The question for many people right now is whether they should be getting the COVID vaccine when it comes available for their age category (if they haven’t already done so).
Canada has lagged behind badly in even getting access to vaccines, and only now are vaccination clinics being rolled out in a way that should allow for most residents to get a shot within the next few months.
One of the issues many people are struggling with is the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is available at the drive-through in Regina. The age range has been creeping downwards incrementally, and for the main vaccine clinics, the age range has sort of stalled around 67 years.
I’m too young yet to get any vaccination, even in the drive-through, so it may be a while.
In one way, this is good, as I’ve claimed I’m not really all that old (my kids and some colleagues seem not to believe me), but in another way it’s not good because I’d kind of like to get the vaccine when I can.
Now, I will be up-front here and say I don’t have concerns about the vaccines as some people have expressed.
First of all, in regard to AstraZeneca, there is no actual evidence that this vaccine has been causing blood clots, and most (if not all) of the European nations that had suspended its use have resumed giving this vaccine.
In addition, I think people need to have a realistic view of what vaccines do. They do not prevent a person from getting a virus, and it’s concerning that I hear comments all over the place by people that they think getting the vaccine means the end of COVID. It’s a virus — it’s not going anywhere.
We need to be able to live with it and not be so unreasonable in our fears of it. If you’re a fan of “New Amsterdam” like I am, you might have recently seen the outburst by Dr. Helen Sharpe (actress Freema Agyeman), and she said exactly that, we need to learn how to live with it.
The job of vaccines is basically to make sure you won’t get sick, or if you do catch the virus, the symptoms won’t be that bad. This is how the influenze vaccines work, and I know from personal experience it’s worth it to get vaccinated for the flu.
Thus, when the age levels finally get down to my age range, I will be rolling up my sleeve for a vaccine shot — and so should you, dear reader.
