Why our carers should be first in line for jabs
THE greatest news of the day is that vaccines have been discovered against Covid-19 around the world, though worryingly none has been as rigorously tested as usual medical breakthroughs are.
As there are various vaccines, the list of people eligible varies from country to country. Take Russia, for example: the news is that the vaccine is offered in the first instance to people working in the medical profession, teachers, social workers and municipal workers aged 16-60 in good health, not suffering from any chronic respiratory disease, pregnant or breastfeeding.
When more vaccines are available for the wider population, people over 80 will be exempt.
In the UK, the lists initially published have been amended and worryingly health service and care personnel have been moved down the list, behind the elderly and ill.
Topsy turvy? Surely, the people who are needed to care for everyone should be first?
Unfortunately, the health service is understaffed and is a scarce resource, so shouldn’t the people who work in this service be as protected as we can make them?
Think of the advice on a plane to parents with children regarding face masks and life-saving oxygen: put your mask on first before you attend to your child.
It makes sense when you think about it. With your mask on, your child can see you wearing the contraption, you can breath whilst you calm your child and fix the mask. Then you are both safe.
So, until enough vaccines are available, everyone needs to be masked, washed and distanced!
L Measom, Thringstone