At last, after nearly five weeks of struggling to get the booster, it's finally in my arm.
But what a bureacratic routine they had set up in the large central vaccination centre.
On arrival I showed my online booking form to the entry steward, who, armed with laptop asked my name, date of birth and first line of my address, all information they already had.
He ushered me to Steward 2 only a few yards ahead who asked exactly the same the questions to check on his laptop and asked me to read a notice listing things causing possible difficulties with receiving the vaccine.
After a glance and assuring him I was a speed reader, he directed me to a clinical check stage, where steward 3 asked the same three questions to check against their laptop, plus a clinical quizzing.
From there I was escorted by yet another steward to the vaccination area, where another laptop bearer asked the same three questions for the fourth time to check against their screen. Only then did I finally get the jab, but was then directed to a 15 minute waiting area. With the whole process taking almost an hour due to the mini queues at each stage, I'd had enough and walked straight out without waiting.
When I had the first and second jabs at the regional health center there was just one brief admin stage and then the jab, and no 15 minutes waiting to leave. In fact jab 2 was right next to the exit from the building with nowhere to wait even if I'd wanted to.
There seems to be a lot of confusion in the NHS about such things. Online it assures that one can have the booster and 'flu jab at the same time, yet some NHS staff including two today seemed to think there had to be at least seven days between. Rather than argue I lied that my 'flu jab was well over 7 days before.
Still, I did receive another sort of booster, one I get from time to time. When I gave my date of birth to one of the women, she leaned back in her chair wide eyed and said "Wow!" At all ages I've always looked far younger than my age and she was another thinking I was in my 60s, rather than being 85.
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