The primary aim is to reduce hospitalisation and death both of which have a very strong age correlation. It might seem a crude way of going about it but the alternative is a confused mess of all the other possible prioritisation factors which no-one will ever agree on. One major (and partly unfair) criticism of the Covid response has been ever changing rules, regulations and advice. I'd prefer to see the process continue to be a managed, published priority list.
I think the pragmatic use of left over vaccine is a good thing but it could turn into an unsafe scramble if it just became a turn-up queue thing.
My OH received his vitamin D tablets through the post yesterday.
My OH still hasn't heard anything about having his vaccine. I phoned our local health centre yesterday and was told they had run out and had only been able to vaccine people 2 days out of the 7 this past week. They are hoping to get some more delivered Monday. Hopefully he will hear in the next few weeks being in the vunerable group.
My second dose is 13 April. I think the West Midlands is doing quite well with the vaccines. I have friends who are working long hours to get it to the people who need it.
A lot of people are questioning why husbands and wives, carers etc can't be vaccinated together, but where do you draw the line? I am in the high risk group, and am hoping to be vaccinated in the next few weeks. My wife is much younger, but has been protecting me, she is not due a vaccine until at least May. Should she get a vaccine when I get mine? Should @Hostafan1 [ young whippersnapper ] get his, when his hubby gets one?
The reason in my case is that if I take my wife to the vaccination centre to have hers which I have to do as she's wheelchair bound and unable to care for herself as I literally do everything cook , clean dress her etc.. and I'm there with hundreds of other people but do not get vaccinated and by misfortune get the virus and end up severely ill or in hospital there's no one to take care of her. We live alone. If I wasn't caring for her she would have to go into a home. How do you deal with all that for someone who cant manage the issues if your laid up in hospital.
The simple expedient of vaccinating us together keeps her safe not just from the virus , but becoming a burden on the state also. If I lived alone I would be more than happy to wait for when my age group comes around to be vaccinated, but by not being vaccinated at the same time it places her at risk in the way that I've described.
If I cant have it at the same time as the wife I've just discovered I can request a home visit for her to have it done at home according to our government website. This at least means I wont be mingling with hundreds of people at the vaccination centre not a place I'm going to attend unless its to get the vaccine, so I think in order to keep her safe and be able to continue to care for her I think this will be my best course of action if we cant have the vaccine at the same time.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
I should make it clear we were invited by the GP we did not just turn up. When they phoned me &I asked about my wife, they asked her date of birth and said ok. At the centre there was a delay, and we then noticed the manager from our practice come along with a big bundle of forms. My comment is just that it's worth asking about a partner when you are being given an appointment, they may say no. It seems from our experience quite a few people don't turn up, they kept calling some names over & over I'm sure that is why we got called when we did.
My SIL works in a hospital and got hers before Christmas at the end of a day when they had some to use up - they just went round the hospital asking staff if they were free to come in. That seems eminently sensible to me - hopefully they'll do the same at the centres and give any 'left over' to the volunteers and staff at the centre.
I read that the pharma companies have changed things a bit though. They apparently originally sold the vials as having 5 doses, but the vaccinators were getting 6 and even 7 doses out of them so there were generally 'spares' at the end of the day. Now they are being sold as having 6 doses, so the extras happen much less often. Apparently - I'm just going by the news reports - no direct experience
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I had to laugh when I called my doctor the other day (about something totally different), the recorded message at the start said "If you are calling about the vaccine, please hang up" Basically don't call us, we'll call you!
@Killi, I had the jab today at a mass vaccination centre. You don't mix with hundreds of people and it was all very efficient. A steady stream of people but there was only one or two people in a queue at any one time, 2 metres apart, everybody masked, lots of sanitising going on . I was in Pad 6 so there might only have been say 12 actual vaccination stations, difficult to tell. I saw a couple of people in wheelchairs. I hope this reassures you, I think it would be very difficult to catch covid under such conditions, oh and the injection didn't hurt at all! Also, as I think Yviestevie mentioned in connection with her family, the doctors liaise with social services so your wife would be looked after in the event of your being unfortunate enough to catch the virus. I gather the NHS are in constant telephone touch with those ill at home.
Posts
My OH still hasn't heard anything about having his vaccine. I phoned our local health centre yesterday and was told they had run out and had only been able to vaccine people 2 days out of the 7 this past week. They are hoping to get some more delivered Monday. Hopefully he will hear in the next few weeks being in the vunerable group.
The simple expedient of vaccinating us together keeps her safe not just from the virus , but becoming a burden on the state also. If I lived alone I would be more than happy to wait for when my age group comes around to be vaccinated, but by not being vaccinated at the same time it places her at risk in the way that I've described.
If I cant have it at the same time as the wife I've just discovered I can request a home visit for her to have it done at home according to our government website. This at least means I wont be mingling with hundreds of people at the vaccination centre not a place I'm going to attend unless its to get the vaccine, so I think in order to keep her safe and be able to continue to care for her I think this will be my best course of action if we cant have the vaccine at the same time.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
I read that the pharma companies have changed things a bit though. They apparently originally sold the vials as having 5 doses, but the vaccinators were getting 6 and even 7 doses out of them so there were generally 'spares' at the end of the day. Now they are being sold as having 6 doses, so the extras happen much less often. Apparently - I'm just going by the news reports - no direct experience
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I hope this reassures you, I think it would be very difficult to catch covid under such conditions, oh and the injection didn't hurt at all!
Also, as I think Yviestevie mentioned in connection with her family, the doctors liaise with social services so your wife would be looked after in the event of your being unfortunate enough to catch the virus. I gather the NHS are in constant telephone touch with those ill at home.