Giving It Our Best Shot: a rant.

The world needs a vaccine for Covid-19.

(What? You think vaccines are a way to make us all the slaves of alien lizards? Nurse! I think it must be time for his medication!)

AstraZeneca, Oxford University, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, Gavi Vaccines Alliance, and the Serum Institute of India have got together to produce two billion doses of a new Covid-19 vaccine. This will cost a lot of money, so obviously they think it's going to work. AstraZenica boss Pascal Soriot has said he expects to know for certain if the vaccine is indeed effective by August. If it is, then distribution could begin in September.

Mr Soriot added: 'The only thing I can tell you for sure is that we're going to give this our best shot.'

There we are: good news, and a laugh, too.

Our best shot...

What more can we ask?

Word To Use Today: shot. This word is more often used to mean injection in America than in Britain, and my Collins dictionary marks its use as informal. It's basically the same word that means missile. The word comes from the Old English scot, and is related to the Old High German scoz. The Old Slavonic word iskydati means to throw out.