Medical trials are part of the research

process which produce the drugs and the vaccines and the many other things which help us stay healthy or recover from illness. 

Okay, we know that don't we? Have we also thought about that research is done? 

Yes, I know about trials on other animals - and yes it worries me too. I am also thinking about trials on human beings.

When we were first told that the Astra-Zeneca vaccine was going to be available here and then we were told about the possibility of blood clots people began to get worried. The media made a lot of it too. They are still making a lot of it.

I have had my first A-Z shot and I am booked in for the second one in August. I plan to have it too. I plan to have it for more than one reason. The first is that I want to be as protected as possible against a virus that is potentially fatal, especially as I am in the older age bracket. The second is that I want to protect other people as well. Those are both good reasons to get vaccinated against all sorts of things. 

But there are two more reasons as well. The first is that medical science might learn something useful from me if something goes wrong. That might save the lives of other people. It seems to me that this is a pretty darn good reason to do the right thing. 

The second reason is that other people have risked their lives developing this vaccine. They allowed themselves to be injected and more. Yes, you can say, "Well they didn't have to do that" but is that really the case? Someone had to do it.

When I was first in London "bone marrow transplants" were only just being developed. I lived in a student hall of residence where there were student medical researchers working on the process. They needed a data base and I am happy to say that almost every student registered their interest and became involved in the process of providing samples for the researchers to use. All these years later there is still a lot of work to be done but without the initial work researchers would not be where they are now in the use of life saving transplants. 

Important? I think so. A much younger friend of mine who has multiple health problems has just signed up to be part of a research project. The researchers sought her out and asked if she would be interested. She has thought long and hard about the potential risks but has still decided to be involved because "they might learn something that helps someone else". 

We both know someone who is refusing to be vaccinated against Covid19. He is not an "anti-vaxxer" he simply told us, "I'm waiting until I know it is safe. I'll see what happens to other people."  It is possible that most of us might like to do that but then perhaps nobody would get vaccinated. 

I am simply going to hope that I don't react as I did first time round. I am going to thank the people who have risked their own lives so that I could protect myself and other people. Is that reasonable?