Is This Selfish Queue Jumping?
Yesterday an acquaintance forwarded to me a link to the NHS booking system for the Covid jab telling me that she had booked her two appointments. Her daughter, who appears to have both condoned and encouraged her mother, phoned me last night to ask if I had now booked my place. I queried with her when her mother had received her invitation letter as I hadn't had mine yet to which she replied that she hadn't had one, it was a neighbour of hers who had forwarded the link to her so she booked her place telling me that there were lots of appointments available.
Commenting to her that I didn't think it was right she said that as her mother was in the relevant age group, (she is 73) it was permissible to book whenever she wanted to. This is the first and only time I have heard this claim. I clicked on the link out of curiosity and it quite clearly states "Do not use this link until you have had an invitation" (or similar words).
Is it me being prepared to wait my turn (I'm 74) or is she right in what she has done?
Comments
-
I think the major problem is the lack of communication in some circumstances. It is nearly two weeks ago we were told we would get a letter, or perhaps a phone call, to invite us all to the vaccination centre. My neighbours of similar age, but different surgery, have both had their vaccination, we have heard nothing. So people will get increasingly anxious the more they hear about that sort of situation. As to the ethics of what has happened in the OP there are a lot of frightened people out there which always leads to people trying to take short cuts. Can't condone it but can perhaps understand it!
David
0 -
Not necessarilly, there seems to be two ways you get invited.
1. By the surgery you are registered with, usually by phone confirmed by text
2. By the NHS who write to you and provide a link to make an appointment.
I think 1. is to go to your local centre and 2. is to go to the regional mass vaccination place? I have had both and the letter from the NHS told me to ignore it if I had already been vaccinated. I would give you the link but I destroyed the letter once I read the ignore advice. Perhaps this is the link which was provided and was probably issued to ensure no one fell out of the net.
There is also a web site offering quick appointments, I would not trust that one.
peedee
0 -
My OH could only get a booking for the first jab at a centre 50 miles away. However, for the second jab he managed an appointment at a much smaller Centre which is just 10 miles away. My question is, will the second centre have the same type of vaccine available on the day, as the one he will get at the first Centre?
0 -
I would give you the link but I destroyed the letter once I read the ignore advice. Perhaps this is the link which was provided and was probably issued to ensure no one fell out of the net.
I don't know if it came with a code to provide as I did not take too much notice of the procedure once I read the ignore bit.
peedee
0 -
It's a form of fraud and no one in their right mind can surely condone impersonation by an imposter in whatever walk of life, but perhaps you think such actions are acceptable?🤷♂️
Edit: and as I wrote that, in buzzed a text with my invite bearing my individual ref number.
3 -
Our ID was checked twice when we turned up. Once on check in and once just prior to receiving the jab. I guess once you have had it that person cannot be impersonated and if you were impersonating someone due to have it you would be denying them the opportunity to have it?
peedee
0 -
Less than an hour after starting this thread I and my wife have received or invitation via text. This gives a link which is very long so i used the link that my acquaintance had sent to me as I prefer to do these sorts of things on my PC rather than my phone. This went straight to the NHS booking site. I just had to give my name, DOB and Postcode. This suggested the local mass vaccination centre and I was then given several options for both days and times available. A few clicks and the appointments were made. Both on the same day at the same time.
The only problem that I need to sort out is that, all being well, we should be away on holiday in the caravan when the second jab is due. I have opted at present to go to our local centre for the second jab but there is an option on the booking form to go elsewhere for it. Would this mean we could get the second jabs done somewhere else whilst we were on holiday ? I'll have to try to find out.
0 -
We also received the other ‘queue jump’ thread from a friend and she knew people that had used it to book although whether they got a vaccine I don’t know. We didn’t use it as it clearly states on the NHS website to wait for your invitation which we did. Like David I can understand, although not condone, why it’s being used as some are getting twitchy that they have been forgotten. Our second jab was also booked when we would have been away but we have rearranged our break as I would rather get the jab not a holiday!!
0 -
There seems to be a great variance in who and when. I received a voice call early in the week asking if I was prepared to travel the 10 miles to my nearest hospital for the vaccination, I am 71. After giving the info required I was asked if my wife would like the vaccination at the same time, she is 69 and obviously said yes, passed the phone over and she answered the questions required.
I received the Emails along with the NHS electronic appointments that I am signed up for, we went yesterday and received the jabs at the same appointments time, with the second booked for the first week of April.
0 -
I think folks need to be aware of fake NHS web sites and giving out details by clicking on links.
Locally people are getting letters and phone calls with options for different venues or they can wait till their own medical centre offers vaccinations.
0 -
Our second jab was also booked when we would have been away but we have rearranged our break as I would rather get the jab not a holiday!!
Wise move, you could always have a bad reaction, hopefully not. I just had a mild head ache and felt a bit jaded the day after as a reaction to my Pfizer jab. I was perfectly fine the following day.
peedee
0 -
OH got text invitation on my phone, we share the number 😉., to book at our GP, text sender NHS same as his cardiac messages come from and the usual GP texts.
No indentifiers/number asked for or given in the text he got his as extremely vulnerable i did ask if I could have mine but was very nicely told no invite no jab. Didn't push it.
2 friends who use different GP's have both been able to be 'done' together after they were contacted by GP surgery by phone by asking whilst booking the invitee and after info checked, both were next group down whereas I am currently 3 groups lower than OH at the mo but will go up a group next week as my birthday will tip me into the next group.
Whatever system they put in place folk will find a way round it sadly. It is fraud and morally wrong in my book but in all walks of life there are those who are more justified/entitled/needy than the rest be that space on the road, general queue jumping etc.
0 -
"The only problem that I need to sort out is that, all being well, we should be away on holiday in the caravan when the second jab is due. I have opted at present to go to our local centre for the second jab but there is an option on the booking form to go elsewhere for it. Would this mean we could get the second jabs done somewhere else whilst we were on holiday ? I'll have to try to find out"
cant believe you are even contemplating trying to change destinations etc that could possibly put in jeapordy you receiving any vaccination. I know what i would be doing, either returning from holiday early or cancelling
1 -
You can book a first jab in one place and a second in another. It works off the postcode(s) you input. I have just done it for another legitimate reason.
Frankly our Government has come in for a lot of criticism but in this case they and the NHS has got it really well organised.
1 -
Agreed - and surely it makes sense to book the second jab at home since travel for holidays may still not be permitted anyway when that second jab is due?
(Quite apart from taking a jab destined for someone local to that holiday area?
)0 -
There are four centres within 20 miles of me. I booked the one that provided the earliest date for my first jab. The system then works out the time (date) interval to your second jab but as availability varies across the centres the dates also vary. I chose to go to another not because of the date but for another personal reason. I could have got it earlier had I chosen to go to a different centre. There is no limitation on distance / location. Don't over think it. Don't nit pick it. The system is flexible and it works.
0 -
Um ... there you go again, diving in to contradict something I've posted. But, again, I don't think you read, or understood my post which specifically referred to booking a destination where one was going for a holiday (particularly when one might not be able to go there anyway.) Nothing to do with choice of different local centres. No over thinking, no nit picking - just common sense I'd have thought.
2
