To think this a bit inappropriate of the staff

[Eviecupcake1993]

Hi,
So today I went for my second covid vaccine. Aibu to think this was inappropriate of the staff

It was in a community hall. This hall also provides a food bank and help for homeless people and vulnerable people. At the time I went there it was very quiet. Just the lady doing my vaccine, a man to book people in and a man sat at the back of the hall. the lady who was doing my vaccine said ‘he’s homeless, don’t worry’ I wasn’t worried but she said he comes in often for a cup of tea then goes on his way. He was talking to himself and she kept laughing at him and saying ‘you’d think he was on the phone wouldnt you’ ‘he doesn’t stay long, thank fully’ and she just kept laughing at him and whispering about him too me.

As well as that when I was about to have my vaccine she was waving the pot around with the liquid in it and looking in it. She called the other staff member over and said ‘have a look in this for me please, can you see something black in it or is it my eyes’ he said yes I can. There is something in it. She said to me you will have to wait I’ll have to make another one up. Then called over to the other staff member and said ‘I know what it is, it’ll be that micro chip’ the homeless man who was in the hall then called out saying ‘you’re having a chip put in you, you’re going to be tracked’ I just felt so uncomfortable being there. I understand it was a joke but I did feel it wasn’t inappropriate thing to say- I suffer from health anxiety so it took courage to actually have the vaccine in the first place due to some things I read online

Did you ask what 'the black thing' was? sounds weird. No wonder you felt uncomfortable

@OldEvilOwl no they didn’t, the man booking people in said could it something that’s come off the lid but the lady doing my vaccine said it was a darker colour than the lid? Very strange

Was it a weird joke?

Its really bad they made you feel so uncomfortable. Id complain.

Sounds like a very distasteful joke. Please don't worry about it, I know it's difficult with health anxiety but it's a good thing they didn't use the vial so take away a positive experience from that x

@OnceuponaRainbow18 she did actually go and get another dose and chucked that one away so I’ve no idea what was in the first pot. It was quite an uncomfortable experience being there

I'm assuming the vaccinator was a nurse, Dr or Pharmacist. The joke about the chip will obviously have been what they call gallows humour. Exceedingly commonplace in medical settings & I honestly think I would have laughed.

Apologising for the existence of a homeless person in a facility designed to help vulnerable people (or anywhere actually) is not so excusable. I would have felt very uncomfortable about her obvious distaste for him.

You should have left and gone to another site

The vials of vaccine have to be checked before they are used, any hint of cloudiness or anything and it has to be chucked. The rest doesn’t sound that bad, the vaccinator could have been a volunteer. She should have known better than to badmouth the man but if you were anxious she may have been trying to relax you.

@spaghag very unlikely she was a nurse, even more unlikely doctor or pharmacist. Prob paid on one of lowest pay scales in nhs.

thank you, I realise it was a joke that was made, it’s just hard with the health anxiety as it makes me have irrational thoughts! I am thankful that she realised something was in it and replaced it.

@Spaghag yes it really made me uncomfortable. She didn’t seem very welcoming at all and seemed like she didn’t want him to be in the room. She said quietly to me after she had done my vaccine ‘you don’t have to wait around you can go now, which I’m sure you’ll be pleased about and did a side glance into his general area. But his presence did not bother me, she made it clear it was bothering her though, she was acting as if he was a nuisance. She also kept laughing because he was chatting away to himself and kept looking at me expecting me to laugh at him too

I think maybe it does bother some people so she was trying to put you at ease and ended up doing the opposite.

Maybe she was uncomfortable with his presence because he was eavesdropping and joining in her conversations with her patients.

I wouldnt worry re what was prob a bit of dust in a dose they chucked to be safe OP. They seemed alert & dealt with it. The behaviour re the homeless man was really crappy tho. I'd have said something. I get very gobby when people single out the vulnerable. It speaks volumes about their character to go that low.

She sounds like a twat, and maybe mentioned the chip as it's something the homeless chap had commented on before perhaps? Definitely not appropriate conversation to be engaging you in (or trying to).