I did my civic duty and had a Covid test today. Nothing serious. I have a few mild symptoms – runny nose, sore throat. Nothing to write a blog about. But, alas. Anyway, I went to a drive-in testing centre. The outside temperature was a cool 4o celcius. Kudos to all the workers who were freezing their arses off to provide this service. Anyway, anyway, I was listening to the radio and there was discussion about the significant level of vaccine hesitancy in the over 50 years age group (ie. the cohort who have been prioritised for Astra Zeneca vaccine in Australia), and the possible need for a marketing jingle to encourage vaccine uptake. Unfortunately that got me thinking. [Truly awful poetry warning]

Immunise to Fraternise

Don’t hesitate
Get the jab and save lives
Safety in numbers

Vaccinate

Want to party?
Takes two pricks to tango
Frisky to go-go.

Get the jabs

Be an oldie and 
a goodie.  A ha ha ha
Stayin’ alive, stayin’ 

Safe
Don’t hesitate.

I can’t keep this awful poetry bottled up inside me, ladies and gentlemen, and unfortunately it doesn’t get any better than this, so let’s move on. But before I do, did you notice that I didn’t mention Let’s Stick Together? I thought better of it in case that notion was misconstrued.

Have you ever looked at the lyrics to Let’s Stick Together? Awful. It is just as well that I couldn’t understand a word Bryan Ferry sang. Speaking of misconstrue and Bryan Ferry, this brings me to your bonus song of the week – a parody of Let’s Stick Together by Stevie Riks. It makes more sense.

My True Love got his shot last weekend. We shall see what happens. We are mindful of just how easy it is for a new outbreak here to spiral out of control, killing and causing serious long term illness in our largely unvaccinated population. I was reading that there is a strong possibility that Covid could trigger diabetes in some patients (see https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unraveling-the-complex-link-between-covid-and-diabetes/). It remains to be seen whether mild disease can also trigger (autoimmune) diabetes. Do you want to take that chance? As someone who has lived with Type 1 diabetes (triggered by a virus) for nearly 50 years, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. I have no regrets, only relief, about getting vaccinated, despite the small but serious risk associated with the Astra Zeneca vaccine. If a jingle improves uptake (remember Slip. Slop. Slap?), then bring it on.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

30 thoughts on “Immunise To Fraternise”

  1. Good on you. There isn’t enough vaccines here for the population of over 50’s I am pretty much isolated and don’t have much interaction with people when I go to town. I can wait until the vulnerable have theirs first

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      1. I never see anyone but my parents day to day so I don’t need a vaccine. I live at the confluence of two big cemeteries and they had no increase in funerals so I don’t see a need for a vaccine. I will almost certainly die of blood clots if I take a dose based on my health issues. So, no I’ll stay hidden from the society and not bother.

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  3. I love your bad poetry. In my valley there are more than 200 cases right now which is a LOT when you consider how small our hospitals are and how difficult it is to care for seriously ill people who have to be flown to cities. Sadly, we’re also a “haven” or “bastion” or whatever of idiots who believe the vaccine will confer the sign of the beast on the people who get it. I would really like to move to Canada… BUT that’s not going to happen.

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    1. I don’t even have to try hard to write bad poetry, Martha. I am not hopeful this pandemic will end any time soon. You have great vaccines there that are effective against or adaptable to new variants. It is a huge shame if pride is pride or politics are preventing people from them up. Your local hospitals must be quite overwhelmed. I hear that there are also people in Canada, and there are certainly many in Australia that have indicated no intention to get vaccinated. I don’t think you will be able to escape that sort of thinking.

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  4. I so enjoyed your jingle. We were just discussing all this last night. My Dad was saying we have to appeal to people’s emotions, not their reasoning. He mentioned words like “Jingoism”. It is a war (against the virus). Maybe we need to call in the old war effort terminology.

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    1. I cringe at the thought of them, but I agree we do seem to have lost that Aussie spirit of doing something for the community. On the other hand, before I got my shot, I dreamt that my dogs told me that they were being discrimated against because they had to have the AZ vaccine, so clearly my sub-conscious was troubled!

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  5. I hope your test comes back negative, and you feel better soon. I like the idea of a jingle; I can still remember some from when I was a kid, and often wonder why they are not as popular as they used to be. Yours might start a trend …

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  6. I’m glad your test came back negative. Hopefully, you’re feeling a little better.

    I got a big kick out of the video you posted, and I have to confess that I sought out the Bryan Ferry original. You’re right. It’s pretty much incomprehensible.

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  8. No problems with getting a vaccine here in Mudgee and we’ve had ours. Both experienced feverishness for 12 hours afterwards and lingered in bed piled with doonas, but hey, better than getting Covid. Pity that the emphasis on blood clots is putting people off, or is it the thought of having the less effective Astra Zeneca? Perhaps if a certain leader had had the AZ instead of barging in to have the Pfizer, there might have been a more positive reaction from some parts of society.
    I’m glad to hear your test was negative.

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    1. You did good, Jane. All the same, I hope there are no problems for you or your husband. I am sure it is the case that people are concerned about the effectiveness of AZ against variants of concern. It hasn’t helped that the most risky vaccine is the least effective. Also, as the PM got the Pfizer, he is in no position to lecture or cajole those who are reluctantly unvaccinated. I wonder whether that will stop him from laying the blame for future community transmission and any deaths on those people? You know, the “I told you so” parry.
      I went to the supermarket today and there were heaps of people coughing and sputtering. Gross. I quickly masked up again.

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  9. Loved the jingle, Tracy! And yes, I’ve been fully vaccinated and so has my husband. He had no side effects from the vaccines, and all I had was a sore arm and the chills for a few hours after the second shot. I am so thankful that they are readily available now in the States and hope that the vaccines are accessible world-wide very soon. Take care!

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    1. Thanks, Ann. The level of vaccinations in the US seems to have made a big difference in stemming Covid infections. I’m so glad you have got your shots. It must be so reassuring to know that when you see your family, and especially your grandchildren, that you are protecting them from heartache and harm.

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  10. The USA has about a 50% rate of vaccination currently. It is predicted that reaching a higher rate will be a struggle with vaccine resistance.

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    1. It is a real shame. Australians have been surveyed and 30% have no intention of getting vaccinated. There are others who are not sure. If we get more cases and people die that might change some minds, but then again ….

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