes that without those vaccines, she would have been severely ill.
Saja explained: “I was a complete anti-vaxxer until I got Covid-19 really, really badly back in February.
“I did not feel as ill this time. I believe that it was purely down to the vaccine.”
“I felt a bit tired but nothing to stop me doing what I would normally do in a day. It was nothing like it was back in February.”
After recovering, Saja is now calling on others who are sceptical about the effectiveness of vaccinations to get them.
She continued: “I don’t want it to come across as being offensive, but I do not want people to take a chance.
“From my perspective, the vaccine has definitely worked.”
Although Saja says the vaccine is not a direct solution to avoiding Covid-19, she says it is the best defence.
She added: “I believe the vaccine won’t stop people from being poorly, but it will help prevent you from falling really ill and needing hospital treatment.”
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