In all corners of the county this week, the phone is being watched. Those who would normally ring are being asked not to, or to use the mobile instead, in case a call should come through from the local GP telling them the news they have waited to hear for almost a year now.
It is hard to think of anything that has such unified the over 85s as the desire to get that call, secure the vaccination and get on with living their lives.
Some calls have been made and more will be made next week, but those who are over 85 can rest assured that they will be vaccinated in the next week or two. Then after they have received their second shot a few weeks later, they will be able to regain some of the confidence that has been lost; and to shed some of the fears that have dogged them since this cursed thing struck last year.
They are an age group who have given up most, in that they have given up the prize of scarce time. They have looked at family through double-glazing, which although ideal for insulation, is never the same as the feeling of unblocked proximity of loved ones.
They are an age group too that has seen many of their contemporaries fall prey to this disease. They have listened and watched to the nightly rollcall of the dead and sick, and felt that impact more than the rest of us. Those brave lions and lionesses of our elderly were rightly reduced to fear over the past while as an unknown threat emerged on the horizon, blocking the sunset they were all enjoying.
Those who are over 85 have given a lot to this country; they worked hard when hard work was mandatory; they raised a generation of children who have gone on to embrace a new Ireland; they are an age group too that lost family members to emigration, and they created an ethic that has given this nation a sense of soundness.
So now, their time is almost here. And while they will still have to adhere to the sensible mode of living, they will be able to enjoy many of the little freedoms that have been denied them for such a long time. The freedom to worship in their empty churches, the freedom to meet family and friends securely; and the liberty to live life without seeing every person they meet as a potential carrier of that which might hasten their own demise.
And when that age group is complete in the weeks and months ahead, the vaccination will spread further throughout society, enabling the numbers to be driven down, giving our hospitals back the capacity they need to mind us all again.
I feel sorry too for those for whom the pandemic is not the biggest worry. There are those among us who are mourning and grieving; those who are sick but who have been unable to get the full spectrum of treatments; and those for whom the veil of darkness has left a shade of grey in their minds.
It is remarkable that the scientists who compiled the cocktail of these vaccines might never know the welcome their work will receive when those with aged hands and failing ears listen for their ringing of their phone over the next week. To all of you who are getting vaccinated in the coming weeks, embrace life again, rebuild the hope that this scientific breakthrough has given us.
I wish you all a long life full of health and happiness filled with rich experiences fuelled by being able to feel part of our community again. Welcome back and thanks for your sacrifice.
