Two days since my last post? I’m getting lazy.
Today I have had my Covid vaccination. The young lady in the pharmacy was disappointed to hear we have already had our flu jabs, as she could have given them both. In return I was disappointed that our GP Surgery hadn’t been able to give us Covid at the same time as the flu. On the tram on Wednesday a woman was telling her friend that he GP had given her both at the same time. It strikes me that a bit of joined up thinking could have streamline the whole process.
Trees at Clumber park
Look at it in terms of time and traffic. It took us 25 minutes to get there, ten minutes to be done and, probably 15 minutes on the way back because there was less congestion. That’s six miles, 50 minutes and who knows how much carbon dioxide. Multiply that by four hundred (a conservative number of people vaccinated based on the number there while we were) and halve it as not everyone would have travelled as far or used a car for their Covid jab. I need the car because I can’t walk far and I need that particular pharmacy as it has reliable parking nearby.
That works out at 1,200 car miles used, 166 hours wasted and 240,000 grams (24 kg) of carbon dioxide.
I just had an email to thank me for sponsoring a tree planting in the Ribble valley. When my tree is fully grown it will absorb about 25 kg of carbon dioxide a year. I promise you it’s a coincidence that the amount produced in my calculation is so close to what a tree will absorb, but it’s a sobering thought that a little inefficiency means a whole tree is needed.
Backlit Sumac Tree in the MENCAP garden
A sobering post, yet very good that you both got your Covid vaccines. The other day I asked a friend, what would it look like to live in a world where you didn’t exploit people or nature? She made no answer, and I didn’t have one either.
Even the Romans polluted the atmosphere. We have acted badly in relation to nature for a long time.
https://phys.org/news/2019-05-roman-polluted-european-air-heavily.html
However, when you have 7 billion people polluting, cutting wood and eating rare animals it all gets out of hand.
Yes, sigh.
It’s dispiriting isn’t it?
Very.
We must “endeavour to persevere” as Lone Watie says in Josey Wales.
Never mind, the government is going in for growth in a big way so any individual addition is not going to matter too much. They have all gone mad.
Is it them or is it me? I have no idea what is going on.
Good sums. Our GP surgery didn’t know when they would get the Covid vaccine, so booked us for the flu. By the time the date came round they gave us both together – a bit of joined up thinking is possible,
Ours wasn’t allowed to give the Covid vaccine. Don’t know why. We both had flu jabs that were free of complication, delivered by one of my favourite doctors. Today we both bled, which is unusual, and Julia has a very sore arm. Have had three jabs at this pharmacy delivered by three different pharmacists.
A couple of years ago they used to give me my flu jab when I went in for blood tests, now I have to book and queue. Constant changes.
Not for the better
🙁 I am resigned to this.
You do have an excellent point on efficiency. From a personal perspective though, I prefer to stagger my vaccinations, though I realize some vaccines are combos and I take those as is without question. I learned from working with the cats staggering vaccinations can matter in terms of avoiding adverse reactions.
It’s a good point, but as they never test us to see how well the vaccine is working we will probably never know. When rearing chickens we always tested twice to check the vaccine had worked. We also had to do a sensitivity test to decide which antibiotic to use. In humans none of this gets done,
Excellent point but there are still political idiots who don’t think it matters.
Yes, I’m almost speechless at some of the things that are being said by politicians on this subject. However, it’s unlikely you will see me on a bike any day soon, so I must take a share of the blame.