h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First vaccination speed lagged due to vaccine availability, now they have enough, but the capacity of the call-centres to make an appointment is insufficient to use full capacity. What will be the next excuse?

The much-heralded Johnson and Johnson vaccine hit a speed bump: a lot of doses were ruined accidentally.

Agree, things still seem to be going in the right direction.
But we won't be able to see the effect of all this weekend's eager family etc meets & Easter holiday activities before the scheduled further opening on 12 May (to coincide with schools returning).

Interesting that the legislation allowing public body meetings (Parish Councils etc) to have video meetings expires 6 May, so they will be forced back to face to face meetings despite all the restrictions on the buildings where they usually meet.

Might they renew the legislation?

Doubt it. Our local PC has rescheduled its May meeting to a different night to get in a virtual meet before the closing date. In June they will have to be back in our village hall, all socially distanced and mask wearing...

If everyone is six feet apart, will they all fit?

We have a large hall they can use, but it will be quite difficult unless people speak up. I've had a committee meeting in my garden with 6 people at 2m, was hard to hear everyone.

Some PCs only have a small room available, don't know what they'll do. Meet outdoors maybe?

If everyone was fully vaccinated, could they be closer to each other?

Not under the current rules.
Interesting the arguments about 'COVID passports' that's going on.

Maybe the mayor can stay inside and everyone else has to shout in through the windows.

Six feet is an average. The real safety zone could be between three and twelve feet. I don' think anyone is really sure.

Now that I've had my second jab and my parents had theirs over a month ago, I've been venturing out and seeing old friends and drinking buddies and as far as I can tell nearly every single one of them got the covid.

The air flow etc is all important too. Certainly better to be outdoors, but if you're downwind of someone with covid, that's not so good.
If you're near enough to feel their breath on your face, that's far too close!

Soon *everyone* here will be eligible to get vaccinated. Not everyone will want to. Who knows if supply will be ample?

Currently they are down to ages 74-75 around here. At this rate my turn will be in a few years time I guess...

Sometimes exceptions are made.

The City came yo my Trailer park and vaccinated any one who showed up, though they only brought 35 doses. About 50 showed up. Hence the issue of availability.

My hubbie has had his first jab. I can now register, but no idea how long it will be till I am called up. The group 60-69 is rather large.

The government paused the much-heralded Johnson and Johnson vaccine because half a dozen recipients had a rare clotting problem. Less than a week later, the issue was revisited, and J&J use was resumed.

I fear that the UK success will give people a false sense of security & that sooner or later a variant will arrive that is resistant to the vaccine. We need to do more to help other countries get vaccinated.
With people keen to go off abroad etc, risk of cases rising again, even if not the same degree of intensive care & deaths as before. Could still be a big impact on the way society operates.

Had my second jab today.Life is slowly returning to a semblance of normality but I'm hoping that as lockdown eases we don't get complacent.