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Have you had the vaccine WITH POLL

Have you had your first Covid jab?


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Due to "vaccine supply considerations" my first dose has been brought forward and my second dose put back. I wasn't asked to confirm whether I can make the new appointments. The assumption is that I'll attend, but "appointments may be changed by exception" if I email them. Can't decide whether this is a slick system or a doomed one. I think a stiff letter to Ursula von der Leyen is called for.
Got mine today. Age 59, in Brixton, with ME/CFS, which is rated as an underlying condition for Covid purposes. I'm a bit surprised. I didn't think the NHS would regard ME/CFS as anything of consequence.
:hmm:
 
Come on, I think ddraig raises a fair question there though -- in actual practice, does the wait for the second jab last twelve weeks, or fewer than that?

And how supply-dependant in different areas is that wait between first jab and second?
Definitely worth asking, IMO. Not that I have any answer myself :oops:

Well, it's slightly under 12 weeks, because that's the maximum gap between doses, so in reality somewhere around 11 weeks, this is a UK wide policy, agreed by all four Chief Medical Officers. As the majority of people have received the AZ vaccine, and clinical evidence shows better efficacy with a gap of around 12 weeks, it would weird to reduce that gap.

What is the second dose interval period?
• The agreed dose interval period is set at 77-84 days as outlined in the Chief Medical Officer’s letter. Vaccine will be supplied for second dose clinics to take place 11 weeks post first dose clinics, so that the 12-week time period between doses is achieved.

Can clinics be scheduled early to vaccinate outside of the interval period?
• Clinics should not schedule second dose appointments earlier than 77 days post the first dose, unless there are exceptional circumstances, as this is not in line with the agreed dose interval.

LINK

There's a record of how many first doses have been administered in each area, so supply can be easily matched to needs, although because of how doses are packaged, there's likely to be some small surplus as doses required are rounded-up. The surplus could increase due to some not taking up their second appointments, especially in view of the ongoing coverage of the 'blood clots' issue, so it's possible some may be offered a second dose a little earlier, but that would be going against the guidelines, which is that any surplus should be offered as first doses to those in the next age group.

How do we manage any surplus doses?
• Where there is surplus vaccine following second dose clinics, this should be used for first doses in the prevailing priority cohorts, for those patients who have been vaccinated prior to starting immunosuppression and who need a shorter interval between doses.
• For LVS in particular, every effort is being made to right-size Pfizer supply with the use of pack down in order to minimise surplus.

Despite all that, there will probably be a small number of isolated exceptions, but certainly no wide spread variations across the UK.
 
It will be interesting to see if I'm offered my second AZ at the GP surgery next Thursday.
On the phone my vaccine status was mentioned and I declined a flu jab (again) probably had spares going to waste.
It will be 8 weeks...
 
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Sounds like bs, anyone over the age of 50 can simply go online and book an appointment now, no need to wait for an invite. (As I discovered a couple of days ago when I was trying to find out for purely reasons of interest which jab I was going to get, it's really not like I am having anxiety about health stuff or anything :hmm: )

Also everyone's 2nd dose has been put back, it was originally supposed to be 3-4 weeks between 1st and 2nd dose but it was deemed more important (which I largely agree with) to get more people their 1st vaccination which gives some protection on a quicker timescale. The 12 week gap between 1st and 2nd is for epidemiology/logistics reasons, not because there has to be a 12 week gap for individual health reasons. Don't let it slip longer than that though, make sure you get your 2nd dose around 12 weeks at latest.
 
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My under-50 chums (OK, I only have three) in that there London seem to be getting jabs easily. No such luck here in Grimsby.
 
Done! So if all goes well I'll have had both doses by April 6th. Can I also make an appoointment for someone to tell me I'm sharp-elbowed and middle class?
So I went to the vaccination centre at St Thomas for what they thought was my first dose, explained that I'd actually had my first dose back in January at my GP's surgery, and asked if I could have my second dose please. Much consternation, as my first dose had not been recorded on the NHS system. I showed my NHS vaccination record card but little credence was attached to it. The manager's manager eventually ruled that it would be 'dangerous' for me to have the second dose because it was only 9 weeks since my first dose. I was instructed to get my GP to register my first dose, otherwise the system would never offer me a second dose. So I went to the surgery, who said my first dose IS on the system, and they will be offering me a second dose at the surgery in 3 weeks. Never mind. It was fun to go to Waterloo and St Thomas' - probably the furthest I've been from Brixton for two years.
 
My under-50 chums (OK, I only have three) in that there London seem to be getting jabs easily. No such luck here in Grimsby.

Maybe worth checking out if there is a standby list there & what the criteria for joining it are. Sometimes vaccination centres get unexpected deliveries of Pfizer at weekends that have to be used up & I imagine that there will be increased numbers of people refusing the AZ one.
 
So I went to the vaccination centre at St Thomas for what they thought was my first dose, explained that I'd actually had my first dose back in January at my GP's surgery, and asked if I could have my second dose please. Much consternation, as my first dose had not been recorded on the NHS system. I showed my NHS vaccination record card but little credence was attached to it. The manager's manager eventually ruled that it would be 'dangerous' for me to have the second dose because it was only 9 weeks since my first dose. I was instructed to get my GP to register my first dose, otherwise the system would never offer me a second dose. So I went to the surgery, who said my first dose IS on the system, and they will be offering me a second dose at the surgery in 3 weeks. Never mind. It was fun to go to Waterloo and St Thomas' - probably the furthest I've been from Brixton for two years.

I wonder how many times this mess is repeated over the UK.

The day after my second dose, which was done in a hub and because I'm a frontline worker with vulnerable children, my GP surgery rang me up to offer me the vaccine. They were very nice but had no record of my doses on their system. I had to give them the dates of both my doses.

I'm not sure the NHS is as joined up as we want it to be.
 
I remember the NHS being promised joined up IT in the '90s. I've yet to see any evidence of it. I have a file in at least ten hospitals/clinics/surgeries, as I'm sure most people do. Never seen them linked to each other. But at least they create jobs for receptionists.
 
I wonder how many times this mess is repeated over the UK.

The day after my second dose, which was done in a hub and because I'm a frontline worker with vulnerable children, my GP surgery rang me up to offer me the vaccine. They were very nice but had no record of my doses on their system. I had to give them the dates of both my doses.

I'm not sure the NHS is as joined up as we want it to be.
I got a letter through the post from the NHS about booking mine. I logged on to their website and booked the appointments although I was slightly confused by the local vaccination centre not being listed. It was either a couple of buses or trains or a twenty minute car journey to any of the ones listed.

Two or three days later I got a text from my GP surgery asking me to book my vaccinations at the local centre so I cancelled the ones via the NHS website and booked via the GP.

It looks to me as though there are at least two groups managing the roll out of the vaccinations and neither of them know what the other is doing.
 
I got a letter through the post from the NHS about booking mine. I logged on to their website and booked the appointments although I was slightly confused by the local vaccination centre not being listed. It was either a couple of buses or trains or a twenty minute car journey to any of the ones listed.

Two or three days later I got a text from my GP surgery asking me to book my vaccinations at the local centre so I cancelled the ones via the NHS website and booked via the GP.

It looks to me as though there are at least two groups managing the roll out of the vaccinations and neither of them know what the other is doing.

There has been two systems from the start - NHS controlled sites (such as hospital hubs, mass vaccination centres, and some local pharmacies) and GP operated sites (as single surgeries, or several coming together to form local hubs, and occasionally mass vaccination centres).

Here in Worthing the GP's have been stiff competition to the NHS, partly because the nearest NHS sites are Brighton or Chichester, and partly because the GP's are basically private businesses, and getting paid £12.58 per jab by the NHS makes it a very profitable operation.

My GP surgery is operating as a hub for themselves and in partnership with three others, on a peak day - 1 jab every 10 minutes/6 per hour x 4 jabbing stations x up to 14 hours in a day, up to 7 days a week, that's -

£12.58 x 6 ph = £75.48 x 4 jab stations = £301.92 per hour x 14 hours = £4,226.88 x 7 days = £29,588.16 per week! :eek:

* That's just for illustration purposes, it's the maximum operational capacity, which would rarely happen, because of vaccine supply limits and 'no shows', etc., but gives an idea why they have been so keen. :thumbs:
 
I have now had my genetically modified chimp gubbins!
Really bad ringing in the ears atm (worse than my usual tinnitus), I am assured that this is just while a stable 5G connection is being sought and should subside within 24 to 48 hours, after which I should have maximum high speed connection!

Had to queue for half an hour even though I had been given an appointment time, this gave me ample time for a panic attack and meltdown so they let OH come in with me as my carer ( :rolleyes: at self)
 
Snap! (Including the half hour wait.) Got my sticker and everything. :) Bought some paracetamol, orange juice, coca-cola, Cheesy Wotsits and plenty of milk for cornflakes which is what I thought I might crave in the event of any unwellbeing; countdown starts now!
 
I remember the NHS being promised joined up IT in the '90s. I've yet to see any evidence of it. I have a file in at least ten hospitals/clinics/surgeries, as I'm sure most people do. Never seen them linked to each other. But at least they create jobs for receptionists.
it's a large governement led IT project what do you expect?
Also: the '90s are still 69 years down the line.
 
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