New health Protocols

[tring]

52 minutes ago, davecttr said:

I checked online and although several GP practices in my area (Medway) have now started vaccinating, mine with 11 doctors, has not yet done so. No problem for me as I predict my turn will be March

Not all practices are doing the vaccines, but groups of GP practices are having their patients vaccinated in one "hub* practice.

  It may be that your practice group has not started yet for some reason, but just thought I would clarify that as even very big practices are using one hub practice for their group at present.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2020 by tring

[wowzz]

I posted in another thread, my 94 year old mother is getting her vaccination on Tuesday.

[Selbourne]

9 hours ago, wowzz said:

I posted in another thread, my 94 year old mother is getting her vaccination on Tuesday.

That’s good wowzz. Still nothing for any of our relatives aged over 80 and we are in tier 3 (if that makes any difference). I am getting increasingly frustrated that the media aren’t asking what I believe to be the critical questions, namely what proportion of the 350,000 people vaccinated so far are over 80 and when can all over 80’s expect to be vaccinated. I can’t help but feel that a very large proportion of those vaccinated so far are probably health workers. With 3.2m people aged over 80 in the U.K., even if half those vaccinated so far are in that age group, that’s only 5% of them. Obviously the numbers will increase substantially each week (supplies permitting) but expectations need to be managed about how long this is all going to take. 

[Eglesbrech]

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

That’s good wowzz. Still nothing for any of our relatives aged over 80 and we are in tier 3 (if that makes any difference). I am getting increasingly frustrated that the media aren’t asking what I believe to be the critical questions, namely what proportion of the 350,000 people vaccinated so far are over 80 and when can all over 80’s expect to be vaccinated. I can’t help but feel that a very large proportion of those vaccinated so far are probably health workers. With 3.2m people aged over 80 in the U.K., even if half those vaccinated so far are in that age group, that’s only 5% of them. Obviously the numbers will increase substantially each week (supplies permitting) but expectations need to be managed about how long this is all going to take. 

The journalists annoy me as they ask the same vapid questions time and time again and avoid the obvious ones like that.

 

I very much doubt that the over 50s will all be vaccinated by Easter as has been claimed. They haven’t really started on most over 80s yet except of course the “ celebrities”. Amazing that they manage to get the famous sorted and out it in the papers but your average older citizen has not been contacted as yet. I know it’s a massive task but it annoys me that there does appear to be preference given to some older celebrities and not for clinical reasons.

 

 

[Adawn47]

10 hours ago, tring said:

Not all practices are doing the vaccines, but groups of GP practices are having their patients vaccinated in one "hub* practice

The whole of the Barnsley borough, consisting of 23  (not so small) villages,10 towns and approx and 250,000 people will be using 3 medical centres for vaccinations. Goldthorpe, Lundwood and Dodworth. 

Avril

 

[Adawn47]

5 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

 they manage to get the famous sorted and out it in the papers but your average older citizen has not been contacted as yet. I know it’s a massive task but it annoys me that there does appear to be preference given to some older celebrities and not for clinical reasons.

I wonder just how they decide who is vaccinated and when. I know they are going in age groups, but the first person in Barnsley was an 83 year old man, who (according to his statement to the papers) said he was fit and was looking forward to going out on his walks again. However, my friend who is 85, and lives in the next village to him, has a lung condition, a heart problem and asthma, hasn't heard anything yet. 

Avril

[Selbourne]

1 minute ago, Adawn47 said:

I wonder just how they decide who is vaccinated and when. I know they are going in age groups, but the first person in Barnsley was an 83 year old man, who (according to his statement to the papers) said he was fit and was looking forward to going out on his walks again. However, my friend who is 85, and lives in the next village to him, has a lung condition, a heart problem and asthma, hasn't heard anything yet. 

Avril

I don’t believe that there is any criteria being applied beyond the published 8 bands bands Avril, or at least I have seen nothing to suggest otherwise. I guess that trying to make it any more complicated would slow the process even more. 

[Adawn47]

25 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I agree. The National Audit Office published a report a few days ago saying that it would take until the end of 2021 to vaccinate all over 50’s and well into 2022 before the majority of the population would be protected. It didn’t get much coverage, which surprised me. I think that the ‘most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Easter’ quote has been misunderstood by most people to mean all those over 50 whereas I think they meant over 70’s at best.
 

The press are making my blood boil with all this pathetic stuff about U-turns. We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic caused by a new virus that we are still trying to understand. As our knowledge of it changes and as the virus mutates or infection rates change, decisions that were right yesterday become wrong today. Anyone who doesn’t understand that is either thick or just making political capital. I fear that, in the case of the media, it might be both! I’ve just been watching Sky News and Sophie Ridge asked the countries most eminent virologist on this new strain of the virus why the Prime Minister said on Wednesday that Christmas would go ahead as planned and then yesterday ‘make a u-turn’. In a very calm and professional way, with no political axe to grind, she just said that the evidence was only presented on Friday. It’s not rocket science yet it won’t stop them asking stupid questions or making sarcastic comments, whilst completely ignoring the really important questions. 

I completely agree with your sensible and well written post Selbourne. I listened closely to yesterday's briefing and heard down to earth  statements from the PM and his two scientists. The interview with Starmer was the same rehash of his others regarding covid with the usual political digs at Boris, which was of no help whatsoever. The reaction to yesterday's briefing and the advice given, was, and will continue to be, completely ignored by those  to whom it doesn't suit, and if this virus takes hold again as it did in March, the government will be at fault again. The only issue I have with Boris is, that he continues to ask people to use their common sense when it is patently obvious not much exists. I've just read your post above and I know you're right. I was having a lttle vent😉

Avril

Edited December 20, 2020 by Adawn47

[terrierjohn]

41 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I agree. The National Audit Office published a report a few days ago saying that it would take until the end of 2021 to vaccinate all over 50’s and well into 2022 before the majority of the population would be protected. It didn’t get much coverage, which surprised me. I think that the ‘most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Easter’ quote has been misunderstood by most people to mean all those over 50 whereas I think they meant over 70’s at best.
 

The press are making my blood boil with all this pathetic stuff about U-turns. We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic caused by a new virus that we are still trying to understand. As our knowledge of it changes and as the virus mutates or infection rates change, decisions that were right yesterday become wrong today. Anyone who doesn’t understand that is either thick or just making political capital. I fear that, in the case of the media, it might be both! I’ve just been watching Sky News and Sophie Ridge asked the countries most eminent virologist on this new strain of the virus why the Prime Minister said on Wednesday that Christmas would go ahead as planned and then yesterday ‘make a u-turn’. In a very calm and professional way, with no political axe to grind, she just said that the evidence was only presented on Friday. It’s not rocket science yet it won’t stop them asking stupid questions or making sarcastic comments, whilst completely ignoring the really important questions. 

Ah but that must be wrong Selbourne, Harry has it on very good authority that Boris knew the latest data before PMQs on Wednesday.

[jeanlyon]

Friend of mine in London who is 85 with COPD being vaccinated tomorrow.

[Adawn47]

3 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

Ah but that must be wrong Selbourne, Harry has it on very good authority that Boris knew the latest data before PMQs on Wednesday.

He knew well before then John. Everyone knows he has Mystic Meg on his team😉

Avril

[Eglesbrech]

53 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

The National Audit Office published a report a few days ago saying that it would take until the end of 2021 to vaccinate all over 50’s and well into 2022 before the majority of the population would be protected. It didn’t get much coverage, which surprised me. I think that the ‘most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Easter’ quote has been misunderstood by most people to mean all those over 50 whereas I think they meant over 70’s at best.

I don’t think it has been misunderstood as Matt Hancock was quite specific about the over 50s. I heard him say it on TV but can’t recall which programme it was on. The extract below is from the Guardian on 27 November.

 

“Hancock has said the restrictions can be loosened once all the over-50s, younger people with health conditions and NHS and care workers have been vaccinated. He has said the bulk of vaccination for those groups will take place in January to March, and hopes that by Easter it may be possible to end social distancing.”

[Dermotsgirl]

It’s been widely reported that the new virus mutation was known about in September.

 

Hancock stood up in House of Commons on Monday to inform Parliament of  the mutation. If Johnson didn’t know about it on Wednesday in PMQs, then we have a bigger problem than I imagined.

 

I live in the area where the virus mutation is thought to have occurred. Infections in this area were flat all summer, and in line with the rest of the country started to rise in September, but still less than in other areas of the country.

 

Then, in November, in lockdown, infections suddenly started booming, for no apparent reason. If I, with my biology O level could see something was going badly wrong, it defies logic that the powers that be didn’t notice and didn’t join up the dots regarding the mutated virus much sooner. 
 

Does anybody watch PMQs each week on Wednesday?  It’s become a feature that Johnson never actually answers a question, but mounts blustering attacks on Starmer instead. The whole thing is a waste of time - if anybody wants to complain about Starmer, at least show some balance and complain about Johnson too 

 

 

[Eglesbrech]

5 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

He knew well before then John. Everyone knows he has Mystic Meg on his team😉

Avril

They have known there has been a variant that is much more virulent since September.

 

Watch the Andrew Marr show from this morning, it makes very interesting viewing.

[Dermotsgirl]

4 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I don’t think it has been misunderstood as Matt Hancock was quite specific about the over 50s. I heard him say it on TV but can’t recall which programme it was on. The extract below is from the Guardian on 27 November.

 

“Hancock has said the restrictions can be loosened once all the over-50s, younger people with health conditions and NHS and care workers have been vaccinated. He has said the bulk of vaccination for those groups will take place in January to March, and hopes that by Easter it may be possible to end social distancing.”

I have a feeling that he has over promised! 

[Eglesbrech]

1 minute ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Does anybody watch PMQs each week on Wednesday?  It’s become a feature that Johnson never actually answers a question, but mounts blustering attacks on Starmer instead. The whole thing is a waste of time - if anybody wants to complain about Starmer, at least show some balance and complain about Johnson too 

Yes I watched it. Johnston will not give a straight answer to any question and simply ignores some altogether and waffles. PMQs has become a complete mockery.

 

It is actually disrespectful not only to the MPs asking the questions but to the watching public.

[AnnieC]

4 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

I have a feeling that he has over promised! 

Surely not!😄

[AnnieC]

7 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

It’s been widely reported that the new virus mutation was known about in September.

 

Hancock stood up in House of Commons on Monday to inform Parliament of  the mutation. If Johnson didn’t know about it on Wednesday in PMQs, then we have a bigger problem than I imagined.

 

 

 

 

Thank you - I knew I'd known about the mutation, and that they believe it to be more infectious, for more than 2 days, but couldn't find a link or similar to substantiate it. 

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

I don’t think it has been misunderstood as Matt Hancock was quite specific about the over 50s. I heard him say it on TV but can’t recall which programme it was on. The extract below is from the Guardian on 27 November.

 

“Hancock has said the restrictions can be loosened once all the over-50s, younger people with health conditions and NHS and care workers have been vaccinated. He has said the bulk of vaccination for those groups will take place in January to March, and hopes that by Easter it may be possible to end social distancing.”

Thanks. That’s very interesting. I hadn’t seen either of those pieces. I’m staggered, because I don’t think that there is any chance of that happening, nor has there ever been. Time will tell. My wife and I are in the 55-60 age bracket and are desperate to be vaccinated ASAP, but will be pleasantly surprised if we are vaccinated before the second half of 2021. 

[arlowood]

I just plugged my details into the vaccine calculator and it gave me a range of dates at the end of January 2021

However I'm in a fairly unique position in that I am currently a trail volunteer for the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine. My data is obviously still "blind" at the moment so I don't know if I had the vaccine or placebo. If I do get an invite for the Pfizer jab then I can become "unblinded" so that I can decide how to proceed.

I am hopeful that the Oxford jab does get approval soon so that my decision making will perhaps be a bit less complicated.

Edited December 20, 2020 by arlowood
Clarity

[Eglesbrech]

1 minute ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. That’s very interesting. I hadn’t seen either of those pieces. I’m staggered, because I don’t think that there is any chance of that happening, nor has there ever been. Time will tell. My wife and I are in the 55-60 age bracket and are desperate to be vaccinated ASAP, but will be pleasantly surprised if we are vaccinated before the second half of 2021. 

I think your timescales are probably more realistic.

 

To be fair when this was discussed back in November I think that there was optimism that the Astra Zeneca vaccine would be available for almost immediate use. The lack of this resource will have slowed down the vaccine programme.

 

This virus is fast moving so nothing is ever quite certain.

[Selbourne]

13 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

Yes I watched it. Johnston will not give a straight answer to any question and simply ignores some altogether and waffles. PMQs has become a complete mockery.

 

It is actually disrespectful not only to the MPs asking the questions but to the watching public.

I’m afraid that I have to agree! I have always felt that topic number 1 on the training schedule of any new MP is ‘how not to answer a question’, as they are all, regardless of colour, expert at it, but Boris was undoubtedly top of the class! At least we have a decent Speaker now, rather than that egotistical and biased Bercow. I like the way that Lindsay Hoyle cuts people off mid sentence, including the PM, when they waffle and reminds Boris that it’s actually Prime Ministers question time, not leader of the oppositions question time!

[No pager thank you]

Sorry if someone has already made this point, but the rate of vaccination will significantly increase once the Astra Zenaca / Oxford vaccine is approved where the delivery conditions are not too dissimilar to a typical influenza vaccine.  The potential distribution network and range of vaccinators is far higher.

 

There are far fewer constraints in terms of logistics and distribution than there is with the Moderna and Pfizer version.  It is the fact that it is new, the fact that people who are able to travel to a vaccination site are far easier to vaccinate, its a standing start etc, all plans are locally coordinated etc which is why, inevitably, health workers will be part of the first wave and why the rate of progress appears slow to some.  Personally, I was impressed with the 350k figure.

 

Assuming that the vaccine is effective against the variant, and that it is approved before the end of the year, then there is cause for optimism, along the possibility of thinking about cruise holidays again 😁 ...

 

We all know really it won't be Easter, but maybe saying another year from now is a touch bleak.  As ever, content to be proven wrong, but I want to be right on this occasion!

 

Sorry to hear about the cancelled Christmas plans.  I hope that posters can still enjoy their Christmas even in these dark times.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

I agree. The National Audit Office published a report a few days ago saying that it would take until the end of 2021 to vaccinate all over 50’s and well into 2022 before the majority of the population would be protected. It didn’t get much coverage, which surprised me. I think that the ‘most vulnerable will be vaccinated by Easter’ quote has been misunderstood by most people to mean all those over 50 whereas I think they meant over 70’s at best.
 

The press are making my blood boil with all this pathetic stuff about U-turns. We are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic caused by a new virus that we are still trying to understand. As our knowledge of it changes and as the virus mutates or infection rates change, decisions that were right yesterday become wrong today. Anyone who doesn’t understand that is either thick or just making political capital. I fear that, in the case of the media, it might be both! I’ve just been watching Sky News and Sophie Ridge asked the countries most eminent virologist on this new strain of the virus why the Prime Minister said on Wednesday that Christmas would go ahead as planned and then yesterday ‘make a u-turn’. In a very calm and professional way, with no political axe to grind, she just said that the evidence was only presented on Friday. It’s not rocket science yet it won’t stop them asking stupid questions or making sarcastic comments, whilst completely ignoring the really important questions. 

Same thing was said on Andrew Mar. I don't know if it was the same Lady, but she sure did sound like she knew the subject. Government were told on Friday. There is an absence of apologies on here from people who now know better. Boris didn't know on Wednesday, neither did the knight of Islington. He knew on Friday, met with ministers and experts on Friday and Saturday. No u turn here folks, just people trying their best to stop us dying, but giving as much freedom as they can. 

[zap99]

51 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

He knew well before then John. Everyone knows he has Mystic Meg on his team😉

Avril

I know exactly what will happen on Monday. I'll tell you on Tuesday🤣