I have had the "Are you willing to have the vaccine?" call from the doctor. I said a resounding "Yes!" and the district nurse will, apparently, be in touch in the next couple of weeks. MrD is a bit miffed that he hasn't been phoned, but I assume my cancer of a few years back may have edged me in front of him a little.
As my brother suggested, we may be the two people in France willing to have the vaccine!! The take up here has been surprisingly low.
Yes, I’d heard that was the case. Must ask my friend there if she and hubby have taken it up.
Like a certain Ms D Ross, “I’m Still Waiting.” Slightly miffed, too, that Mr M had an unexpected phone call from the surgery on Monday afternoon, (they had some spare vaccine), offering him a shot, and within an hour or so, he was perforated! Apparently this was on account of him having had some minor cardiac testing once years ago. He’s got his second jab booked for mid May.
Especially since the age group just above ours is being shovelled off to various of the national centres, which is going to be a right royal pain as we’ve no car at the moment.
It was 65 yesterday, it’s 64 today. One more year down and I can book!
Boogie, thanks; hadn’t realised that’s how it works. I’d assumed you had to wait for a letter, text or phone call before you were eligible. Plus I hear word from another site that some folk below 64 are now finding it possible to book. I’ll be checking back daily now.
Ooh, ooh, I qualify as a carer. Now will that be recorded anywhere? I would seriously like a jab before starting to lead youth work and Guides face-to-face again.
The offspring should probably have qualified for shielding on this wave as taking immunosuppressants (Montelukast) and antihistamines (Fexofenadine) at the highest possible dose, but no-one seems to have noticed. She missed qualifying for the first wave as we got her off Prednisolone before the pandemic. Not that we're sorry about that.
We've been having a bit of a to-do with conversations over booking for the vaccine over the past couple of days. A friend let us know that the website was letting you book if you were over 60 and, indeed, when Mr Nen (aged 60) tried it appeared he would be allowed to book an appointment. We know people who are in greater need than us, so it doesn't seem fair to jump the queue, but I know some people are. We consulted a nurse friend who said you are supposed to wait for a letter and it may be some glitch in the system, and she was not sure what would happen if you did turn up at one of the big centres (that's the only option you get if you book online, you can't get your local surgery) and weren't eligible, although I find it hard to believe they'd turn you away.
We're keen to get the vaccine ASAP but want to do the right thing as well.
@Curiosity killed The website says you can book a jab if you qualify for the carer's allowance... I don't know whether you get that and whether you'd be asked to prove it.
We've been having a bit of a to-do with conversations over booking for the vaccine over the past couple of days. A friend let us know that the website was letting you book if you were over 60 and, indeed, when Mr Nen (aged 60) tried it appeared he would be allowed to book an appointment. We know people who are in greater need than us, so it doesn't seem fair to jump the queue, but I know some people are. We consulted a nurse friend who said you are supposed to wait for a letter and it may be some glitch in the system, and she was not sure what would happen if you did turn up at one of the big centres (that's the only option you get if you book online, you can't get your local surgery) and weren't eligible, although I find it hard to believe they'd turn you away.
We're keen to get the vaccine ASAP but want to do the right thing as well.
@Curiosity killed The website says you can book a jab if you qualify for the carer's allowance... I don't know whether you get that and whether you'd be asked to prove it.
@Nenya, this is puzzling, isn’t it? I’m 61, rising 62 and am wondering whether to try the NHS site or not. (I’m not eligible for the surgery) Can’t find the source now - could have sworn I saw something online saying fhey’re about to start on the 60+ on March 2, so you would have thought bookings would be open by now. I’m wondering what to do now.
We aren't sure what to do either. I'm just 61, Mr Nen is 61 next week. We haven't had letters yet and don't qualify to apply for any of the listed reasons. But we know people under 64 who have successfully booked their tests and, as I said, I can't believe the centres would turn people away.
I don't know @Piglet . . Mr Nen and I have been digging around on the Net for the past day or so and he read something that seemed to say once the letters for the next batch of eligible people are being prepared it seems to release their NHS numbers so that they can book an appointment on the system at one of the centres, a kind of glitch really. There are notices on the website about who is invited to book and I guess they're relying on people not to book if they don't qualify. Our nurse friend said she is not sure what happens if you turn up at a centre with an appointment but don't fit the criteria... it will be interesting to hear people's experiences... as I said, I can't believe they'd turn people away...
Well, let’s see how we both get on next week, then. It’s all rather confusing, though I’d have thought that tech glitches should be the responsibility of the web designers and the NHS, not the service users.
Well, let’s see how we both get on next week, then. It’s all rather confusing, though I’d have thought that tech glitches should be the responsibility of the web designers and the NHS, not the service users.
I agree - it shouldn't be difficult to block the NHS numbers until the letters go out. It definitely is confusing; in fact it's doing my head in and I need to think about something else. Unfortunately the other thing my head keeps going to is also virus-related - my son has a cough and is getting a test tomorrow.
Two of my friends are nurses doing the vaccinations. The one I’ve booked is at a big centre - all the online ones are. They have plenty of capacity as people would often rather not travel.
People like us, who have booked online, are still likely to get a letter but will just need to let the GP know we’ve already been ‘done’. 🙂
Daughter-in-law vaccinated today. Under 50, but a carer. She has long-covid, having had Covid 19 last March,so I'm a bit worried about side-effects - I've heard that already having antibodies can make reaction to the vaccination worse.
Excited about todays news that people with learning disabilities can now book for the vaccine - GP has so far been refusing it for our 19yr old grandson. Well done Jo Whiley!
We’ve actually had a stadium venue open up 20 miles down the road this week and it’s expected that the remaining 65+s and we Group 7s will travel to that whilst our local, large and gp led place concentrates on Group 6. *To date us not as oldie oldies have been using a slightly closer venue, which isn’t that easy to reach if you haven’t transport, (as is the case with us at present). We’re free to say we’ll wait until a gp place comes free, but have been warned that it’ll take much longer to get one. That was why I’m so pleased to have booked a pharmacy place fractionally nearer and by a station.
Interesting to read that comment in your link by the lady in Goup 6 who was still waiting and who’d have been willing to go to the stadium if she’d had transport. This group is huge and from reading local S media, having two systems running, in effect, is causing a lot of confusion.
*Depending on your location not brilliant to get to, though it would have been my day’s exercise covered nicely. Alternatively, the local rail co has laid on extra trains to the venue.
We've got three local vaccination centres in use - the hospital, a large council owned hall situated between the bus station and a large health centre, and a smaller community/sports hall which is also close to the town centre and I'm not sure why it's there when they could have used several similar venues in town rather than pick one half a mile from another venue (though I live practically on top of it, so for me that would be very convenient when I get called - though even the hospital is in walking distance). We don't seem to be using very big centres which need a car to get to - the closest to that would be the NHS Louisa Jordan built in the SECC to provide capacity (not used) for extra covid patients last year now a vaccination centre, which is readily accessible by public transport.
The local vaccination centre here is in the large community centre near us, being run by our GP surgery which is in the same building. I gather that the main vaccination centre is in the old BHS vacant store in one of the shopping centres in town.
The vaccination drive here includes sorting out transport for those who have none. I don't know the details, but I know that drivers are being recruited.
My mum got her jab at the local hospital, which would normally be a short bus ride. A neighbour (who's also been helping get groceries and stuff as well) drove her over and waited 'til all was done to bring her back. She (the neighbour) is well and truly at the point where we need to find out what her favourite tipple is so we can get her some good stuff of it to say thank you for all she's done.
Ooh, ooh, I qualify as a carer. Now will that be recorded anywhere? I would seriously like a jab before starting to lead youth work and Guides face-to-face again.
The offspring should probably have qualified for shielding on this wave as taking immunosuppressants (Montelukast) and antihistamines (Fexofenadine) at the highest possible dose, but no-one seems to have noticed. She missed qualifying for the first wave as we got her off Prednisolone before the pandemic. Not that we're sorry about that.
I take both of those too and it was never suggested that I should shield either... Good job I have now had my jab anyway...
Not only qualify, booked - because having got this far, I'm reluctant to go back to face-to-face youth work and Guides without a jab. Have had the conversation with both organisations in the last couple of days, to agreement, then booked myself in. I will have had one jab in time to go back after Easter, which I suspect will be when we'll be allowed / expected to return.
Last year the club cricket season didn't start till July but my club had a 10 game season for both teams without difficulty. Most league umpires are elderly but 90% of them turned out to officiate. This year we will play for 22 Saturdays starting on 17th April plus Sundays and midweek.
I just got my first Pfizer shot through my Medicare HMO this afternoon. Huzzah! And they already have me booked for jab 2 in twenty-one days. I'm a little sore, but the shot itself was the easiest I've had in twenty years. I didn't know that she had finished until she told me. Of course, I fortified myself with some ibuprofen before I got there because I know I'm a wuss.
Last year the club cricket season didn't start till July but my club had a 10 game season for both teams without difficulty. Most league umpires are elderly but 90% of them turned out to officiate. This year we will play for 22 Saturdays starting on 17th April plus Sundays and midweek.
I find this all to be very encouraging.
Those dates aren't fixed, don't forget. There are already concerns that the fall in rates have plateaued (Zoe study findings, which tend to be a week or so ahead of the ONS and other results), before we send pupils back to school. If we have a significant rise in Covid19 infection rates following the return of schools all the proposed dates should and, according to the Government announcements, will get put back. Nor have the NYA agreed any youth work actions at any levels. That's coming next week.
None of the planning I'm involved in to get youth work back to face-to-face has fixed dates. We are continuing online until after Easter, reviewing then. The 29 March date is the start of the Easter school holidays here and the 12 April is as schools return. We are not convinced we will be returning after Easter this far in advance.
As a distraction from the slow roll-out of vaccines and looming third surge here in South Africa, the government renamed three South African cities and towns this last week, all in the Eastern Cape and now given Xhosa names.
Port Elizabeth became Gqeberha, King Williams Town became Qonce and Maclear became Nqanqarhu. Then everyone sat around laughing at how non-Xhosa-speakers struggled to pronounce the names, so a video went viral using Miriam Makeba's Click Song to help as a guide. It's very catchy and now the names are being sung out all over the country!
Catchy, indeed - and what a wonderfully euphonious set of names! Are there more to follow?
ION, I received Jab The First (Astra-Zeneca) at a small community centre, about 4 miles away, in what is a rather isolated 1960s estate development halfway from nowhere in particular to somewhere on the edge of the world...it's actually not far from the marshes which are said to have given Charles Dickens the inspiration for the first chapter of Great Expectations
Full marks to the NHS, its staff, and the cheerful volunteers organising the centre!
My appointment was at 12 noon.
I parked the car in a disabled-person's bay, close to the door, at 1137am.
I was in, Jabbed, and out again by 1152am.
No, I am NOT going to write a nice *Thank You* letter to the Prime Minister, coz ISTM that he has no right to arrogate the success of the vaccination programme for himself.
The fact that such fine progress is being made DESPITE the years and years of cutbacks is a credit to the NHS, and a shame and a hissing to the *government*.
No side-effects yet (since you ask), but I am prepared for the necessity of Staying At Home for the weekend, just in case...
Unexpected (Pfizer) jab @ work on 24 Feb. Along with 5 others I ( after online registration) was marched off to check in and after jumping through multiple hoops was jabbed and back to work after 30 min mandatory recovery ( hard chair).
Our very small clinic ( less than 20 staff) had been offered 6 spots on Day 3 of mass immunisation in the local area health district) so as the clinic 65+ person I was on the list. All very efficient and from what I hear 5500 jabs over 3 local health districts in Sinny which works out at 600+ jabs per day each for Central, Western and SW Sydney areas.
Not just area health staff; also saw multiple police & ambulance officers in the queue.
Very grateful to have that done so soon and the marshals, admin and nursing/ medical staff did a fantastic job at keeping it all moving. Those would be 10 hour days-exhausting!
As a distraction from the slow roll-out of vaccines and looming third surge here in South Africa, the government renamed three South African cities and towns this last week, all in the Eastern Cape and now given Xhosa names.
Port Elizabeth became Gqeberha, King Williams Town became Qonce and Maclear became Nqanqarhu. Then everyone sat around laughing at how non-Xhosa-speakers struggled to pronounce the names, so a video went viral using Miriam Makeba's Click Song to help as a guide. It's very catchy and now the names are being sung out all over the country!
I love it. When I studied phonetics we praticed different clicks, but didn't have a lot to practice on. These names are delish.
. I parked the car in a disabled-person's bay, close to the door, at 1137am.
I was in, Jabbed, and out again by 1152am..
They had me wait for fifteen minutes after the shot to make sure I didn't have a reaction.
I was advised to sit in the car for 15 minutes before driving off...there wasn't a great deal of room for post-Jab waiting in the community centre itself.
Comments
Yes, I’d heard that was the case. Must ask my friend there if she and hubby have taken it up.
Like a certain Ms D Ross, “I’m Still Waiting.” Slightly miffed, too, that Mr M had an unexpected phone call from the surgery on Monday afternoon, (they had some spare vaccine), offering him a shot, and within an hour or so, he was perforated! Apparently this was on account of him having had some minor cardiac testing once years ago. He’s got his second jab booked for mid May.
Especially since the age group just above ours is being shovelled off to various of the national centres, which is going to be a right royal pain as we’ve no car at the moment.
I have several coifs (Tudor head coverings) and could make you one!
Same here, having just taken the scissors to my fringe. Definitely not my best effort.
Boogie, thanks; hadn’t realised that’s how it works. I’d assumed you had to wait for a letter, text or phone call before you were eligible. Plus I hear word from another site that some folk below 64 are now finding it possible to book. I’ll be checking back daily now.
Oh the excitement!
A 19 year old man in Arizona allegedly staged his own kidnapping so he wouldn't have to work. (I presume this has to do with the pandemic.)
I used the website @Boogie linked to - very quick and easy!
The offspring should probably have qualified for shielding on this wave as taking immunosuppressants (Montelukast) and antihistamines (Fexofenadine) at the highest possible dose, but no-one seems to have noticed. She missed qualifying for the first wave as we got her off Prednisolone before the pandemic. Not that we're sorry about that.
We're keen to get the vaccine ASAP but want to do the right thing as well.
@Curiosity killed The website says you can book a jab if you qualify for the carer's allowance... I don't know whether you get that and whether you'd be asked to prove it.
@Nenya, this is puzzling, isn’t it? I’m 61, rising 62 and am wondering whether to try the NHS site or not. (I’m not eligible for the surgery) Can’t find the source now - could have sworn I saw something online saying fhey’re about to start on the 60+ on March 2, so you would have thought bookings would be open by now. I’m wondering what to do now.
We aren't sure what to do either. I'm just 61, Mr Nen is 61 next week. We haven't had letters yet and don't qualify to apply for any of the listed reasons. But we know people under 64 who have successfully booked their tests and, as I said, I can't believe the centres would turn people away.
No, we just booked online.
https://tinyurl.com/484uxvr9
Wahey! Booked for next Wednesday, plus 2nd dose in May. Thanks, @Boogie.
People like us, who have booked online, are still likely to get a letter but will just need to let the GP know we’ve already been ‘done’. 🙂
Hope your son is OK @Nenya 🕯
Excited about todays news that people with learning disabilities can now book for the vaccine - GP has so far been refusing it for our 19yr old grandson. Well done Jo Whiley!
We’ve actually had a stadium venue open up 20 miles down the road this week and it’s expected that the remaining 65+s and we Group 7s will travel to that whilst our local, large and gp led place concentrates on Group 6. *To date us not as oldie oldies have been using a slightly closer venue, which isn’t that easy to reach if you haven’t transport, (as is the case with us at present). We’re free to say we’ll wait until a gp place comes free, but have been warned that it’ll take much longer to get one. That was why I’m so pleased to have booked a pharmacy place fractionally nearer and by a station.
Interesting to read that comment in your link by the lady in Goup 6 who was still waiting and who’d have been willing to go to the stadium if she’d had transport. This group is huge and from reading local S media, having two systems running, in effect, is causing a lot of confusion.
*Depending on your location not brilliant to get to, though it would have been my day’s exercise covered nicely. Alternatively, the local rail co has laid on extra trains to the venue.
I take both of those too and it was never suggested that I should shield either... Good job I have now had my jab anyway...
I find this all to be very encouraging.
Whoops.
Those dates aren't fixed, don't forget. There are already concerns that the fall in rates have plateaued (Zoe study findings, which tend to be a week or so ahead of the ONS and other results), before we send pupils back to school. If we have a significant rise in Covid19 infection rates following the return of schools all the proposed dates should and, according to the Government announcements, will get put back. Nor have the NYA agreed any youth work actions at any levels. That's coming next week.
None of the planning I'm involved in to get youth work back to face-to-face has fixed dates. We are continuing online until after Easter, reviewing then. The 29 March date is the start of the Easter school holidays here and the 12 April is as schools return. We are not convinced we will be returning after Easter this far in advance.
Port Elizabeth became Gqeberha, King Williams Town became Qonce and Maclear became Nqanqarhu. Then everyone sat around laughing at how non-Xhosa-speakers struggled to pronounce the names, so a video went viral using Miriam Makeba's Click Song to help as a guide. It's very catchy and now the names are being sung out all over the country!
Catchy, indeed - and what a wonderfully euphonious set of names! Are there more to follow?
ION, I received Jab The First (Astra-Zeneca) at a small community centre, about 4 miles away, in what is a rather isolated 1960s estate development halfway from nowhere in particular to somewhere on the edge of the world...it's actually not far from the marshes which are said to have given Charles Dickens the inspiration for the first chapter of Great Expectations
Full marks to the NHS, its staff, and the cheerful volunteers organising the centre!
My appointment was at 12 noon.
I parked the car in a disabled-person's bay, close to the door, at 1137am.
I was in, Jabbed, and out again by 1152am.
No, I am NOT going to write a nice *Thank You* letter to the Prime Minister, coz ISTM that he has no right to arrogate the success of the vaccination programme for himself.
The fact that such fine progress is being made DESPITE the years and years of cutbacks is a credit to the NHS, and a shame and a hissing to the *government*.
No side-effects yet (since you ask), but I am prepared for the necessity of Staying At Home for the weekend, just in case...
Our very small clinic ( less than 20 staff) had been offered 6 spots on Day 3 of mass immunisation in the local area health district) so as the clinic 65+ person I was on the list. All very efficient and from what I hear 5500 jabs over 3 local health districts in Sinny which works out at 600+ jabs per day each for Central, Western and SW Sydney areas.
Not just area health staff; also saw multiple police & ambulance officers in the queue.
Very grateful to have that done so soon and the marshals, admin and nursing/ medical staff did a fantastic job at keeping it all moving. Those would be 10 hour days-exhausting!
I love it. When I studied phonetics we praticed different clicks, but didn't have a lot to practice on. These names are delish.
They had me wait for fifteen minutes after the shot to make sure I didn't have a reaction.
I was advised to sit in the car for 15 minutes before driving off...there wasn't a great deal of room for post-Jab waiting in the community centre itself.