Eats plants
I spoke too soon in my last post about not having any side-effects after the second Pfizer jab. A few hours later I developed a fever, headache, aches and pains, and a swollen lymph node in my armpit on the vaccinated arm. After the first dose it felt like I had a marble under my… Continue reading Second jab side-effects and the ethics of vaccination
I had my first covid vaccine today after receiving my blue appointment letter last Monday. They're working very methodically through the population going from oldest to youngest. When your turn comes up you get your letter with the appointment date. I'm 45 and it was my turn today. The whole operation is very slick. You… Continue reading I got my first covid vaccination jab
The UK has made so many mistakes during the pandemic. We started by following the flu pandemic playbook which meant our goal initially was to slow the spread but not eliminate the virus. Something which is too late to do now and perhaps unfeasible anyway. I also realise that no one expected vaccines to become… Continue reading A year of blunders
The covid situation in the UK is pretty dire right now with close to 60,000 cases per day. It's worse than it was back in March at the height of the first peak. I read that hospitals in London are now cancelling vital cancer surgery. This is the reason covid is so deadly. It may… Continue reading Full lockdown for Scotland
We woke to some good news today: the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for use in the UK. I had been hoping and expecting this news for a couple of weeks now and was wondering why they were taking so long given the trial results were released at the end of November. They took much… Continue reading The Oxford vaccine, lockdown in Aberdeen, and online games
Last week Victoria began showing interest in wanting to go outside. Being the softy that I am I conceded and now she wants to go outside everyday. This would be fine except that I have become the butler to Her Majesty as she constantly wants to come in and out all day long. She begs… Continue reading Her Majesty’s butler
The Imperial College vaccine trial begins this week and of all the vaccine candidates being researched at the moment this is the one I most hope will be successful because it will be easy and cheap to make it in large volumes. It's also a very new way to create a vaccine. Professor Robin Shattock… Continue reading Imperial College vaccine trial
The virologist and director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Peter Piot, gives a good interview in this podcast about his experience of catching COVID-19. He first began feeling unwell in mid-March but couldn't get a test. For reasons unknown to all of us the government was rationing testing at the early… Continue reading Who is responsible for the UK’s testing strategy?
There are two vaccine trials soon to start in the UK. One is the Oxford University trial which will see actual vaccine injected into volunteers starting this Thursday. Last Sunday Sarah Gilbert, the vaccinologist leading this development, was interviewed on the Andrew Marr show. Here it is below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-S_Pqt1A_I&t=1s Imperial College London is also developing… Continue reading Two vaccine trials in the UK
We are back in Auckland and I am down and teary about that but I'm going to try hard not to complain so will leave it at this. Our last couple of days in Thailand were not without drama. We were taken to see some wild monkeys on Friday and fed them a bag filled… Continue reading Musn’t grumble
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