Making vaccines mandatory is the most moral thing to do

My mum and dad aren’t just my parents, they’re my best mates – and I’m not just their daughter, I’m also their primary carer.

KATIE EDWARDS

My mum and dad aren’t just my parents, they’re my best mates – and I’m not just their daughter, I’m also their primary carer.

They both deal with various conditions and disabilities and are considered clinically extremely vulnerable. Last year, I was part of the Covid exodus: one of the masses who left full-time permanent employment for a more flexible, less all-consuming career.

I was a university academic and – pre-pandemic – I wouldn’t have considered leaving my job. But, like so many others, Covid gave me cause and opportunity to rethink my life and what’s important to me, which is my family. So now I’m a freelance writer, which allows me to work while looking after my mum and dad.

I like a bit of background noise while I’m working. My noise of choice is that bastion of daytime television, Loose Women. I can keep up with Denise Welch and Coleen Nolan while I’m earning a living: what’s not to love? The other day, Denise et al were discussing Covid vaccines. The debate became so heated that the panel were no longer white noise.

Some of the panel repeated: “It all comes down to personal choice – it has to come down to personal choice.” I can understand that because the issue of “personal choice” has become something of a mantra throughout the pandemic.