COVID-19 vaccines: tips to help you overcome a fear of needles

Let’s face it: not too many of us find getting jabbed in the arm with a needle, albeit a small one, to be a particularly nice experience.

But for some, the mere thought of it can produce sweaty palms, dizziness and heart palpitations.

Unfortunately for anyone afraid of needles, the COVID-19 vaccines likely to be used in Australia involve two injections in the upper arm.

The Pfizer vaccine, which rolls out in a matter of weeks, involves the doses administered three weeks apart.

For the most part, we grow out of a fear of needles. Despite this, needle fear is pretty common in adults and, unsurprisingly, can lower the likelihood of vaccination.

A 2009 study from Queensland, for instance, found nearly two-thirds of people with needle fear…