New vaccine

[yorkshirephil]

42 minutes ago, lincslady said:

It looks as if our local vaccination centre will be Newark Showground - a very large site and hard to imagine being able to park right outside the door, and not have a distance to walk.   This would have been fine for us up to about 5 years ago, but now my husband is over 90 and poor at walking and standing I fear that it would not be ideal for us, and for many like us.

 

I am hoping that in the not too distant our local GP or pharmacy will be able to do the vaccination for people like us.  I have said for a while now that I feel that younger, active, working people should be given the priority, along with those with medical problems, and us ancients who tend to stay at home anyway can continue to isolate for a month or two more.  A lot of fellow seniors do not agree with me!  What do you think - I guess many of you are 65 to 75ish.

It is a difficult one, I noticed yesterday while sat with my MIL in the waiting room after her covid jab, that they were probably all over 80?  Some had obviously walked and were regular walkers as they had the proper gear, whereas others were barely capable of walking unaided (my MIL is in this category), some had carers/relatives with them, some didn't and were clearly confused. Fortunately there were plenty of volunteers to help but I did wonder how some of them had got there. My MIL got a phone call Friday to say her appointment was 09:55 the next morning which wasn't a problem for us, but for someone with no relatives that wasn't on a bus route or wasn't comfortable with getting a taxi would have had a problem, bearing in mind that we had a fairly heavy snow fall Friday,  and would have probably missed the appointment. I wonder how many people fell on the snow/ice while going for their covid jab? Those are just a few of the things that ran through my mind while sat waiting, which probably things I would not have considered for myself. They are trying to jab the most vulnerable section of society, most of who don't fully understand what is really happening around them. A rock and hard place spring to mind.

[nicki-k]

44 minutes ago, lincslady said:

It looks as if our local vaccination centre will be Newark Showground - a very large site and hard to imagine being able to park right outside the door, and not have a distance to walk.   This would have been fine for us up to about 5 years ago, but now my husband is over 90 and poor at walking and standing I fear that it would not be ideal for us, and for many like us.

 

I am hoping that in the not too distant our local GP or pharmacy will be able to do the vaccination for people like us.  I have said for a while now that I feel that younger, active, working people should be given the priority, along with those with medical problems, and us ancients who tend to stay at home anyway can continue to isolate for a month or two more.  A lot of fellow seniors do not agree with me!  What do you think - I guess many of you are 65 to 75ish.

I am 52 and work in my local pre-school with 2-5 year olds so am potentially exposed to the virus everyday but I would want my parents to have the vaccination before me so that I can physically see them again when it is deemed safe to. I could still transmit the virus once I am vaccinated so until they have their's we  cannot see each other. My dad is end stage COPD and so extremely vulnerable, I was one of his carers to give my mum a break but working in a pre-school we just can't risk seeing them at the moment. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before they get their vaccine as they are in the first four groups. The only problem is my dad still hasn't had his flu jab (that's another story of incompetence in the system) so I am not convinced that the home visits will competently happen for people who are housebound but time will tell. It's a mammoth task and I'm not criticising the fantastic people involved with trying to deliver the vaccine to millions of people.

[arlowood]

Just now, Selbourne said:

You are spot on in all respects. I mixed her up with another of my favourite female artists. Haven’t seen Oleta Adams live though. I have the CD and yes you are also right with the Tears for Fears link. As I recall, wasn’t it ‘Woman in Chains’ that got her noticed?

Yes spot on - Woman in Chains is a classic. You can hear Oleta doing some fantastic vocal gymnastics in the background. I commend the track to any of the uninititated

 

 

[Dermotsgirl]

At the moment, the vaccination programme seems very labour intensive, with health staff having to contact patients on a one to one basis.

 

I see that Hancock has been on the Marr programme, pledging that ALL adults will be ‘offered’ a vaccine by the autumn, so the whole process will have to become a lot more streamlined to vaccinate the population in such a short period of time.

 

Although this ‘offered’ thing sounds dubious - I wouldn’t be surprised if people are ‘offered’ the vaccine in September, but actually get vaccinated about six months later.! 

[kalos]

I love my music and I like to play my records when I get up in a morning .

My neighbour was  banging on my wall at 4.20am, can you believe that!

Lucky for him I was  up playing music anyway .......

He banged and shouted,' ...  'can we have a little respect please?''

So I shouted back, '' I'm not a big Erasure fan, but okay this one's for you''.
 

[brian1]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

I would find that approach far more hassle Wowzz! Besides, who still drives like your driving instructor taught them? Do you feed your steering wheel through your hands in sweeps like they taught us, or do it more naturally 😂 Anyhow, it’s very rare that I drive a manual these days. It’s only my daughters cars and that’s very infrequent and I’m rarely stopping. My own cars have been autos ever since stop-start was invented!

In 1969 start stop on most cars was walking round the front with a starting handle.

[Son of Anarchy]

Which unfortunately probably means that 2021 is going to be a lot like 2020 ☹️

 

At least not having paid in full for anything this year means that I can pay for some damp proofing work later this month, and we've got enough FCC to cover our N America cruise next year 🙂

[arlowood]

Things are starting to accelerate a bit here in the Nottingham area. Our local authority, Rushcliffe Borough Council, has announced recently that Gamston Community hall will be up and running as a  vaccinating hub from 7th January. This for many will be more convenient and accessible than having to go to one of the main hospitals where parking is a nightmare.

 

It would mean a 10 mile drive for me but much preferable to wrestling with the parking at the Queens Medical Centre. Hopefully a more local hub will be designated in the coming weeks. 

[Angel57]

16 minutes ago, bobstheboy said:

Our local surgery has stated it is ready to vaccinate up to a thousand a day if necessary, once they get supplies. It is keeping locals updated through Facebook and a recorded message on a dedicated phone line. Excellent service. 

That is exactly how it should be done. Our surgery has not posted any updates on website or FB since 14th December which said it is not currently doing any vaccinations. Disgraceful IMO. 

[yorkshirephil]

We met a couple this morning who we have seen regularly for years on our morning walk, we were telling them that my MIL had had her jab Saturday. Our neighbour told us he had his Friday and he too had the Pfizer vaccine, I said "you are never 80" he is 75 and his wife is 74 and gets hers next week. I can only assume that out health area has vaccinated the first group and now on the second, whereas my MIL health area which is less than 10 miles away and still in Kirklees has only just started group 1. Both must have the facility to store the Pfizer vaccine. 

[yorkshirephil]

6 minutes ago, brian1 said:

In 1969 start stop on most cars was walking round the front with a starting handle.

You can tell those by the scars on their shins.

[zap99]

13 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

At the moment, the vaccination programme seems very labour intensive, with health staff having to contact patients on a one to one basis.

 

I see that Hancock has been on the Marr programme, pledging that ALL adults will be ‘offered’ a vaccine by the autumn, so the whole process will have to become a lot more streamlined to vaccinate the population in such a short period of time.

 

Although this ‘offered’ thing sounds dubious - I wouldn’t be surprised if people are ‘offered’ the vaccine in September, but actually get vaccinated about six months later.! 

Should they offer folk the jab , or compel them, by force? . What is the problem with offered?

[kalos]

3 minutes ago, brian1 said:

In 1969 start stop on most cars was walking round the front with a starting handle.

 

If you want to wind up a car sales man , open the drivers door and stop his sales talk by pointing to the doors inside and say " ok so how do you open the ashtray on one of these things ? " 

[ann141]

15 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

It is a difficult one, I noticed yesterday while sat with my MIL in the waiting room after her covid jab, that they were probably all over 80?  Some had obviously walked and were regular walkers as they had the proper gear, whereas others were barely capable of walking unaided (my MIL is in this category), some had carers/relatives with them, some didn't and were clearly confused. Fortunately there were plenty of volunteers to help but I did wonder how some of them had got there. My MIL got a phone call Friday to say her appointment was 09:55 the next morning which wasn't a problem for us, but for someone with no relatives that wasn't on a bus route or wasn't comfortable with getting a taxi would have had a problem, bearing in mind that we had a fairly heavy snow fall Friday,  and would have probably missed the appointment. I wonder how many people fell on the snow/ice while going for their covid jab? Those are just a few of the things that ran through my mind while sat waiting, which probably things I would not have considered for myself. They are trying to jab the most vulnerable section of society, most of who don't fully understand what is really happening around them. A rock and hard place spring to mind.

My Mum lives in a small town with a population of 22,000. Vaccinations are due to start in a neighbouring village but it is 4 miles away.My Mum will be ok because my sister will take her but there are over 80 flats in Mums block and to access the vaccination hub it is necessary to catch a train (with a 1 mile walk at the other end) a bus (a 1 mile walk to catch it) or a taxi.I wonder how many older folk will just not bother to be vaccinated because its too difficult to get to the centre.I can see the logic of vaccinating younger people who are key workers or who are exposed to more people but one major problem is the pressure on the hospitals and it seems that by vaccinating the elderly first is the way to reduce hospital admissions.

[Son of Anarchy]

Just now, yorkshirephil said:

We met a couple this morning who we have seen regularly for years on our morning walk, we were telling them that my MIL had had her jab Saturday. Our neighbour told us he had his Friday and he too had the Pfizer vaccine, I said "you are never 80" he is 75 and his wife is 74 and gets hers next week. I can only assume that out health area has vaccinated the first group and now on the second, whereas my MIL health area which is less than 10 miles away and still in Kirklees has only just started group 1. Both must have the facility to store the Pfizer vaccine. 

Maybe they've got underlying health issues?  Two of the Ole Lady's sisters have had letters telling them when they're being jabbed, or jagged as they say in their part of the world.  One is 65 and the other 61.  One has COPD and the other one a selection of health conditions (according to her!).

[Dermotsgirl]

4 minutes ago, Son of Anarchy said:

Which unfortunately probably means that 2021 is going to be a lot like 2020 ☹️

 

At least not having paid in full for anything this year means that I can pay for some damp proofing work later this month, and we've got enough FCC to cover our N America cruise next year 🙂

Yes, I agree.

 

in some council areas in the south east, The Times says that one in 15 people have the virus, so this is all going to take a long while to get better.

 

 

[tring]

2 hours ago, Angel57 said:

I was interested to hear on the news this morning that many over 80s would soon be receiving letters from the NHS inviting them to book their  vaccine slots online at the big vaccination centres. Now I am not being ageist and I know most that on here most of us are reasonably tech savvy, but I do wonder how many will do it wrong and miss their appointments. Time will tell I suppose.

I do think it is a great way for the younger cohorts, but let’s hope Royal Mail gives these letters priority.......

 

I think you will find that the vast majority of over 80's can cope with receiving a letter and picking up a phone to make an appointment.  We have always been invited for flu injections and that is how it worked.  We have been able to make other GP appointments on line (pre covid) if registered, but the phone still works, even in 2021.

 

If someone is handicapped in some way, e.g. blind or confused, they will have some sort of helper.

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by tring

[Dermotsgirl]

3 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Should they offer folk the jab , or compel them, by force? . What is the problem with offered?

I could be ‘offered’ the jab today. 
 

But vaccination capacity and supply might mean that I don’t actually get the jab until 6 months time.

 

That’s the problem with ‘offered’.

[yorkshirephil]

Just now, Son of Anarchy said:

Maybe they've got underlying health issues?  Two of the Ole Lady's sisters have had letters telling them when they're being jabbed, or jagged as they say in their part of the world.  One is 65 and the other 61.  One has COPD and the other one a selection of health conditions (according to her!).

Neither have underlying health issues and were very surprised to get the calls as they also know older people who have not been vaccinated. We were expecting to be left behind a bit living in the countryside and have lots of small town/village surgeries. I would have expected most us to get the Oxford vaccine due to the easier supply chain capabilities. 

[Angel57]

3 minutes ago, tring said:

I think you will find that the vast majority of over 80's can cope with receiving a letter and picking up a phone to make an appointment.  We have always been invited for flu injections and that is how it worked.  We have been able to make other appointments on line if registered, but the phone still works, even in 2021.

I may be wrong but I got the impression they were asking people who received these letters to book their slots online and not by telephone. Perhaps someone who gets a letter will be able to tell us which options are available to them. 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

When I eventually climbed to the top of the greasy pole and made it onto the board of directors, I had a 240 miles a day round trip commute on the M4 to West London. Have to say that my experience was a little different from yours, as I absolutely hated it! I had a very luxurious and powerful company car that was fully expensed (they even paid the tax liability on my private fuel benefit, as well as the fuel itself) and friends and family thought I was very fortunate, but it was no life. I was earning a lot of money but had very little time to enjoy it.
 

In spite of having driven high mileages for decades, I am fortunate that I never once had an accident in any of my company cars. None the less, I decided in the end that my odds were lessening as each year went by and, like you, I bailed out and retired early (54 in my case). It’s true that having done all of that put me in a financial position that I could easily make that decision, but I look back now and wonder how on earth I did it. I also feel terribly sorry for the many thousands of people who do those sorts of mileages year in year out without the same sort of financial reward. Pandemic aside, the volumes of traffic get noticeably more as each year goes by and the standard of driving gets noticeably worse. 

Sounds like my commute was similar to yours, although my car would not have been in the same league!

I too wonder now how I did it, and back in those days the traffic was nothing like as bad as it would be now, in normal circumstances. 

[bobstheboy]

It going to be a Post Code lottery. If a local surgery gets a supply and they get through one group then move on to another, it will depend on the makeup of the local population when your time will come.

[brian1]

14 minutes ago, kalos said:

 

If you want to wind up a car sales man , open the drivers door and stop his sales talk by pointing to the doors inside and say " ok so how do you open the ashtray on one of these things ? " 

That's true and they've got the socket but no fag lighter,bloody pennypinching.

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Neither have underlying health issues and were very surprised to get the calls as they also know older people who have not been vaccinated. We were expecting to be left behind a bit living in the countryside and have lots of small town/village surgeries. I would have expected most us to get the Oxford vaccine due to the easier supply chain capabilities. 

As I said in a previous post some days ago, it varies enormously. Four GP surgeries not far from us have clubbed together and formed their own hub and by a week ago had vaccinated everyone down to age 77. They reckon they can get all over 50’s vaccinated by mid to end FEB! Sadly we aren’t with them!

[yorkshirephil]

1 minute ago, bobstheboy said:

It going to be a Post Code lottery. If a local surgery gets a supply and they get through one group then move on to another, it will depend on the makeup of the local population when your time will come.

That seems to be the way it is going, I remember Beckett saying where she worked in London that they had moved on to the second group a wile ago whereas others hadn't started. It was never going to be easy to vaccinate tens of millions of people quickly and easily.