I took the photo from Bournemouth pier, from which you can see three of the towns main attractions. There’s the Oceanarium, with the recent addition of a penguin enclosure. There’s the beach, which is the number one attraction when the sun puts in an appearance. And behind them both is the orange brick Bournemouth International Centre, more commonly referred to locally as the BIC. I’m sure you’ll agree the BIC is less of a mouthful. It’s hosted some big events over the 36 years of its existence. Wham, Diana Ross, Simply Red, Tina Turner, Kylie, NKONB and many others have graced the stage here.
But the BIC is hosting an event which will put all the others in the shade. Indeed, it will likely draw a crowd to dwarf every act to have ever played here, put together. The photo above probably gives the game away as to why. The BIC has been transformed into a mass vaccination centre. It’s already in operation, having received the first punters either yesterday or today. At some point in the coming months, perhaps even as early as April or May, I will go through the doors and get my shot. And then again a few weeks later for dose number two.
The vaccine will arrive too late for many people. We in the south west of England got away with it lightly in the spring. Infections and deaths here were always quite low. Even now, the death rate per person is lower than most places in the country. Alas, the infection rate in these parts is rising, whilst elsewhere it appears to finally be in decline. And one can tell this is so. How does one experience a localised increase in infections? Let me tell you. It is the constant wail of ambulance sirens. It never stops. From early in the morning till quite late at night, there is a constant wall of noise created by those sirens. It’s a quite apocalyptic sound.
Diana Ross may have been the soundtrack of the 70s. Wham the 80s. Simply Red the 90s. And Kylie the Noughties. But as things stand, ambulance sirens are the soundtrack of this decade. The BIC hosted the artists on that list. We can but hope it is the BIC that puts an end to the last item on it.
The Mexile 
Sirens are alarming. They simply do not exist on this Mexican beach where ambulances are as rare as tipping tourists from — well, you know where. During the three weeks I was in Oregon and Nevada, including walking the streets of Los Angeles (a boy has to make a living), I did not hear a single sren. It must be a national thing.
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I have a couple of friends in Mexico City who have noticed that the sirens have been running non stop there. But not in LA? I guess this will depend on the current case load, policy and weight of traffic.
I think the next slightly predictable crisis of this plague will be oxygen running out. I believe this is already happening/has happened in parts of Latin America. There are hospitals here who have found that their supplies of the good stuff are beginning to feel the strain.
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