Drive-in flu vaccine service called off because of rain? I bet NHS staff who saw off Covid wouldn't have been bothered – John McLellan

Covid-19 means we are living in an era of fear, where caution is the name of the game and no activity comes without a risk assessment. Even those things which are designed to minimise risk.

A nurse prepares to give a patient a vaccine (Picture: David Cheskin/PA Wire)

Take last Saturday for example. As we all know, it was a bit miserable and although by evening the steady rain had turned into a downpour it wasn’t as if the day was a complete wash-out.

Despite the wet weather, my colleagues and I still got out to deliver surveys as part of the by-election campaign in my Craigentinny & Duddingston ward and we knew from social media that the opposition were out as well.

Yes, I was a bit damp when I got home, but no harm done.

Saturday was also supposed to be another opportunity for hundreds of people to take advantage of the new drive-in flu vaccine service, but because of the poor forecast the NHS said the operation would be “paused”.

So because rain was predicted, local health chiefs decided it was too risky to give people flu jabs to stop them getting a potentially fatal illness despite the recipients being in cars and the medics under big tents.

Most of us stood on our doorsteps to applaud NHS workers at the height of the first wave and I’m sure the staff would have been quite prepared to go out on Saturday to keep the vaccine programme rolling.

After facing Covid, I doubt a bit of rain would have held much fear.

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