I admit it. Up until recently I was very blasé about the swine flu (Grippe A or H1N1 in France, not la grippe porcine). My husband came home with dire stories of our employer's capacity planning in case a pandemic swept through the personnel. The were asked to make plans for a 20% reduction in workforce (which projects would take priority, temporary hires, telecommuting). It seemed something far away in the world of work -not in babyland where I live. As the winter approaches though there are now daily reports of school closings in the Alpes-Maritimes. The vaccination drive got off to a slow start last week. Many in the first targeted group - healthcare workers - refused the vaccination. Like in other countries there is a fear of how well tested the vaccine is, how safe it is to take with a booster, and an overall belief that this flu is not that bad.
Earlier in the week I received my very own personal invitation from the Health Minister, Rocelyn Bachelot, to go over to Grasse and get myself vaccinated account of Little Guy being less than 6 months old. I am in priority group 3 (behind health workers and pregnant women). I had been the news in the US but now I had to come up to speed in France, quick.
Boo's nounou was decidedly against it. She doesn't like the idea of vaccinating an entire population in short timeframe - she was worried about sanitary conditions at the vaccination centers (do the nurses wash their hands after each patient? are the doses & syringes ever reused in part?). She had the same fear as many about the side effects of the booster shot, and finally she was annoyed that she couldn't just go to her doctor - a complaint among many - where she has more confidence to ask questions and has someone to turn to in case of complications. Call it the comfort factor.
After my conversation with her, I came home and spent the evening online reading everything I could find and decided to go ahead and do it. I don't want to be the cause of anyone getting sick on my account - not the Little Guys, or any of their friends or the number of pregnant ladies I come into contact with. I'm in good health and I think I can withstand the vaccine's stated risks.
All I had to do, the letter says, is to bring a piece of ID and my golden ticket to the listed center, in my case Grasse. On tuesday, Little Guy and headed off. Grasse is an annoying town to navigate by car because it's built into steep mountainside and is full of twisty one way S-curve streets. I spent half an hour before I left getting the exact location of the center and luckily it's just beneath the big square next to parking garage. We arrived and the first thing to do was to navigate old Grasse with a stroller. There are whizzing cars going around turns, no sidewalks and LOTS of stairs for pedestrians - hardly stroller-friendly. I was given good advice on how to exit the garage from a nice old lady (do not use the elevator because there are stairs upon exit, but go out and walk around, following the curve of the road). I crossed the square and was able to see Cannes in the distance and the sea and islands beyond. I finally saw a sign for the center and guess what? More stairs!! There was not thing to do but to disengage Little Guy and leave the stroller.
we decended down down down and arrived. Whew!
The center was closed. Not open on Tuesday at all. GRRRRRRRRRRR.
I had to actually study the sign for the opening hours. They are not the same on any given day. One day they are only open in the morning. Another only in the afternoon. Another all day except lunch time. Otherwise closed. Brilliant. So much for the urgency in getting people vaccinated.
I guess it's just easier to close schools as needed.
Anyway, we'll try again tomorrow.
