Covid vaccine: What should I do if I'm scared of needles?

• Therapists Clem & Margaret Turner, explain where a fear of needles could stem from

Therapists are reporting a rise in people coming to them for help with needle phobias ahead of their Coronavirus vaccine.

Anxiety UK say that "many people fear injections to some extent, but once that fear becomes persistent, excessive and unreasonable, then the fear becomes a phobia."

They say it is thought to affect between 3.5 % to 10% of the population.

Symptoms of the phobia often include fainting or feeling faint - that's because heart rate and blood pressure increase, but then rapidly drop. Other people can simply feel panicky.

With all adults expected to be offered the first dose of the vaccine by the end of July, Margaret Turner a therapist in Sutton-in-Ashfield, says she has seen a rise in people experiencing anxiety ahead of their appointment.

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Clem and Margaret say the first step to facing your fear, is to calm down.

Here's a couple of their tried and tested techniques:

• Breathing

• Butterfly hugs

One NHS Trust advises first of all that people should speak up to whoever is due to carry out the procedure, as they may be able to answer questions or simply distract you throughout!

They suggest three techniques which may help:

• Applied tension - a technique to increase blood pressure back to normal levels so thatyou do not faint

• Breathing for relaxation

• Facing your fear gradually.

Click here to see the steps for each technique.

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