The Vaccine
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A text message from the Scottish Government announced that I should get my first dose of the COVID19 vaccine by mid-February. It’s a glimmer of hope in this long pandemic.
A Year in Lockdown
What has your last year looked like? If it’s anything like mine, you’ve largely been indoors and most of your interactions with friends or family are on Zoom (other video conferencing apps are available).
It’s hard to believe we’ve been under some form of restrictions for almost a year now. I find the short days, long dark nights and rubbish weather of winter make it a lot tougher to stay upbeat and positive. The pandemic has been inescapable. It dominates every news broadcast and every news website. Even trying to escape into the world of podcasts the virus is never far away. Whether it’s hockey from US and Canada, rugby from the UK and Australia, No Such Thing as Fish, Hopinions, or Stuff you Should Know, regardless of topic and country the pandemic has touched every aspect of life.
Hope on the Horizon
However, the development and rollout of three different COVID19 vaccines offers a glimpse of light at the end of this long tunnel.
As I am on the shielding list, I get regular text message updates from the Scottish Government. This week a message advised that I should get the first dose of vaccine (it doesn’t specify which one) by mid-February. This is great news. I’m a year removed from my second round of Lemtrada and based on my monthly blood checks, my immune system has largely recovered. However, I also have asthma and whilst it is very well controlled, COVID19 attacking my lungs is not something I want on my bucket list. Given that, will I be accepting the vaccine. Oh hell yeah.
Ask the Experts
I can’t claim to understand the antivaccine sentiments that float around the edges of the internet, so I am very eager to be vaccinated. The vaccine’s development has been rapid, but necessity has always been the mother of invention. Is it too fast? Are there risks? Well, I’m not a medical expert. However I trust my neurologist’s advice and opinions because he is an expert. I trust my MS nurse because she is an expert. I trust the pilot to fly the plane because he or she is an expert.
With the vaccine, I trust the scientists who have developed the vaccine and the regulators who have approved. Why? Because they are the experts in this field. After all if I trust them with my MS treatment it would be an odd for me to start doubting medical science now.
An Historically Significant Time
How history records this pandemic will be fascinating. I really hope I’m around in say 30 years to see how this period looks through history’s lens. The lockdowns, the impact on people, community and the economy, denial, anti-mask protests, the conspiracy theories. How will they all be recorded?
Before the history is written, the vaccine brings hope. The last 12 months have been a slog. I miss the normality of life. I miss seeing my friends and doing the regular things I do. That might be martial arts, going to a hockey game, having a pint in the pub. The vaccine won’t mean an immediate return to any of these, but it does bring them that little step closer. After a year largely spent indoors and in Zoom calls, that sounds good to me.
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