New vaccine

[Beckett]

2 hours ago, yorkshirephil said:

I think the person giving the jab makes a difference, sometimes they pinch the skin which takes the mind off the jab sometimes others don't, I have never felt anything more than a scratch and never had a reaction to a jab, that I am aware of. Maybe Jane can elaborate as to the styles/methods for jabbing people. It is similar when blood is taken, sometimes I hardly feel the needle going in other times it can be painful and leave a bruise.

Hi Phil.  All the Covid vaccines currently available to us are given into the Deltoid muscle which, as you know, is a large muscle at the top of the arm.  Many of the tv news items you will have seen show the vaccinator holding the arm in quite a wide grasp to raise/highlight the Deltoid.  Muscle has a really good blood supply and the vaccine is more easily dispersed this way.  It's a lot more technical than this simple answer but this is the basic premise.  The needles are incredibly thin but some people have thicker skin than others (literally), and it's harder to pierce, hence the occasional sting.

 

Re blood letting:  If you bleed it's usually because a tiny blood vessel may have been nicked when the needle has gone in and if you bruise it's probably because not enough pressure was put on the site when the needle was removed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jane.x 

[yorkshirephil]

2 minutes ago, Beckett said:

Hi Phil.  All the Covid vaccines currently available to us are given into the Deltoid muscle which, as you know, is a large muscle at the top of the arm.  Many of the tv news items you will have seen show the vaccinator holding the arm in quite a wide grasp to raise/highlight the Deltoid.  Muscle has a really good blood supply and the vaccine is more easily dispersed this way.  It's a lot more technical than this simple answer but this is the basic premise.  The needles are incredibly thin but some people have thicker skin than others (literally), and it's harder to pierce, hence the occasional sting.

 

Re blood letting:  If you bleed it's usually because a tiny blood vessel may have been nicked when the needle has gone in and if you bruise it's probably because not enough pressure was put on the site when the needle was removed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jane.x 

Thanks Jane, I knew we could rely on you. 

[yorkshirephil]

Matt Hancock stated that anyone over 70 that has not had a jab should contact the NHS to arrange it.

[jeanlyon]

My friend's husband just had his jab yesterday and that night had exactly the same symptoms as I did.  Temperature, shivers etc.  Got up this morning feeling a bit whacked, but otherwise fine.  That's the 5th person I've met who had the AZ jab who had that reaction.

[Eglesbrech]

I like JVT. He gives information in a sensible manner and you feel you can trust what he says. Good man.

[Snow Hill]

My sister’s practice has started the Over 65s, she has her jab booked for Wednesday. Guess it might help living in small market town.

[jeanlyon]

2 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

My sister’s practice has started the Over 65s, she has her jab booked for Wednesday. Guess it might help living in small market town.

Definitely!

[grapau27]

4 hours ago, Beckett said:

Hi Phil.  All the Covid vaccines currently available to us are given into the Deltoid muscle which, as you know, is a large muscle at the top of the arm.  Many of the tv news items you will have seen show the vaccinator holding the arm in quite a wide grasp to raise/highlight the Deltoid.  Muscle has a really good blood supply and the vaccine is more easily dispersed this way.  It's a lot more technical than this simple answer but this is the basic premise.  The needles are incredibly thin but some people have thicker skin than others (literally), and it's harder to pierce, hence the occasional sting.

 

Re blood letting:  If you bleed it's usually because a tiny blood vessel may have been nicked when the needle has gone in and if you bruise it's probably because not enough pressure was put on the site when the needle was removed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jane.x 

Very interesting Jane.

Thank you.

Graham.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, jeanlyon said:

My friend's husband just had his jab yesterday and that night had exactly the same symptoms as I did.  Temperature, shivers etc.  Got up this morning feeling a bit whacked, but otherwise fine.  That's the 5th person I've met who had the AZ jab who had that reaction.

One of my covid19 symptoms was excessive shivering and sweating on a couple of occasions.

I will definitely accept the vaccine jab when offered though.

I hope you are feeling a lot better very soon Jean as well as your other friends who had side effects.

[grapau27]

1 hour ago, Snow Hill said:

My sister’s practice has started the Over 65s, she has her jab booked for Wednesday. Guess it might help living in small market town.

That's good news for your sister.

[jeanlyon]

Graham, it only lasted 12 hours.  I am absolutely fine.

[Harry Peterson]

4 hours ago, Beckett said:

Re blood letting:  If you bleed it's usually because a tiny blood vessel may have been nicked when the needle has gone in and if you bruise it's probably because not enough pressure was put on the site when the needle was removed.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Jane.x 

I have bloods taken every couple of months and there's bruising maybe around 20% of the time - I'd always assumed it was just luck!

 

I do recall, though, an attempt by a junior doctor to insert a cannula last year (nurses always do a better job - far more used to it. Like midwives and doctors.).  Four attempts - the last one ending up with a seriously bent needle - before the nurse took over!  

 

Horses for courses!

[AndyMichelle]

8 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

I have bloods taken every couple of months and there's bruising maybe around 20% of the time - I'd always assumed it was just luck!

 

I do recall, though, an attempt by a junior doctor to insert a cannula last year (nurses always do a better job - far more used to it. Like midwives and doctors.).  Four attempts - the last one ending up with a seriously bent needle - before the nurse took over!  

 

Horses for courses!

It's hit and miss with me when giving blood, sometimes bruise, sometimes not, but a good nurse seems to make the experience more comfortable. 

Andy 

 

[grapau27]

11 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

Graham, it only lasted 12 hours.  I am absolutely fine.

I'm pleased it was only a short lived side effect for you Jean.

 

[Windsurfboy]

As for if the injection hurts, needles are so thin the odds are they'll miss the nerve cells in skin, but sometimes they hit one. Purely random.

 

Luckily they don't inject into palm of hand where nerves are 20 times more dense for sense of touch. 

[Aulanis]

9 hours ago, lincslady said:

We are registered with Systmonline with our GP, and so far have always been able to use it for making appointments.  I had a look yesterday, and it is now essentially unobtainable - I wonder if it is because you can actually type a comment into some of the boxes and they have got tired of people putting in messages about vaccination?  The only contact now is by phone - sometimes a long wait, best to wait until the afternoon in our case.

Hi - Did you get sorted yet?    Last couple of days it has been on TV

saying if you need a home visit ring the NHS.   - 

If you havent   already I would ring 119 and tell them you need a home visit

for the injection and have been unable to contact your GP.

Tell them your age and that might get some action 🙂

Have your initial invite letter handy so you can quote your NHS number.

[lincslady]

Thanks for thinking of me, Aulanis.  It is in hand now; I was going to come back when the deed had been done!    Been in contact with GP; one helpful person there at least.  We are now on their housebound list, and it looks as though they are getting help from a Roving Team, who will be assisting with their housebound patients.  Will report back. 

 

The powers that be are getting very keen to see that all the first groups are 'done' by next Monday, maybe it will happen.

 

 

[batholiver]

Having just read this headline in the FT, I'm now seriously worried:

 

"Johnson confident in AstraZeneca vaccine after S Africa move"

 

We've learned not to trust anything he says, and if he says he's confident, I'm worried - especially as our borders are wide open (still!) and the South African variant will be coming in daily across the country. It's already all over the country, and it spreads fast.

 

Looks like an updated AstraZenica vaccine will be available in the autumn - but given that the current version is only 10% effective against the South African variant, shouldn't we be issuing some pretty warnings to the pensioners wandering around at the moment thinking they're safe to do more or less as they please?

[alpha whiskey]

13 hours ago, Snow Hill said:

My sister’s practice has started the Over 65s, she has her jab booked for Wednesday. Guess it might help living in small market town.

Thankfully they are looking after the larger towns too. My husband is in this group and has an appointment booked for Saturday. 👍

 

[Eddie99]

It’s getting a bit like Southampton embarkation now 🙂

 

Green H invited to step forward, together with any remaining Green G and F, plus any passengers holding Grey or Pink boarding cards

 

Over 65s being called, with mop-up calls for 70 and 80yo

[davecttr]

1 hour ago, batholiver said:

Having just read this headline in the FT, I'm now seriously worried:

 

"Johnson confident in AstraZeneca vaccine after S Africa move"

 

We've learned not to trust anything he says, and if he says he's confident, I'm worried - especially as our borders are wide open (still!) and the South African variant will be coming in daily across the country. It's already all over the country, and it spreads fast.

 

Looks like an updated AstraZenica vaccine will be available in the autumn - but given that the current version is only 10% effective against the South African variant, shouldn't we be issuing some pretty warnings to the pensioners wandering around at the moment thinking they're safe to do more or less as they please?

I take some comfort from JVT's comments on the matter, more comfort than whatever the person at the central lectern says.. My impression of what he said yesterday was that there is is a window of a few months in which we have to sort this. What worries me is the only partial border controls, almost as if they already know it is too late to stop the SA variant spreading. Another point raised elsewhere is the SA variant being able to infect those who have already suffered from the original variants. Scary!

 

What does this mean for cruising. I have 2 cruises booked for this year, May and September. I have already written off the May one and await with impatience for P&O to admit it and give me FCC. I now think the September one is unlikely as well which is rather depressing. These are meant to be our golden years and not just huddling down awaiting the inevitable.

 

Then you have the confusing reporting from the media including the BBC. What is the difference between "70 and over" and "over 70"? They are the same you say, well they are not to a significant %age of the population who would think "over 70" means anyone at least 71 years of age. If the experts say "70 and over the media" should use this term, EVERY TIME

 

Apologies - rant over

[kalos]

Last night on TV

 England's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, said he believes the South African coronavirus variant is not likely to become the dominant strain in the near future.  Prof Van-Tam is urging people to take the first vaccine they are offered, saying the mutation is no cause for panic. Britain has recorded 147 cases of the variants. 

I have come to trust what this guy says as opposed to what some journalist thinks. Van Tam Gives it to you straight and goes on to say Go get vaccinated and then keep following the current guidelines. He does not say once your jabbed life is normal and carry on like covid never existed. Until we get the infection rate way down to manageable levels, this will be our way of life regardless of what strain happens to be around . The message I am getting is that we need to stay safe and follow the guidelines ,which will help the NHS and ourselves in the long term .

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by kalos

[Aulanis]

2 hours ago, batholiver said:

shouldn't we be issuing some pretty warnings to the pensioners wandering around at the moment thinking they're safe to do more or less as they please?

There have been plenty of warnings - the fact that we are still  in lockdown is a good clue?. 

 It has been reiterated many times that the vaccine

( any) will possibly not prevent anyone from catching covid 19  ( any variant) and will only reduce the severity of it  ie less hospitalisations and less

deaths.   Data will continue to be collected , it seems there is some that shows  that the vaccine MAY slow down the spread but not yet enough to confirm it.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Aulanis

[Harry Peterson]

2 hours ago, batholiver said:

Having just read this headline in the FT, I'm now seriously worried:

 

"Johnson confident in AstraZeneca vaccine after S Africa move"

 

We've learned not to trust anything he says, and if he says he's confident, I'm worried - especially as our borders are wide open (still!) and the South African variant will be coming in daily across the country. It's already all over the country, and it spreads fast.

 

Looks like an updated AstraZenica vaccine will be available in the autumn - but given that the current version is only 10% effective against the South African variant, shouldn't we be issuing some pretty warnings to the pensioners wandering around at the moment thinking they're safe to do more or less as they please?

I’d certainly place more trust in JVT than BJ, as I suspect would most people, but I’m stunned that we still, even now, haven’t put proper border controls in place to stop yet more people bringing the new variant in every single day that we delay and dither about.

 

How effective the AZ vaccine is has yet to be proved, but the suggestion that we can contain a variant that’s already spread all over the country is about as forlorn a hope as the original hope that we could contain the original virus back in February/March.

 

The reports yesterday that the vaccine could be produced in the form of a tablet look really promising. That could be as much of a game changer as the vaccine itself.

[grapau27]

21 minutes ago, kalos said:

Last night on TV

 England's deputy chief medical officer, Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, said he believes the South African coronavirus variant is not likely to become the dominant strain in the near future.  Prof Van-Tam is urging people to take the first vaccine they are offered, saying the mutation is no cause for panic. Britain has recorded 147 cases of the variants. 

I have come to trust what this guy says as opposed to what some journalist thinks. Van Tam Gives it to you straight and goes on to say Go get vaccinated and then keep following the current guidelines. He does not say once your jabbed life is normal and carry on like covid never existed. Until we get the infection rate way down to manageable levels, this will be our way of life regardless of what strain happens to be around . The message I am getting is that we need to stay safe and follow the guidelines ,which will help the NHS and ourselves in the long term .

 

 

Absolutely agree.

1°C here but frosty.

We have had a few snow flurries but the sun is shining at the moment.

Another day in the house and currently watching A Place in the Sun on TV.

Hopefully all 70 and over get their first vaccine this week then they can start concentrating on the next age categories.

Stay safe everyone.

Graham.