There is an old joke about someone told to ‘jump’. In a disciplined environment, the only proper response is ‘how high?’ !

One exception to this rule is the Netherlands. Here the response would probably be ‘what do the rules say?’ or ‘we should discuss this first in round table talks’.

In the Netherlands, the priority groups selected for the corona vaccination were first announced as follows: patients and carers in geriatric, handicap and home care, then 60 plussers, then onder 60s with underlying medical conditions, and then general health care workers, and so on.

Inevitably, in a country like this, various groups started lobbying for alternative priorities. First the hospitals argued for priority vaccination of front line corona workers, then ambulance personnel and now GPs.

The original plan followed the science, and seems to compare with what other countries are doing. The Dutch have a love-hate relationship with science. The opinions of lay people, or the man in the street, are regarded with equal value. However, at the end of the day, it is still a question of ‘elbowing’ one’s way to the front, armed with whatever arguments have the most sway, irrespective of whether they are based on fact or not. I wonder why this nation is the last EU country to actually start vaccinating?

At the moment, the silent group of 60 plussers and others with underlying health conditions is being pushed quietly down the queue.

Instead of trying to protect the more vulnerable so they do not end up in hospital, those manning the front lines in hospitals, ambulances and GP surgeries are getting priority. I wouldn’t mind so much if loud mouths from those groups hadn’t been so vocal about their misgivings on vaccination.

In the meantime, I have to continue my semi-recluse existence for another a few months at least, even though I have no hesitation whatsoever about being vaccinated.