Why my booster jab fears were unfounded at Barnsley clinic and why you must do your duty – Jayne Dowle

By the time I’d considered where I was going to put the car if the surgery car park was overflowing, and what work I might manage to do on my phone if I found myself waiting for hours, I was there.

No queue. Plenty of space in the car park. A volunteer steward with friendly eyes behind the mask welcomed me into the vaccination centre at the side of the surgery.

My anxiety dropped a couple of notches. It was still visible, clearly, when after about 15 minutes, my number was called and I was directed to the now-familiar desk set-up; one person doing the paperwork, the other administering the jab.

This time, the vaccinator was a chap of around my age who asked me if I was okay. I nodded and squeaked ‘yes’. He asked me again and reassured me that it would take seconds and wouldn’t hurt.

I thought of my parents, both 78 with underlying health conditions and my mother-in-law, who all dutifully took their boosters weeks ago with no angst whatsoever.

I thought too of my children’s father, who passed away with Covid on his death certificate earlier this year. And then I thought of my husband, who has rheumatoid arthritis, and how quickly this big strong man succumbs to any kind of viral infection. We joke that it is ‘man flu’, but it wouldn’t be remotely funny if it was Covid.

I thought of all the people working on the NHS frontline who are absolutely exhausted now after almost two years of fighting coronavirus, and how vaccination does –it is proved – ward off the risk of hospitalisation.

I thought too of all the people with serious medical conditions and undiagnosed problems whose appointments are on hold because of the pressures exerted by the pandemic, a close friend of mine amongst them.

I swallowed hard, looked straight ahead and it was done. It’s fair to say that I was seriously guilty of over-thinking it all. However, I’ll still contend that some reservations were justified. It’s good to air them, and this is the point the Prime Minister and his communications team are missing.

Mr Johnson is clearly of the school that thinks repeating the same message over and over again will get through to the unvaccinated and those shunning booster jabs.

What we really need, and what should be happening now, is an acknowledgement of the public’s fears and concerns, and a dialogue offering reassurance from the Government and health professionals in return.

Most people I talk to about the booster worry that it will knock them for six. At this time of year, when family and forward planning responsibilities pile on top of normal day-to-day duties, the last thing most of us need are a few days laid low suffering from debilitating side effects. So far, I can report only a slightly sore arm.

I could argue for hours – as my family attest – about the rights and wrongs of how Boris Johnson dropped the target of vaccinating around a million a day to stem “the tide of Omicron” on us on Sunday evening.

However, this really is not the time to start yet another fight. Instead, it is the hour to put aside cynicism and do the right thing, not just for ourselves as individuals, but out of respect for our families, friends and anyone else we might come into contact with as this especially virulent strain of coronavirus threatens not just our plans for Christmas, but the ability of the NHS to cope.

It is also the time – if you are fit, well and able – to volunteer your services to help. Even if your faith in the Prime Minister’s statements is at an all-time low, his call for “tens of thousands of people to help out – everyone from trained vaccinators to stewards” makes sense.

I should point out that my booster had already been in the diary for a month. I took the opportunity to make an appointment when I received a text reminder. However, from what I overheard, many of the people in the waiting tent had booked in just days before. It 
will differ area by area, of course, but I certainly can’t report queues round the block in Barnsley.

All I can say is don’t make a personal drama out of a global crisis. As someone (almost) once said, think not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country and most importantly, everyone in your community.

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