In praise of Vale Community Hospital in Dursley

 

I have received today my second vaccination against covid-19. During my first vaccination, on December 17, I was annoyed by being asked three times the same set of mostly quite irrelevant questions. I obviously wasn’t alone. Several days later I listened to BBC Radio 4. The government pressed for speeding up the vaccination; the second vaccinations were to be delayed by several weeks. I wondered how many people over 80 would come for the second vaccination if it were thus delayed. Luckily, the doctors and nurses knew better, at least at the Vale Community Hospital in Dursley. They reduced the questions to a necessary minimum: Name, date of birth, did you have a flue vaccination during the last seven days, did you have any adverse reaction to your first vaccination? They set up two tents in which, after vaccination, we were asked to wait for 15 minutes, one for those who came for their second vaccination, one for those who came for their first. Both categories were intermixed in a row; socially distanced and wearing a mask as we waited for vaccination. Everything went on quickly and smoothly.

My thanks and congratulations to the Vale Community Hospital staff.