Brittani Edwards DeLoach, MISE, LSSGB, works in the Department as a Program Manager II serving as the administrative point of contact for the Department’s research programs and initiatives. She also has severe asthma. 

Concern: I have an underlying health condition. 
Response: Brittani Edwards DeLoach, MISE, LSSGB  

Tell us about how you manage your asthma.

I was diagnosed with asthma at 25, and I use an inhaler every day. I have a nebulizer that I can use if things get out of hand. But sometimes, like it did on Christmas Day, it gets so bad that I have to go to the emergency room. I am really lucky because I see a pulmonologist here at UAB, Dr. Veena Antony, who has really helped me.

Have you been vaccinated for COVID-19?

I am fully remote, so I am not included in Phase I, but I have been doing my homework about it. COVID-19 has had me pretty worried. Knowing it affects the lungs, and hearing all the things I hear as a part of research working groups, it has been alarming to me. I have wondered a lot about what I would do if I tested positive. What would it be like physically for me, with my asthma? It is quite scary.

Does asthma factor into your decision whether to get vaccinated?

Absolutely it does. I have a background in industrial and systems engineering, so I always have a risk analysis going on in the back of my mind. It is phenomenal that this vaccine has been developed so that it can drive down the number of cases we are seeing. But not knowing how my body will respond, how the vaccine might impact me personally, has made me anxious.

When the vaccine is available, will you take it?

Honestly, I have been struggling with this decision. I decided I would talk to Dr. Antony about it, and she was so reassuring. She explained about how the vaccine is 95% effective, and how important it is for someone with asthma to protect themselves from getting COVID. She also said that I would be carefully watched after getting the shot, and that they would know what to do if anything happened. Talking with her convinced me this is the right thing for me to do.

As always, stay tuned to #UABUnited and UAB Medicine for official updates on COVID safety and vaccination progress

Note: This series is intended for those in our community who have reservations about getting “the shot.” These five articles from UAB Department of Medicine highlight a member of our DOM family, and how they have answered these commone concerns about COVID-19 vaccine for themselves and for their patients.