15 Minutes

A couple of days ago I mentioned that I had got a phone call with some exciting news - something to look forward to later this week. It was a very unexpected call - offering me a Covid vaccine today! It was a complete surprise and a bit of a mystery as I knew that people my age (group 8, those 55 and over) weren’t  yet being vaccinated. I hadn’t expected a call for another few weeks. I was happy, but the mystery was niggling.

I got another call yesterday asking if I could change my appointment time, so I took the opportunity to ask again why I had already been offered a vaccine. It appears I am actually in group 6 - those who have an 'underlying health condition which puts them at a higher risk of serious disease or mortality'!  I had no idea!  It’s genuine.

Four years ago I had a small medical scare and I spent a day in the hospital. It ended up being a bit of a false alarm, but what WAS discovered was that I have a small issue with my heart. The cardiologist wasn’t overly concerned but he said he’d like to check it out again in 5 years. I haven’t given it much thought since then and I’ve felt fine in the subsequent years, although I’m aware that I have an issue and am glad I’m ‘in the system’. It’s worked to my advantage now because it was reason enough to get me in a higher group for vaccination. I’m very thankful.

So off I went to one of our local doctor’s offices just before 4pm. The operation was extremely well planned and orchestrated. I was very impressed. Many of the people working at the clinic were volunteers (as I was, at different location last month). The actual vaccinators were doctors I knew from my local practice. I was told they were doing over 400 today. The vaccine was so fast and completely painless. The next step was to go next door to the old fire station where rows of ‘socially-distanced chairs’ were set out. We were asked to sit there for 15 minutes to make sure we didn’t have a reaction.

So this is a relief to get this done, and earlier than I expected. I’ve also been happy to hear in the news today that they’re doing so well with numbers that they hope to get all adults over the age of 40 vaccinated by the end of March, much earlier than previously predicted.

I’m feeling fine this evening, although I’m ready for bed early and will head there quickly if I start to feel a bit wobbly. Feeling very grateful, especially for our amazing National Health Service in the UK.