[Vicky.]

Well yeah, vulnerable categories safeguarded against severe infection would definitely help a lot, especially NHS/other health system wise. A few mornings ago I was watching bbc news (something I have avoided for months actually..) and they were saying they were expecting to have everyone over 18 vaccinated by june. Which seems a bit..wasteful to me. Can't see that happening, maybe they are saying that to calm the younger people who are panicking and it will all be a bit 'ok, we have done it' once the vulnerable are sorted..I do think it will be a requirement for foreign travel though for most places..which is not that different to needing malaria jabs and stuff.

I would think that the 'actual plan' IS just to do the vunerable, as really, you cannot avoid a small amount of death completely, nor should we try to eradicate death IMO which some seem to be expecting. The issue is the NHS. If we can get it all to a level where the health system can function, that will be 'good enough'. What we have currently is loads dying of stuff that wouldn't usually kill them, because all resources are taken by covid patients. So now things that were not deadly before, can be.

The june thing..sounded fantasy for the whole country though, and just an hour later this was changed to 'all over 18s by september'

There was also a bit of attitude towards Israel and the implication they are not doing well with their vaccine rollout, yet..they have 25/100 people done apparently, while we are on much lower ..obviously we have a higher population, but it did come across very..sneering which seemed daft.

I seemingly cannot convince my mother in law that she should get the vaccine. She has declined so far, partly because of hearsay around her street. One of the women had it a week or so back, and said she was told 'if you feel a bit spaced out for a few days, dont worry, thats normal'. I am 100% positive she misheard/misremembered this, but it seems to have worried the people round there, which are mainly elderly/ill as its basically a form of sheltered housing the place she lives. Things like that certainly do not help matters, though I doubt she did it on purpose. Result of her spreading that about, seems to be half the street dropping out :S

That said though, my mother in law was not too keen on the idea to start with (though she gets the flu jab every year..) as she had covid ages back now and didn't even know she had it, despite being one of those that..to look at you would think would at least be hospitalised. She remains convinced, regardless of how many scientists say a vaccine is still needed, that natural imunity will be good enough. Her neighbour telling her to expect weird side effects cemented it in her. I have said that while it does appear getting it again is extremely rare, its clearly possible. Also it looks like usually a second infection..is not as bad as the first, but the potential is there for her to get it badly a second time, even if unlikely. I now feel I am just lecturing a nearly 70 year old woman..so just leaving her to it. But I do wnder how many 'vulnerable' are actually taking it up. The same bbc news thing, they had some health guy on and he was asked how good the takeup rate was. He gave a politicians answer, and it was something like 'shielding people who have not seen their families since march are very grateful for the advances' or something..which made me worry takeup is NOT very good, as if it was, he would have just said that surely?!

I guess time will tell. It will be 'interesting' to read all the studies and such in 30 years time, thats for sure!