The Second Pfizers of May

Full on with second doses now. And May is not living up to its springtime billing so far! It has been very cold and wet at times.

On my first day administering second jags I noticed that all of the clients were from a particular date in February and that the following day they would correspond with my first shift as a vaccinator. I wondered if I would meet anyone to whom I had given a first jab. The third client tuned out to one such person as indeed did a few others over the course on my second shift. It was very nice to meet up with people a second time.

We are now picking up a clearer picture of reactions to first jags and it seems pretty minimal with the Pfizer. Of the many dozen second doses I have now given, the vast majority reported little or no side effects with only a couple reporting feelings of being unwell for a few days.

The numbers are also back up to better levels than in April with figures above 500 most days. This certainly helps the shifts to rattle along if you are in a vaccination booth although sessions in the reconstitution cabin remain rather longer in subjective duration.

Strangely for me as a confirmed retiree I now have to organise some annual leave before the end of July which is not something I had fully considered as I am only working two days a week. However I do realise that I need to make some attempt to take leave before my contract ends later in the summer.

All of our contracts run until early Aug and may or may not be extended beyond then. I guess it will depend on how far we have got through the population by then and also on whatever plans have been constructed to deliver a third or booster dose sometime over the autumn/winter period. I don’t yet know if I will continue beyond August or indeed if that is an option. If it is available, for me it will depend upon my assessment of whether it would be organisationally helpful for me to continue or whether there is more than enough staff to take this process on further into 2021 and beyond. My experience to date has been largely positive and at the moment I would be happy to carry on a wee bit longer if required.

And hopefully the weather will improve as summer progresses.


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