Covid - news and views
Comments
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When I went for my 3rd Jab last Saturday I was asked to stand in a line with less than 2 Metres social Distancing and when I had the Vaccine they wanted me to sit amongst all the other people that had been Vaccinated, again no Social Distancing. The good thing everyone wore masks. Needless to say I did not conform to the other requests, I stood out of line and went and sat in my car for 10 minutes. I felt more vulnerable at this venue than anywhere else I frequent.
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Did they not have the chairs spaced out at all ADP? Seems a bit strange. I have taken to carrying something long in my hand if I have to queue where I think folks might get close. I just lazily flap it about behind me, not too obviously, sort of keeps folks at a distance. Last resort is a fast step back, that usually wakes them up a bit if too close😂
OH has just had a text from GP saying book his booster. The link however won’t work for him yet. Should be ok tomorrow, will be six months plus a week.
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Can't understand why you are still waiting Fish.
You are under Betsi Cadwaladr just like us. We're not treated as vulnerable yet have had our letters and I have even been able to move mine forward a tad. It will now be 185 days after the second vaccine.
Maybe it's to do with the vaccination centre itself and staffing levels.
Don't really know why one part of the local health board is working well (around the N.E. of Wales) yet the North West bit isn't.
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We have both tried to book on line. Enter NHS number and dob, then get the message "you are not eligible to book on line" and "NHS will get in touch with you when you are eligible".
It's extremely frustrating to say the least, maybe I'll take a leaf out of your book and contact our MP (as if that's ever done any good!
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Very strange, we are not even at our home address and have appointments at the local James Paget ,hospital At 1105and1110on Sunday booked last Sunday while at Seacroft site as we knew we would be here
Neither of us had at that time had our "invite" as I posted
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It would help the system enormously if people would stop blocking it up by trying to jump the queue. It takes two or three times the time to process people who book when they have not received an invitation and worst of all prevents those that should be ahead of them getting a booking. It's just plain selfish
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You think it is blocking the system? It took all of two minutes from asking to getingt a list of available vaccine sites with dates and time available. There was about 12in this area,
So how come we got our text and email, this week and both advised. If you have already booked please ignore this communication
I think you need to update yourself on the NHS website before calling out others
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If it works as seamlessly as it can then there should be no issues re ‘queue jumping,’ on my 2nd jab I got their early, the lady checking off names told me to join the 6 people queue, I never stopped shuffling forward until the jab then I was away. No seats, no waiting. In-jabbed & out in 5mins👍🏻. I told the Doc it was a dream, they do the flu jabs like it too.
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+1, word for word JV👍🏻
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Is there any evidence that people are trying to jump the queue? Our experience is that there's no way this could possibly be the case! As I indicated in the email from our surgery, in our area there are many folk having their appointments rearranged because they made them, in all good faith, having received the text from our PCN.
It's a frustrating situation all round but what is your evidence for this "selfish" queue jumping?
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Initially is was six months (182 days) but many think six months is 180 days. It did confuse people including our intellectually challenged politicians, so it has been upped to 189 days which gives the staff a little leeway when the six month (180 days) plus one week brigade arrive.
In my opinion the pleading is just a smoke screen. Blame the masses, when the real problem is lack of staff and volunteers to run the centres.
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"In my opinion the pleading is just a smoke screen. Blame the masses, when the real problem is lack of staff and volunteers to run the centres."
I'm not sure why you're so keen to apparently absolve the government of any blame in the current situation, LLM. The "masses" came forward in huge numbers for the original programme; why would those same "masses" not do the same now? It must be very frustrating for all those volunteers like yourself who have kept the system running so successfully, but you're directing your criticism in completely the wrong direction (IMHO).
Edit - how does "lack of staff and volunteers" square with reports this morning that the government is considering reducing the interval to 5 months to speed up the process? More confused messaging.
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I’m not hung up on the-180/182/189 day thing I like the in, out, & home set up plus I'm convinced if the local centres are staffed with Doc’s & health care professionals it’s a far better, safer & speedier experience-another point it’s good to be able to trust our well being to those that have sworn to protect the health of those in their care.
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Got our invitation yesterday and booked online this morning. Absolutely no problem other than if we wanted it done in the next three days, after that there were almost unlimited slots available at our vaccine hub as well as several pharmacies. The location of the hub has changed from the local council owned arena to another, smaller place further into town. This is because the council want to put on their Christmas pantomime at the arena. I wonder who the stars are, or should be
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Sorry, LLM, I think I misunderstood what you meant. I assume now the "pleading" and "blame the masses" you were referring to is that coming from government circles; I had thought you meant those of us "pleading" for appointments. My apologies.
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I hope that wasn’t to me LLM, if it was-get this. . .Those are my thoughts because the 9 days difference mean nothing to me. The professionals who administered my jabs fill a great many of their patients with confidence. I shouldn’t need to justify my posts to anyone as they are my thoughts I put out there. If it wasn’t to me-good. If I have issues with anyone or anything I put their/its name in my post.
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Thanks for that. I wouldn’t have sat down with others at that spacing.
We have just checked our local venues for OH to have his booster. Nothing in our immediate area, so he is going to a pharmacy around seven miles away. We are happy with this as quite able to get out and about, will merely combine it with a dog walk. It’s all rather strange given just how organised things were for first and second jabs around here, and the excellent organisation of flu jabs. Our local NHS is asking for volunteers as well for vaccine centres. Sadly I cannot commit any time as have Mum to care for, but am grateful that others give up their time.
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News article yesterday criticising new Minister for Vaccines.....I was unaware we actually had one, but of course there has been a shuffle around.
Needs to pull her finger out more I think.
https://inews.co.uk/opinion/editor/maggie-throup-the-case-of-the-missing-minister-1262808
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Now our experience is totally different. OH was contacted about getting her booster, at the appropriate time. We phone the given number and ask if I, who had not yet received my booster email, could get mine at the same time. Was told no, just wait and then book both then. Duly received my email, and as we were away in Cornwall at the time, phoned the same number and we were given a date and time at a clinic close to where we were heading. We had also received text and a phone call from our local/home surgery about walk-in clinic for you jab. We contacted the pharmacy attached to the clinic where we were going for our booster and booked our flu jabs there for 15 mins after our booster. On the day we went in together for both jabs and they were completed from arrival to departure within 40 mins. We couldn't have had better service at all.
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Update from here. OH has had an invite from our GP to local jabbing clinic this evening, appointment duly taken up for next Friday, and the one at the pharmacy is now cancelled. So it seems our GP surgery is on the ball with Covid boosters, as well as flu jabs👏👏👏
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I think that is an unfair statement. Because we are constantly being bombarded by Government to make sure we get our booster jabs so people will of course try to book their appointments. If you know your six months, plus one week expires in two weeks time surely the system should allow you to advance book and appointment. It worked perfectly well with the initial vaccine appointments when you were booking first and second jabs at the same time, three months apart. So how come the current system is so inadequate that it can't cope with people booking up to a month ahead. I would have thought it was to the advantage to the NHS to know what the future workload would look like? The powers that be seem to be blaming the public for not booking appointments when there is no facility to do so. AS we have an online system why on earth do we need to send out letters and text to people when the simple thing would be to book online? There will be those that don't have email access but that is obvious to the system form the original booking system.
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Had our third jab two weeks ago. A previous appointment for flu jab was cancelled due to unavailability of vaccine but has now been rescheduled for next Saturday.
What concerns me more than the slightly flaky vaccine roll-outs is the inaction in the face of the escalating figures. Rishi is determined that we don't have another lockdown but little is being done to help prevent it. The "stitch in time" maxim seems unknown in the palace of Westminster.
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