35 to 49 gang, get your arms out! 5 reasons why this age group is eager to get vaccinated

ToBeConfirmed

ToBeConfirmed

Published Jul 22, 2021

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Holding tightly onto my ID while waiting in line to get vaccinated, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation plays in my head.

I’ve been counting the days since the Department of Health announced that people aged between 35 - 49 could register for their Covid-19 vaccinations.

And now sitting on a cold bench in a hospital waiting room, my moment is finally here. I imagine someone jumping out from behind with balloons and a cake as soon as I’m jabbed and shouting: “congrats, you’ve been vaccinated!”

Instead, it’s over within seconds. Before I can even take my phone out for a selfie, the nurse looks at me annoyingly, waiting for me to lift my sleeve.

I’ll admit I was disappointed - I wanted to share my selfie with the rest of the 35 - 49 gang on social media with the hashtag #vaccinationsaveslives. Now all I have is a photo of me pointing to a “Covid vaccination recovery” sign.

Our generation, often referred to as Gen X or vintage millennials, has been heeding the call to action to get vaccinated. Never before has such a large group shown their willingness to contribute to the greater good of society.

Many are confused by our eagerness with some often calling us out on social media for “jumping the queue”. No sir, we are not jumping the queue, we have as much right as you do to access a vaccine that we’ve been itching to get ever since the word “J&J” were uttered by President Ramaphosa.

So to clear up any confusion and endless questions, here’s why we’re standing in long queues to get vaxxed.

Mark with an X

The year was 1994. South Africans from all walks of life were allowed to vote in the country’s first democratic elections. Most of us were able to mark our ballot cards with an X, knowing full well the power of our votes. It filled us with pride, knowing we could make a difference. For many, that same pride came creeping in - this time we’re contributing to herd immunity.

Queue? What queue

If there’s any generation that knows how to wait in line, come rain or shine, it’s us. We’ve been practising the art of patiently waiting our turn since the 90s when standing in line to get into a club was a regular occurrence, often making friends with complete strangers while comparing lipstick colours and shoe sizes.

The only difference between then and now, is that we probably won’t dance until the nightclub lights come on - we’ll be in bed by then.

We love ourselves a social gathering

This is our thing. Any excuse to get dressed and go out into the world and then posting our outfits onto social media. The 35 - 49 gang has keeping this energy throughout, often posting pics of their vaccination outfits, inspiring others to do the same.

— Pumi (@Pumlapesh) July 9, 2021

The raver generation

If you don’t have the soundtrack to Trainspotting, you can’t get vaxxed. Twitter has been inundated with these types of memes, often leading to comments from some vintage millennials reminiscing about their raver days.

The 90s was a time of reckless abandon where anything goes and the drug of choice was ecstasy. Not that we condone drug taking, but back then we didn’t care about what harmful chemicals we put in to our bodies. In any case, with all the preservatives contained in processed foods, our chances of growing a third eye are 20%.

So when anti-vaxxers harp on about 5G and and the “poisons” contained in the vaccine, we say bring it on - our bodies have been through the most.

Also, we’re fed up

The pandemic has lasted for a year and a half. Never did we in our worst dreams think up something so dire. We’ve lost close friends, family and acquaintances. Honestly speaking, we’re just fed up and frustrated with the slow rollout of vaccinations. It’s been hard, our grief knows no limits.

Just inject us so we can go back to some sort of normalcy.

— KHULEKANI (@KhulekaniMkize) July 19, 2021

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