Covid - news and views
Comments
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Thanks for confirming that Kj.
My arms aren't to bad unless I touch the injection site.
OH just had a call from our surgery to invite him for his Flu jab
seemed surprised when he said we had them yesterday along with the booster.I know they are busy but we informed them before going away that we would not be back until Nov. they said they would put a note on our records. They then phoned us while away to invite for flu jabs, we explained we were away and had informed them.
They then said oh you will have missed our clinics, you will have to go to the vaccination centre for them along with the booster.
The letters for invite of Booster were sent to the house but we checked our NHS account and could see we had been invited. Rang the number to rearrange them for this week along with flu jab.
When getting jab the jabber enters all this information on the system yet it seems our GP can't see it, I've heard of slow systems but that takes the biscuit.
Now got to get OH his Shingles jab sorted.
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Also got a text today, although it seemed a fairly general one, not sent to me by name. I found that the covid vaccination status on the NHS App didn’t show the jab I had yesterday. However, my GP medical record on the same App did. Perhaps it’s because the vaccination status is used to generate your covid pass and currently that only requires two jabs. Hopefully if they change that, it will pick up on the third one from my medical record.
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I was told yesterday by the expert Jabber that they don't have any AZ vaccines in Wales so I couldn't have had it if I wanted it. I didn't mind as I've always read that the best thing for the immune system is to have a different booster to the first vaccines.
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We’ve both had 3 Pfizer jabs. One assumes ‘they’ know what they are doing???? Just glad to have had it done and hope it works. We are amazed to hear of so many people, friends and acquaintances, are getting Covid just now (all double jabbed as well), we seem to be hearing something every day from many places in the country. Scary!!
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I see the new Vaccine minister is saying that the reason for low take up is due to the demand rather than the supply issues.
Different minister same old story. Blame the Public. Seems there is plenty of people willing to have it from the anecdotal evidence I've heard and read. How many members on here have had problems getting an appointment? Quite a few it would seem.
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That is just why I wrote to our MP Grant Shapps telling him to tell Boris to stop blaming the population for the slow take up and if they checked the NHS website before spouting off ,they would see where the problem is
Ps not had a reply ,I wonder why
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I believe that only 2 options are being used for boosters - pfizer or moderna - Mrs M had AZ originally and pfizer for her booster, I had pfizer originally and am getting the booster on Saturday. I shall be (mildly) interested in which variety I get, but to me, the overwhelmingly important factor is to get it done.
Edit - just looked at the BHF website which says AZ has been approved as a booster but only if it's been given for original jabs.
Agree with W above, there's an awful lot of blame being dished out on Joe Public at the moment when, in fact, the system, so brilliant originally, seems to have come off the rails slightly. Having eventually been able to make an appointment earlier this week, today I got a text inviting me to apply! "Left hand, right hand syndrome"!
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How many members on here have had problems getting an appointment? Quite a few it would seem.
I can't say I've had any problems at all. It was exactly 6 months to the day last Tuesday since my 2nd jab; I did check before that day, but the website kept telling me I wasn't eligible to book yet, which I suppose was fair enough as I hadn't reached the 6 month milestone yet.
When I checked on Tuesday afternoon the website told me I could book my booster, which I did. A choice of about 10 venues, I opted for the closest, which is the local hospital. It became clear that appointments were being cancelled all the time; initially the earliest date was the 21st of November, then one day next week came up; that went and a different day next week became available (I couldn't attend either of those). But 3rd time lucky, and a slot became available for this Saturday afternoon, so I chose that.
It does sound like some people are experiencing problems though from what I've read.
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Going on what we saw yesterday there doesn't seem to be a lack of willing people wanting the booster jab.
There was 2 channels to enter the building 1 for appointments and 1 for walk ins, that line was empty. The ice rink in which we had our jabs was well laid out and a very efficient system was in operation, very slick. If they are working at that pace the whole time no wonder they are seeing burn out. It was a constant stream of people, each took no more than 5 minutes to jab once in the seat.
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Certainly a lot of us oldies at our vaccination centre!
The system used up here, and in Wales(?) of sending out appointments, with the option to rearrange, seems to be working pretty well, other than when those without appointments put a spanner in the works.
Is it the case, in England, that asking people to arrange their own booster appointments may be too complicated? What do those who are not on line do?
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Did the same thing with my MP, again no reply but perhaps the message has got through as they seem to have changed the message, allowing people to turn up at a walk in centre providing it was six months since their last jab. Margaret still hasn't had any communication from the NHS regarding her booster!
David
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Is it the case, in England, that asking people to arrange their own booster appointments may be too complicated? What do those who are not on line do?
In England you either get a message from your GP or the NHS. In our case a text message from the GP and an email from the NHS. So you either contact the GP or book via the NHS website; if you have no internet, I presume you get a letter? Although I know of people who have internet also getting letters. You can also ring 119 and make an appointment that way.
What I can't understand though is why there seem to be problems making appointments for boosters, yet when people had to book their 1st and 2nd dose, there were no problems, at least not that I read or heard about at the time. In fact, people were being jabbed at an enormous rate every week. The system for booking was exactly the same; so are there less venues available now, less appointments overall?
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The system for booking was exactly the same;
Not quite. For the first two we used a site called Swift Queue. This time it was the NHS’s own web site. Also the first time we were sent letters when we were eligible to book, those had a bar code that you took along to your appointment. They scanned it and it put them straight into your records. This time after putting our NHS number and DOB into the booking site we got a reference number, which did the same when we gave it to them on arrival.
Although different everything seemed to work OK, it let me book at the first time of asking at 184 days. The only odd thing was the tick boxes. I ticked car parking required and the sites it listed didn’t have availability for two weeks. When I unticked that requirement, it listed the place we went to for our first two jabs, with availability next day. It has parking, although a 100 metre walk away. There was a second box for disabled parking, which I did not tick. Although if I had it would have probably listed it, as it has that on site.
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Whilst we have seen a bit of a reduction in the case rate in recent days, there does seem to be an increase in the mortality figures and a steady rise in hospitalisations. Is this Covid weeding out the unvaccinated or are we all getting a bit blasè? At current rates we are looking at a death toll of 150K before the end of the year.
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Not quite. For the first two we used a site called Swift Queue.
For me it was exactly the same, I used the NHS website for my first 2 doses, just like I did now for my booster. I had never heard of Swift Queue until I read it in your post, SteveL. Every day is a learning day
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Herts CC are requesting all those dropping off and picking up their children from school to wear face coverings to try to keep infection rates down , as it seems the schools are now seeing a rise in infection rates again , and some schools have reintroduced face coverings inside
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Even two jabs and a booster doesn’t give immortality. I have an 80 year old Aunt, she’s just come out of hospital after (somehow, she has been nowhere🤷♀️) getting Covid, touch and go, but she’s still alive. Life changing though, she cannot look after herself anymore, it’s accelerated her dementia problems. 😢
Rates are very slowly coming down round here. However, fully expecting them to rocket skywards after Christmas again.
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A story for you TDA-it’s convoluted but it makes sense of the-‘got Covid but been nowhere’ thing. My brother got Covid, self isolated. Elderly neighbour took a fall, sis in law regularly looked in & saw her laid badly, she let herself in without thinking in a panic then called 999. When it was over elderly neighbour new nothing of the fall but she came out of hospital with Covid. Her Daughter who moved in with her Mum knew nothing of my sis in laws interaction so raised a complaint with the Hospital thinking her Mum got Covid in the Hospital which the Hospital strongly denied due to the elderly neighbour being isolated & found to have Covid when she arrived. It wasn’t until my sis in law talked over the fence to elderly neighbours Daughter that it was realised that my Bro gave his wife Covid who then passed it on to neighbour whilst on her mercy mission. To this day the elderly neighbour can’t understand how she got Covid because she hadn’t seen anyone(without a mask) she won’t accept she even ended up in hospital.
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My MP actually replied to my email. He was just confirming what we all know but at least I got a reply. I did answer it thanking him for his interest and informing him that both Margaret and I, under our own steam, arranged ourselves to have the boosters.
David
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Sounds similar Rocky, we have no idea how she got it, but it just shows how, despite being very careful, it’s easy to get it. It’s going to be life changing now for her, and her two lovely children and their families.
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The boundaries on when to book seem to have changed. I've just managed to book my booster and it will happen a week before the 6 month time frame.
Colin
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Indeed it was, but eventually had my booster today - 184 days since 2nd jab. I could have got in a few days earlier.
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The criteria for jabs and boosters seem to be changing on an almost daily basis.
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The BBC says https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59181370 that, in England, you can now book your booster a month in advance of your six month anniversary. This was basically what I said to my MP when I wrote. I very much doubt my email had any influence but clearly there have been many others saying the same thing.
David
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The complaints of people that were unable to accept that six months meant a minimum of 182 or 183 days to the computer depending whether you counted the day that you had your second injection as day zero or day one may have had some effect. But, allowing people to book up to one month in advance enables each centre to plan it's work load more effectively and that has been a big reason for making the change.
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