Yesterday in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic I went to the GP surgery for my baby’s first vaccinations. I was reluctant to go given we’ve seen the number of Covid-19 related deaths rise into significant numbers in the UK this week and this Easter Sunday 12 April is supposed to be the peak. But my baby needs her jabs and they can’t be delayed. The surgery was shut, only allowing patients with urgent appointments such as ours to come in. In fact there were just 3 of us when Baby M and I arrived. Thankfully the visit was swift and the medical staff all had surgical masks, gloves and an apron. But I scrubbed us both clean as soon as we got home. Small enclosed spaces are not the best places to visit right now but it had to be done. And I was fully appreciative of the efforts the surgery staff went to for calming my nerves and getting everything done swiftly. But I will sit nervously for the next 2 weeks praying for no symptoms. Yes I am paranoid but with two small kids and a diabetic husband, I can’t help it.
And we have to do this all again in a month. Who knows what it will be like then? Will we still be in lockdown? Probably. In just a few weeks our lives have changed so dramatically but if we’ve learned anything it is to appreciate each other and those on the frontline working tirelessly for us – NHS staff, supermarket workers, delivery drivers, rubbish collectors … I read a powerful piece this week by Jonathan Freedland about how the coronavirus pandemic has changed our views of what counts the most in life. There are so many things that we took for granted before – going to the shops, friends that perhaps we hadn’t seen in a while, even going to work… I hope the world will come out humbler from this crisis.
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