Britain ranks right up there in the successful nations efficiently administering anti-COVID-19 vaccines to its population; out of 25 countries in the top ratings out of possibly 160 countries coping with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic it's right in the middle. A ranking of 14 in protecting its population, out of 160 contenders. And Canada? Just keep going further down, about number 32 should do it. Not a very admirable effort on the part of a first-world, technologically advanced, wealthy country. 

The United Kingdom produces its own AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, although it has also used Moderna and will acquire doses from Pfizer-BioNTech as well. Of the tens of millions of Brits vaccinated, no word of alarm over AstraZeneca possibly being the cause of blood clots. It was France, and then other countries in the European Union that first began having 'doubts', not over the vaccine's efficacy, but its safety. Claims that it was the cause of blood clots mostly in women -- actually less than a handful of cases -- had the EU call a pause in its use.

But then the EU's medical authority cleared AstraZeneca and its use resumed, qualms of compromised safety with its use settled. So we thought. Canada has now decided to proceed with caution, and require more data from the pharmaceutical company, and that it place the vaccine through more tests with all age groups. Its tests evidently from stage one to three, did not include an elderly demographic. Which convinced Canadian health authorities not to authorize it for vaccinating the elderly.

But now, that same medical group is withdrawing its authority to have the vaccine used for inoculations in Canada for those under 55 years of age. Which leaves a narrow spectrum of people -- aged between 56 and 69 for whom the health agency feels the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe to use. Up to this point it has been used to vaccinate quite a few Canadians under the age of 70. Of those, no cases have emerged of blood clots that anyone might want to link to the vaccine. An abundance of caution is what the public is told.

This is the same public awaiting the opportunity to receive their first dose of vaccine while the country is struggling with variants heading up a third wave of COVID, leaving area hospitals swamped, and too many patients in ICUs, along with too many funerals following too many deaths from COVID-19. Taking one of the available vaccines out of use on fears that 1 in 100,000 people may develop blood clots ostensibly because of the vaccine, when the pathogen itself creates blood clots on a far greater scale, is puzzling beyond belief.

It's something we discussed this afternoon when we were out in the ravine with Jackie and Jillie, and a young man of our acquaintance walked alongside us for the entire circuit. It's been a beautiful day, the only thing in common with yesterday's cold, icy-wind day being the presence of the sun. We had done our weekly grocery shopping in the early morning, and I spent a bit of time beginning spring cleaning, starting with the kitchen pantry, but the day beckoned and off we went.

The weather prediction for tomorrow is 90% chance of rain, yet again. And cooler than today's moderate 15C, so it won't be a pleasant day, and we may not be able to get out for our afternoon hike again, either. Which meant we'd better enjoy what we had while we had it. Because it was much milder today than yesterday the threat posed by fast-frozen icy trails having to be negotiated was no longer a problem. But there's always something, in spring.

The trails are less gripped in ice, it's all melting, to our relief, but in its place is the obviously expected muck, resulting from the saturated forest floor yielding to snowmelt and milder temperatures and making for situations where our boots sink deeply in mud. Although we originally dressed Jackie and Jillie with little rubber boots to protect their tiny paws against extreme winter cold and ice conditions, now those same boots are useful in keeping their feet dry and comfortable.