VACCINATION!

So! The dreaded moment has arrived. To vax or not to vax. I’m not against vaccination per se. I have my flu jab every year; as a child I had the polio vaccine — no problems there. So what is it about the COVID vaccine that makes it so contentious? Well, for a start the speed with which it was developed, secondly Bill Gates finger in every pie, thirdly the ineptitude of the British government and if all that isn’t enough, just overall suspicion of the whole pandemic debacle. However — I have a son who suffers from a condition that makes him vulnerable. Since he’s been stuck in my flat this lockdown… what’s a mother to do? Get the vaccine! So off I go when my number is up and join the line of all the other golden oldies called in that day.

Brushing aside my fears that this is part of a mass cull of the aged, I am very relieved when they offer me the Oxford jab — I certainly didn’t want anything that attached itself to my DNA. Who knows where that could lead? We shuffle forward — are we queuing to see the Crown Jewels or heading for the gas chamber? All sorts of weird thoughts flash through my mind, but then I catch someone’s eye who winks at me from behind their mask and we both start laughing. Laughter is the best antidote to all fears. At last a charming nurse sticks a needle in my arm. The deed is done. I didn’t fall over on the spot, much to my relief and so far all I’ve felt is a slight soreness in my arm. I have to say all the volunteers and NHS staff involved were delightful and the whole event was organized exceptionally well. So I have been vaxed, so far so good. Five weeks to the follow up jab…we’ll have to see what the future brings.