New vaccine

[kalos]

9 minutes ago, wowzz said:

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. 

We took our car a run up the M18 this morning just after 9 am for a 17 mile run .

That was like the good old days. There and back we saw about a dozen cars , a police van and a couple of lorries. Very nice chilled out driving experience .

[grapau27]

21 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 ? " 

Or.

Where's the cassette or CD player?

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Angel57 said:

Interestingly a friend from the Wimbledon area got a text late last night (she is 79) inviting her to go to a hospital at 8am this morning as they had left-over vaccine. She went at 8am, got jabbed and was home by 9am. She was given the Pfizer vaccine

We live 30 miles away, but would jump in the car and drive to Wimbledon if " Offered " a short notice jab.

[yorkshirephil]

1 minute ago, zap99 said:

We live 30 miles away, but would jump in the car and drive to Wimbledon if " Offered " a short notice jab.

Same here, 3 birds with 1 stone, get the jab, charge the car battery and a change of scenery.

[tring]

25 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

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. 

I saw/heard no mention of on line.  If someone is not registered with their gp for online access then they would not be able to use it.  These appointments may be made through a different system, but even so, like the system for booking hospital appointments, there is always an alternative.  As you said initially would not work otherwise.

 

Regards the big distant hubs, I assume if someone cannot get there they will eventually be called by their gp, but many very elderly people by us could drive a distance or have someone who could take them and I am sure they would be happy to go further if they can have an earlier jab.  The new big centres will take a lot of people who can get there, though admittedly not from all parts of the country as yet.  It is all still being rolled out.

Edited January 10, 2021 by tring

[kalos]

2 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Same here, 3 birds with 1 stone, get the jab, charge the car battery and a change of scenery.

 

What's not to like ? 

[Selbourne]

9 minutes ago, kalos said:

We took our car a run up the M18 this morning just after 9 am for a 17 mile run .

That was like the good old days. There and back we saw about a dozen cars , a police van and a couple of lorries. Very nice chilled out driving experience .

Very different down here. During the March lockdown, on the 7 mile stretch of the M5 that I use to see my Mum, I might only have seen a handful of other private cars. This time on the same stretch I am seeing hundreds. 

[zap99]

2 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Same here, 3 birds with 1 stone, get the jab, charge the car battery and a change of scenery.

I had horse riding lessons on Wimbledon common, so perhaps........?🤔

[WECRUISEUK]

34 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

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. 

I'm sure there's a valid reason for this,perhaps other surgeries in your area are going to be solely concentrating on vaccinating people and yours will be concentrating on general appointments?Just a possibility,anyway that was a month ago and you could all be getting a text this week.

[WECRUISEUK]

24 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Or.

Where's the cassette or CD player?

8 track?

[yorkshirephil]

Edited January 10, 2021 by yorkshirephil

[davecttr]

57 minutes ago, zap99 said:

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

The problem with 'offered' is a few days ago they were saying delivered x number of jabs by mid February. Then they changed to mixing up the message. Now it seems to be offered. This gives them wriggle room so they can claim they have delivered on the promise when they have not. Remember the covid home test fiasco when it turned out that posting the kits was being counted as delivered, or that a pair of gloves was being counted as two items of PPE. 😠

[kalos]

5 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

 

Been there done that ,loads of times 

[yorkshirephil]

3 minutes ago, davecttr said:

The problem with 'offered' is a few days ago they were saying delivered x number of jabs by mid February. Then they changed to mixing up the message. Now it seems to be offered. This gives them wriggle room so they can claim they have delivered on the promise when they have not. Remember the covid home test fiasco when it turned out that posting the kits was being counted as delivered, or that a pair of gloves was being counted as two items of PPE. 😠

Typical weasly words from government, "offered by Autumn" accepting that Autumn could be anytime between 22nd Sept and 21st Dec. Overpromise and under delivery is wearing a bit thin now. We know it is difficult and no one has a crystal ball, but why play to the media when they will twist to suit anyway.

[davecttr]

36 minutes ago, Mr.Clive Browne said:

I'm sure there's a valid reason for this,perhaps other surgeries in your area are going to be solely concentrating on vaccinating people and yours will be concentrating on general appointments?Just a possibility,anyway that was a month ago and you could all be getting a text this week.

According to the press this morning over 80,000 NHS staff are absent due to COVID or self isolating. It was also mentioned that this will impact the vaccination programme as well.

 

There were extreme difficulties with my practice before xmas. The repeat prescription service was in chaos. This may have been because of staff absences because of COVID

[Dermotsgirl]

11 minutes ago, yorkshirephil said:

Typical weasly words from government, "offered by Autumn" accepting that Autumn could be anytime between 22nd Sept and 21st Dec. Overpromise and under delivery is wearing a bit thin now. We know it is difficult and no one has a crystal ball, but why play to the media when they will twist to suit anyway.

It’s the overpromising and underdelivery that is really getting me down.

 

I’ve  written this year off as being the same as last year, and I’m mentally prepared to wait as long as it takes to get the vaccine. I’m 60, and not expecting it earlier than the summer, so anything earlier will be a bonus.

 

 But all these promises that are, at this point, logistically impossible, are really the thin edge of the wedge. Are there people left who really believe the overpromises, and when the promises don’t come to fruition, do they do some critical thinking and wonder why the government didn’t deliver, or do they just move on to the next promise, and carry on believing🤷‍♀️

[Adawn47]

2 hours ago, lincslady said:

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 - 

That's a difficult one to answer without annoying someone, but I'll try.

Most of the younger active working or non-working people have had infinitely much more freedom during the last 10 months than the seniors or the shielding. Frank 75 has been out once since March, to have his flu jab, and I've been out 3 times (73) There are some posters on here, you know who you are, that have been shielding for the whole 10 months and I think it's only right that they are allowed to have the vaccine asap. They and we need to live the remainder of our lives free, not closeted behind closed doors.

On a personal note, over this last 10 months, I have gone from being a happy optimist into a miserable old woman who can see no future. I cry every day and I have no interest in anything anymore, and I know I'm not the only one.I put on a happy front, but inside I'm falling apart.

So to some waiting another couple of months for the vaccine might not seem a long time, but to me and many others, it's a lifetime.

Avril

[tring]

I saw this on a news article regards 80 year olds being called for vaccine:-

 

"The letters have been sent to those who live between a 30 to 45-minute drive from one of seven new regional centres in England, with information about how they can book a slot either over the phone or via an online national booking service."

 

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me and a highly efficient way to do it.  The vaccine program is still being rolled out, so will take a while to get everything up and running.  I think they have done extremely well to date and can continue to roll out more vaccine centres, as well as using more local places for people in remote locations.  The Pfizer vaccine with the -70 requirement was never going to be practicable for remote locations.

 

What I do hope though is that all areas are treated equally if the vaccine does become in short supply, as it would be totally unfair to give priority to some areas over the more vulnerable groups elsewhere according to the priority risk.  The devolved Governments will be responsible for their own plans presumably as they run their NHS, but Boris should make sure the correct proportion of vaccines are available to those devolved regions.  

 

 

Edited January 10, 2021 by tring

[Eglesbrech]

2 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

That's a difficult one to answer without annoying someone, but I'll try.

Most of the younger active working or non-working people have had infinitely much more freedom during the last 10 months than the seniors or the shielding. Frank 75 has been out once since March, to have his flu jab, and I've been out 3 times (73) There are some posters on here, you know who you are, that have been shielding for the whole 10 months and I think it's only right that they are allowed to have the vaccine asap. They and we need to live the remainder of our lives free, not closeted behind closed doors.

On a personal note, over this last 10 months, I have gone from being a happy optimist into a miserable old woman who can see no future. I cry every day and I have no interest in anything anymore, and I know I'm not the only one.I put on a happy front, but inside I'm falling apart.

So to some waiting another couple of months for the vaccine might not seem a long time, but to me and many others, it's a lifetime.

Avril

I said on here a few weeks ago that the powers  that be had started to hint at changing the priority and the hints are becoming more frequent.

 

There were very vocal calls for older folks and those with underlying conditions to stay at home and wait for the vaccine to allow the younger and fitter to live their life as they felt that it was not going to be too bad for them. Now that the vaccine is available (some of) the younger and fitter are saying they should be first.
 

They can’t have it both ways.

[lincslady]

Well, the answer to my suggestion is that we all, understandably, have our reasons for our opinions.  

 

I certainly hope that if we are offered/given an appointment to attend the mass centre we will have the option to say that of course we want to be vaccinated, but cannot manage to cope with the distances to walk, stand etc. at the local centre and won't then be written off as refuseniks.  It could be  a wily strategy on someone's part, couldn't it?  I feel sure that eventually our local GP/pharmacy will be doing them for those who cannot travel or have other problems.

[zap99]

5 minutes ago, tring said:

I saw this on a news article regards 80 year olds being called for vaccine:-

 

"The letters have been sent to those who live between a 30 to 45-minute drive from one of seven new regional centres in England, with information about how they can book a slot either over the phone or via an online national booking service."

 

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me and a highly efficient way to do it.  The vaccine program is still being rolled out, so will take a while to get everything up and running.  I think they have done extremely well to date and can continue to roll out more vaccine centres, as well as using more local places for people in remote locations.  The Pfizer vaccine with the -70 requirement was never going to be practicable for remote locations.

 

What I do hope though is that all areas are treated equally if the vaccine does become in short supply, as it would be totally unfair to give priority to some areas over the more vulnerable groups elsewhere according to the priority risk.  The devolved Governments will be responsible for their own plans presumably as they run their NHS, but Boris should make sure the correct proportion of vaccines are available to those devolved regions.  

 

 

200k folk per day are being Jabbed, not a promise or an offer, but jabs in arms. The target of 2m will be achieved or exceeded, so said the Royal College of GP's a few minutes ago.  Like you, I will give these professionals my support, untill they don't achieve it. Doom and gloom won't achieve anything at all.

[Dermotsgirl]

3 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

That's a difficult one to answer without annoying someone, but I'll try.

Most of the younger active working or non-working people have had infinitely much more freedom during the last 10 months than the seniors or the shielding. Frank 75 has been out once since March, to have his flu jab, and I've been out 3 times (73) There are some posters on here, you know who you are, that have been shielding for the whole 10 months and I think it's only right that they are allowed to have the vaccine asap. They and we need to live the remainder of our lives free, not closeted behind closed doors.

On a personal note, over this last 10 months, I have gone from being a happy optimist into a miserable old woman who can see no future. I cry every day and I have no interest in anything anymore, and I know I'm not the only one.I put on a happy front, but inside I'm falling apart.

So to some waiting another couple of months for the vaccine might not seem a long time, but to me and many others, it's a lifetime.

Avril

Seriously, Avril, please don’t bottle it up. You don’t have to pretend on this forum. If you are feeling low, it is ok to say so, and don’t let anybody make you think that you are wrong to say how you feel.

 

Some days I’m fine, other days I’m not. I’m not having particularly good day today , and I’m finding it difficult to concentrate and have been tearful.But it’s ok to feel like that, it’s just a natural reaction to the circumstances. I’m going for a walk shortly, which usually makes me feel better - but to be perfectly honest, it just feels like another chore to get done! 
 

You are not alone - most people feel the same as you.

 

 

[lincslady]

Avril - I am sorry you feel like this; you do an excellent job of hiding in in your posts.  It obviously makes a difference because you and yours are under 80; we are both over 80 and therefore likely to be given the opportunity much earlier.

[Angel57]

10 minutes ago, tring said:

I saw this on a news article regards 80 year olds being called for vaccine:-

 

"The letters have been sent to those who live between a 30 to 45-minute drive from one of seven new regional centres in England, with information about how they can book a slot either over the phone or via an online national booking service."

 

 

Thanks for that clarification Tring.
I’m delighted phone call booking is also an option. 

[jeanlyon]

2 minutes ago, zap99 said:

200k folk per day are being Jabbed, not a promise or an offer, but jabs in arms. The target of 2m will be achieved or exceeded, so said the Royal College of GP's a few minutes ago.  Like you, I will give these professionals my support, untill they don't achieve it. Doom and gloom won't achieve anything at all.

Quite agree.  I feel all these people are doing their best.  The logistics of it must be a nightmare.  In the meantime, I try to keep busy.  Do one job each day.  this morning, did the ironing, changed the bed, put the washing in.  Then I put the vac round.  This afternoon I will walk the dog.  Husband is the same, he spent an hour easing the front door, then he chopped kindling for the fire and cleaned the car.  He gets his jab next week and it looks like late Feb for me, or let's say March.  Miserable?  No.  Bored, yes sometimes.  Fed up cos I can't go away for my birthday.  Yes.  I just feel better off than those who have lost their jobs,, can't pay the mortgage.