Vaccine roll-out: the logistics

[William of Walworth]

Just as a footnote to the above** -- I posted this link on another vaccination threrad ( ) but this Guardian article from yesterday seems pretty good at summarising how well vaccination progress is going

**from Winot -- ETA added because of page-break

 

[rubbershoes]

Today's shift at the vaccination centre was very quiet. Seemed to be about a third of the numbers from a couple of weeks ago.

Someone said that our area is restricting bookings to allow other areas to catch up.

 

[William of Walworth]

Today's shift at the vaccination centre was very quiet. Seemed to be about a third of the numbers from a couple of weeks ago.

Someone said that our area is restricting bookings to allow other areas to catch up.

How are your centre's supplies, are you aware? Do you/they have surpluses?

 

[Cloo]

Had to direct a little old lady to local vaccination centre when she asked me in the street - luckily I'd walked past it the week before or else I wouldn't have know. That's two I've seen locally now, I guess there must be others I haven't clocked.

 

[Winot]

Posted on other thread - a number of Brixton mates aged 49-51 have had a text asking us to book an appointment for the vaccine. They’ve obviously got surplus local supply.

 

[William of Walworth]

Posted on other thread - a number of Brixton mates aged 49-51 have had a text asking us to book an appointment for the vaccine. They’ve obviously got surplus local supply.

To the extent of offering it to people of those ages though??

 

[Winot]

To the extent of offereing it to people of those ages though??

I was surprised.

 

[elbows]

It wouldnt be surprising or wrong if people in such age ranges with underlying health conditions were offered it at this stage, for example my 40-something year old brother with type 1 diabetes got his first dose of vaccine on Saturday. However if people in that age range without such conditions, who dont work in various health and care occupations are being offered it at this point, then I would have a problem with that.

 

[elbows]

Also note that various mental health conditions and caring roles are on the list for this new phase, and although that phase officially starts now, I'm sure some places started doing some people in this group in the last week.

As well as the over-65s, the next group to be offered the vaccine is the estimated 7.3 million people aged 16 to 65 with a range of health conditions that put them at risk from the virus.

It includes people with chronic heart disease, liver disease, kidney disease, diabetes, severe lung conditions, severe learning disabilities and mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Adult carers of disabled people with these conditions, and younger adults in care homes, are also part of this group.

From Covid: Third of social care staff still not vaccinated, Matt Hancock says

 

[Wilf]

I was just about to post the same story. Some figures on the lower rates of vaccination in health and care settings, also by ethncity:
Covid vaccine take-up lower among health workers, says Hancock | Society | The Guardian

Perhaps a silly question, but I've wondered for a while which database they are using for vaccinations (and so to be able to work out % uptake)? Are they sending invites to by NHS number or using GP lists? Where I'm going with this is how many people will be missed off the list, not just undocumented migrants.

 

[Wilf]

I was just about to post the same story. Some figures on the lower rates of vaccination in health and care settings, also by ethncity:
Covid vaccine take-up lower among health workers, says Hancock | Society | The Guardian

Perhaps a silly question, but I've wondered for a while which database they are using for vaccinations (and so to be able to work out % uptake)? Are they sending invites to by NHS number or using GP lists? Where I'm going with this is how many people will be missed off the list, not just undocumented migrants.

Sort of answering my own question, everything I've looked seems to suggest you need to be registered with a GP. They are also trying to get 'illegal' migrants registered with the promise that immigration status won't be checked:
Here's how to get the Covid vaccine if you're not currently registered with a GP | The Scotsman

I can see the logic of that, but I don't think it works on it's own. Migrants will still be understandably suspicious. Needs a lot more work with organisations and activist groups working in that area. Maybe also a route to getting vaccinated that doesn't involve registration/

 

[elbows]

Sounds like a lot of asthmatics arent going to be in priority group 6 like they thought they would be.

\Covid-19: Millions of asthmatics 'must wait for vaccine'

 

[paul russell999]

Also note that various mental health conditions and caring roles are on the list for this new phase, and although that phase officially starts now, I'm sure some places started doing some people in this group in the last week.



From Covid: Third of social care staff still not vaccinated, Matt Hancock says

The last two sentences that you quoted don't seem to be on the BBC page you linked to (but the first is). I was looking for it as I'm a live-in carer...

 

[elbows]

The last two sentences that you quoted don't seem to be on the BBC page you linked to (but the first is). I was looking for it as I'm a live-in carer...

They love to edit their articles, in this case also changing the headline and including aspects of other stories that emerged today.

I saved the original, here is the quote that is no longer included, in the context it was originally placed within.

 

[elbows]

Sir Simon Stevens also said much the same in todays press conference, with only slightly less detail than the bit of that BBC article that was removed.

 

[elbows]

And Whitty just mentioned schizophrenia and bipolar disorders in the context of the new vaccination phase that officially began today.

 

[paul russell999]

They love to edit their articles, in this case also changing the headline and including aspects of other stories that emerged today.

Thanks very much for that.

I guessed it had been edited out of the BBC story, because when I googled those missing bits of text Google gave a link to that article, but the text wasn't there.

 

[platinumsage]

 

[platinumsage]

 

[teuchter]

It wouldn't be unreasonable to suspect that a little bit of front loading of supplies might have happened in order to hit that mid February target.

 

[Badgers]

Understand lot of the vaccination programme has been outsourced away from the NHS

 

[platinumsage]

Spoke to my mum this morning. She's 69 and received a letter to phone a national number and book her vaccination. However she was only offered two locations some distance away, and not the local vaccination centre across the road which I'm guessing is run by local GPs.

She asked why she couldn't have the local one and was told supplies were low, and that the centre was closed until supplies improved, this was confirmed by her GP. She has decided to wait for her GP to phone her when this happens.

This anecdote is probably related to the reduced national figures we've seen over the last week or so.

 

[20Bees]

I’m 64 and booked mine online last Wednesday when I saw a link on the Coronavirus In The UK thread. First jab will be on 3 March in my nearest town.
My ex is 61 and looked online on Friday to book his. Closest venue 20 miles away and not a nice location to park. Preferred location would be nearer to my address, but 30 miles from his. Couldn’t make his mind up... looked this evening and a venue is now open a mile from his home. Booked first dose for Saturday 13 March and second dose end of May!

 

[William of Walworth]

20Bees : That's great news , and particularly great is that you've been able to book your second jab for a known date!

Some other Urbans have also been able to get a date for their second vaccination, and if that also happens for me after they send me the Magic Text , I'll be beyond delighted

 

[20Bees]

20Bees : That's great news , and particularly great is that you've been able to book your second jab for a known date!

Some other Urbans have also been able to get a date for their second vaccination, and if that also happens for me after they send me the Magic Text , I'll be beyond delighted

We haven’t had texts. I went straight to the NHS website when I saw the link posted by editor on page 1157 of the UK thread. I had tried the previous week and it said I wasn’t eligible yet. Booked late on Wednesday evening, then a letter from the NHS inviting me to book online arrived on Thursday. I expect my ex, in the 60-63 bracket, will get a letter this week.

The website asked if I wanted to book the second appointment at the same venue, I did, and all available dates were about 12 weeks later. I wonder if the speed of the rollout and the opening of new vaccination centres will mean I can cancel that date and bring it forward.

My neighbours are in their 70s and had their first doses at the end of January, different venues a few days apart. He got a text with a link to book online, she was called later on their landline as the surgery didn’t have her mobile number. He had Pfizer, she had AZ, but the following day someone else had Pfizer at the place my neighbour got the AZ vaccine. If both jabs should be the same vaccine, and some centres are giving both types on different days, I assume they expect to always have a supply of both so they can fulfil the appointments currently being booked ahead for second jabs.

Anyway, I’ll be relieved to get the process started, and I’m glad my ex will not have to drive 20+ miles for his!

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

The website asked if I wanted to book the second appointment at the same venue, I did, and all available dates were about 12 weeks later. I wonder if the speed of the rollout and the opening of new vaccination centres will mean I can cancel that date and bring it forward.

I wouldn't have thought so - the move to 12 weeks was to maximise first doses and there's still a huge number to do. It would need a policy change for people to be moving them up (or a glitch in the system I guess).

 

[scifisam]

We haven’t had texts. I went straight to the NHS website when I saw the link posted by editor on page 1157 of the UK thread. I had tried the previous week and it said I wasn’t eligible yet. Booked late on Wednesday evening, then a letter from the NHS inviting me to book online arrived on Thursday. I expect my ex, in the 60-63 bracket, will get a letter this week.

The website asked if I wanted to book the second appointment at the same venue, I did, and all available dates were about 12 weeks later. I wonder if the speed of the rollout and the opening of new vaccination centres will mean I can cancel that date and bring it forward.

My neighbours are in their 70s and had their first doses at the end of January, different venues a few days apart. He got a text with a link to book online, she was called later on their landline as the surgery didn’t have her mobile number. He had Pfizer, she had AZ, but the following day someone else had Pfizer at the place my neighbour got the AZ vaccine. If both jabs should be the same vaccine, and some centres are giving both types on different days, I assume they expect to always have a supply of both so they can fulfil the appointments currently being booked ahead for second jabs.

Anyway, I’ll be relieved to get the process started, and I’m glad my ex will not have to drive 20+ miles for his!

Isn't 12 weeks later the optimal time for the second jab if you had Astra Zeneca?

Yup: Is It Safe to Delay a Second COVID Vaccine Dose?

That's longer than for the other vaccines because the Astra Zeneca vaccine is DNA-based rather than mRNA based, apparently.

But basically 12 weeks is fine and to be expected.

 

[platinumsage]

Zahawi the Vaccine Minister this morning claiming the rate will double during March as supply improves meaning they can maintain the first dose rate while also doing second doses.

This should see all first doses done by the end of May or early June.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Zahawi the Vaccine Minister this morning claiming the rate will double during March as supply improves meaning they can maintain the first dose rate while also doing second doses.

I popped around to my social bubble earlier, and my SiL was saying that she's only taking one or two jabbing shifts a week ATM, because they are very limited, but they have been told the number of shifts will be doubling during the course of March, as more supplies are expected.

They also woke-up to the fact that she was on the wrong grade, basically just a jabber, and she has been upgraded to 5G so she can also do the pre-jab checks regarding what drugs people are on, etc.

She's been having a bit of a laugh with some of the people she's jabbing, once she's sussed they have a sense of humour, eg telling one guy in his late 60s not to go raving until after lockdown totally ends.