Rolling out a vaccine

can't come soon enough for many people. If the present situation continues I will be putting my paw up to get a jab when it becomes available.  Why? I am officially "older" and I am in contact with many people who would be classed as "very old". 

The Senior Cat may be the oldest person in the residence but there are others close to his age. They need protecting and me getting vaccinated helps to protect them.

I don't know if the Senior Cat will enjoy the benefits of a vaccine. He is getting very frail. Yesterday he told me again, "I don't know. I'm so tired all the time."  I know he might just fall asleep and not wake up. I am dreading that moment too. But, should he still be with us, I don't want him fighting for every breath in a highly distressed state without any of us able to be with him. There are people who have been through that and it is not something that should happen to anyone. I would not wish it on my worst enemy. 

There are however complaints about the vaccine. 

Some people of course oppose all vaccinations. They are often loud in their opposition. They get a lot of media attention. I am aware of the so-called "research" their objections are based on - and I am aware of the harm it has done. People who could get vaccinated don't get vaccinated. They don't vaccinate their children. Worse still they don't want the rest of us to get vaccinated. 

They also harm people who cannot get vaccinated. In our previous street there was a woman who lived opposite  us. She was violently allergic to eggs. Her allergy was so bad that I remember seeing her hastily back out of our kitchen one day. My mother had, unthinkingly, started to cook some scrambled eggs in her presence. Even that exposure had brought on a reaction. Her eyes were watering, her nose was running and she was gasping for breath. So, no vaccinations for her because they contain egg. All her life she had been faced with the problem of being careful not to be exposed. People like her need to be protected too. 

And then there is the politics of all this. The Opposition here is complaining that vaccinations are not being rolled out fast enough. They say we are "behind" other countries and that the government has not acted quickly enough to ensure we are all vaccinated. 

There are a number of things wrong with this. One is that there are approval processes for any vaccine. Those who are in charge of such things have a responsibility for making sure that a vaccine does what it claims to do and does it without doing harm. There can never be a one hundred percent guarantee but they get as close as they can. It still takes a little time. Rush it through? No. 

The logistics of getting a vaccine out are also huge. We live on the largest island/smallest continent on the planet. For the most part  our population is spread around the coastline. Even around it there are places where the population is sparse. Using a vaccine which has to be stored at -70'C has major challenges. In some places it might simply not be possible. More than one vaccine has to be looked at. The way in which vaccines are distributed might vary greatly. 

There are questions about who will administer the jabs and how. Arguments that "all this should have been decided long ago" are ridiculous. There are things that may need to change at any time. What, for instance, if we found that vaccinating those under the age of two was the most effective means of stopping the virus spread? It's unlikely but anything is possible. A vaccination program this extensive needs to be flexible. 

And how much of the vaccine will we be able to get? The Opposition is complaining that not enough has been ordered - even though there are orders to multiple suppliers. No, there probably isn't enough - yet. What we need to think of here is the huge number of people who won't get vaccinated at all - people in other countries. There is talk of a "vaccine apartheid" - people who won't get vaccinated because of poverty and so much more. I know how hard it has been to provide other vaccinations in some locations and the opposition aid workers have faced.  This time it is not going to be any easier.

If  my group in the population is offered the jab in the coming months I will put my paw up. It isn't because I like needles being stuck in my arm but because it will be the responsible thing to do. I will do it and be thankful I live in a country where such things are possible.  I will do it as a way of saying "thank you" to those who have spent the long, long hours working on such things too.