[49/365] vaccine

[cosmolinguist]

I've heard of four different UK friends, between yesterday and today, who seem to be in vaccine group "what, me? already?"

They're people who have been invited to book their vaccinations for reasons they don't feel are quite fair: maybe a serious condition that they don't have any more, or a mental health condition that could be serious but in their case happens to not be right now, or just BMI which is as we all know a terrible misunderstanding.

But hey, if BMI gets my fat, tall and/or muscular friends protected I am all for it, and in general I'd rather have the nets cast as widely as possible than to have people missed out when they should be included. If that means there are "false positives" among my friends and others, I'm fine with that.

I'm really pleased that all four of the people I heard about are taking the opportunity to get the vaccine. The British horror of jumping a queue is strong, but it's best for everyone if we follow a different British compulsion: don't make a fuss. It causes the least admin headaches if we don't stand on ceremony and instead get vaccinated as soon as we can.

The wait feels like forever now but soon we'll have all had our vaccines and, when we look back on this time, the weeks separating one person's from another's won't feel like they matter so much.

Comments

[bunnypip]

I've been invited too. I'm not sure why either*, but I'm going to go.

I get to have mine at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara, which I am very excited about https://www.facebook.com/GuruNanakGurdwaraBedford/


*There was some question a while ago about whether they had me down as diabetic or just borderline, but I couldn't get a straight answer out of them, or it could be BMI but I'm not sure they have an uptodate weight for me and I go up and down over the borderline for that, or it could be that time they prescribed me an asthma inhaler, or it could be from when I was mad or whatever - I have no idea.

[po8crg]

I'm being vaccinated on Friday. I'm in because of my BMI, so make that another one.

[askygoneonfire]

This is such a level headed way to look at it. I chuckled at the recommendation of shift of thinking from "don't queue jump" to "don't make a fuss". Excellent reframing, thank you.

[lilysea]

The reason I need to be vaccinated sooner rather than later is
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis - I am currently already as unwell as someone with Long-COVID [COVID fatigue and other symptoms of 6 months duration], if I got COVID I could end up permanently bedbound.

But the Australian Govt does not recognise this.

What WILL make me eligible for vaccination in group 3 is my BMI...

[jpegghost]

BMI is so faulty. My boyfriend and I are pretty avid boulder-ers (What's the official title of people who 'boulder'?) and rock climbers. Both he and I are considered overweight, but every time a doctor sees us they're like " ... oh. nvm."

Rant over. BMI faultiness is good in this situation. I'm happy that people are getting vaccinated. Vaccines are at a crawl in the US, especially good ol Texas. Relieved that a few more people will be protected!

[silveradept]

In this situation, where a bad thing produces a good result, well take the good result and then go back to trying to get them not to use the bad thing. Because any excuse to get someone to take a vaccine they want to have is a good one.

[barakta]

Kim is called up for Saturday, probably asthma although she's on the milder end and had been worried about deprioritisation of asthmatics.

I agree, if offered the jab, on the whole people should take it, if nothing else it makes sure as much of a batch is used as possible cos they have to use it all up quickly and in the scheme of things wasted vaccine/time worrying about exact priority isn't worth it compared to Just Fucking Do It.

I will also keep chasing publicly for people who DESPERATELY need vaccines, like people with learning disabilities (PWLD, their preferred term), who have been grossly neglected and need them months ago/yesterday/now... But that doesn't mean people getting access now are detracting from that, it's all part of a good thing. Also the more who do it and are OK even with maybe a rough few days' side effects the more we can create a cultural norm of safety and 'right thing to do' for our general population AND everyone else.

[miss_newham]

I've just booked my vaccine appointment and feel like I need to apologise to the general public, cos I've read enough social media stories where people snitch on each other for not deserving to be high up in the queue. What larks! But I'm taking the damn thing regardless.

[swingandswirl]

But hey, if BMI gets my fat, tall and/or muscular friends protected I am all for it, and in general I'd rather have the nets cast as widely as possible than to have people missed out when they should be included. If that means there are "false positives" among my friends and others, I'm fine with that.

THIS. Good to see that fatphobic piece of shit being useful for once.