RSV Vaccine Trial – a big disappointment

I was playing sudoku on my smartphone a few weeks ago when, instead of the usual inane advertisements, an invitation popped up to participate in the stage-three trial for a new vaccine. 

RSV – Respiratory Syncytial Virus –  causes mild cold-like symptoms in most people, but can be serious for infants and the elderly, hence the need for a vaccine.  Since volunteers were now being sought for the stage three trials –  implying that the major risks had already been assessed – this looked like a low-risk opportunity to put something back into medical research, from which I had already benefitted greatly.

I completed an online application and a few days later had a video call from a representative of Synexus.  We reviewed my medical history, after which I was told that I was a suitable candidate for the trials.  After vaccination at their Cardiff clinic I would be required to keep a regular online diary and return to the clinic when required.   Was I willing to do this?  Yes, I was – indeed, I was most enthusiastic.

On Monday 6th December I drove the 42 miles to Cardiff for a session that was expected to take about 4 hours.  There were a lot of forms to read and sign, and an app to download onto my smartphone, then, once again, the doctor reviewed my medical history.  Things were going very well until she checked my blood pressure.  I forget what the diastolic reading was, but the systolic one was 175 – way too high. We waited a couple of minutes before trying again. This time it was 190!  It then settled back to 170, but this was far too high for me to continue with the trial and receive the vaccination.  Reluctantly, I was excluded from the trial and, after little more than an hour in the clinic, sent home with a cheque for £103 to cover my expenses.

Later that day I checked my resting blood pressure on my own monitor and it was a healthy 123:69. I continued to check it at random times of the day over the following week, and it never rose above 132:78.  I conclude that I must have been more anxious than I'd felt during the assessment process with Synexus. I've heard of people having 'white coat syndrome,' in which the anxiety of having ones blood pressure checked in a clinic drives it high. Well, I've never suffered from that one in the past but, as they say, there's a first time for everything. Perhaps the long drive through rain and heavy traffic hadn't helped either, though I'd had almost an hour to settle down from this before my blood pressure had been tested. All very odd.

In the not-too-distant future (when the present rush to deliver Covid jabs dies down) I'm expecting to be called to the Health Centre for a routine health check. Even if my blood pressure is normal, I shall mention my unhappy experience to the nurse.

Would I volunteer for another trial with Synexus? I'd like to, but first I want to understand what went wrong this time.

Did I really need a new computer? Perhaps not.

It's been a while since I've blogged here.  My primary excuse for absence is that my 7-year old Dell laptop computer has been running slower and slower with every passing month, and refusing to install Microsoft updates. In desperation, I tried several of Microsoft's remedies and lots of 'useful' tips on respected Internet sites, but to no avail. Finally I concluded that the ageing machine – which was far from 'state of the art' when I bought it – had reached the end of its useful life and (like its owner) needed to be pensioned off.  It's replacement – a snazzy HP that doubles up as a tablet – cost me rather a lot of money and goes like the wind... but that's not the subject of this post. 

What could I do with the old one? It had been too faithful a friend to consign to landfill. I'd heard some nice things about the Linux operating system and wondered what would happen if I installed it on the old Dell.

Unlike Windows, there are many incarnations of Linux – all compatible with one another, but aimed at differing sectors of the computer market.  For beginners like me, Ubuntu came out top of most reviewers' lists as it has many similarities to Windows. I decided to give it a try.  

After several hours learning about GNOMEs, ISO files and a program called RUFUS (which does wonderful things to ISOs) – and getting it wrong several times – I finally succeeded.  In retrospect, it really isn't that complicated if, unlike me, you follow the instructions instead of guessing the next step. Sigh...

Here's the main screen, with a selection of 'favourite' apps on the left side. It must be possible to change the background picture to a photo, but I rather like the pussy cat.  Presumably, he's supposed to be a wild (but friendly) big cat to fit with the name Ubuntu, which (according to Wikipedia) comes from the South African Bantu language and means 'humanity to others'.  

One of the founding principles of Linux is that everything is free. Moreover, thanks to its relative unpopularity, it's also inherently safe as the criminal fraternity prefer to plant their viruses in popular operating systems such as Windows and Mac OS. 

Ubuntu comes with Mosilla Firefox and Libre Office already installed and ready to go. I have long been a fan of Libre Office, and it's ancestor Open Office, and use it for all my word processing, spreadsheet and presentation work.  Why pay for things that one may have for free?

Firefox is great, but I prefer Chrome. Downloading and installing it was very easy, and it works every bit as well as its Windows cousin. 

Finally, if Linux was going to be a success then I needed an app to edit my photos. As with Windows, I was spoiled for choice but, at least for now, I've settled on one called PixelFX. It's a 'beta' version, which means that it might have a bug or two in it, but first impressions are that it's perfect for my needs. 

So there it is.  My ageing Dell laptop has been given a new lease of life. With speeds in excess of its best days as a Windows computer, I can already use it for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations (PowerPoint-type applications), surfing the Internet, blogging, emails....  And all at zero cost.

The big question is....  

Why ever did I bother to buy a new Windows computer?