Over 40s will be called for vaccines this month

[LacyEdge]

Reasons to be cheerful, March edition: According to the Telegraph, aka the Tory intranet, 40s vaccination is a couple of weeks away, and right on target: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/01/over-40s-covid-vaccines-rollout-track-begin-month/ (paywall, but the headline says it all)

Good news for those of us in our prime (cough ahem)

[gettingusedtothelimelight]

I'm over 50 and not been called for mine yet 😢

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

57 and not been called yet.

[edwinbear]

I'm Group 6 and not been called, but I can see Group 7 are now eligible to book via the national booking link. I can't understand why they wouldn't open Group 6 up first

[FreakinFrankNFurter]

Maybe I’ll get my over 40s invitations to book for vaccine centre sooner than I will get my group 6 invitation through GP!

[Judashascomeintosomemoney]

Wow! Though of course it’ll be area dependent, we’ve apparently got the highest percentage of over 80s in the UK here so we’re lagging a bit behind some other areas as that group took some time. But, even so, excellent news.

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Isn’t Group 6 meant to be at GP’s?

[mrsknottschicken]

Well, that would be brilliant, if true...

[OliveTree75]

@edwinbear

I'm Group 6 and not been called, but I can see Group 7 are now eligible to book via the national booking link. I can't understand why they wouldn't open Group 6 up first

Isn't group 6 organised by GPs?

[edwinbear]

Group 6 is via the GP, but the roll out seems to be particularly slow for this group. I'd be happy to go to a vaccine centre, they obviously have capacity as they are now onto Group 7.

[ExcusesAndAccusations]

As a fifty something I’m very happy to hear that - I’d quite like to have my first jab with a couple of weeks to spare for the (tentative) 12th April opening up so we can relax a bit more about taking a couple of trips in late April/early May.

[Judashascomeintosomemoney]

@edwinbear

I'm Group 6 and not been called, but I can see Group 7 are now eligible to book via the national booking link. I can't understand why they wouldn't open Group 6 up first

I don’t think they can? Because the criteria for group six has to be collated and checked by GPS with access to full medical records, whereas for the age related groups, all they need is your DOB. Which is why it’s probably a good decision to continue by age group rather than occupation etc, which presumably would have slowed everything down considerably.

[Northernsoulgirl45]

Got to get 50s done first. No one I know in 50s has been called yet. Only over 60s or CV. Won't hold my breath.

[Northernsoulgirl45]

Group 4 dh only fine two weeks ago.

[Didkdt]

For those in group 5&6 have you tried to book online yourself it can be faster than waiting for the GP to call

[ethelredonagoodday]

Several over 60s members of my family haven't had it as yet, and we are supposed to be in an area that's moving quickly!

[Pearl97]

Over 50’s will only take a couple of weeks. They have sent the official letters for over 60’s, but lots have already booked and had the jab.

[RockingMyFiftiesNot]

@ethelredonagoodday

Several over 60s members of my family haven't had it as yet, and we are supposed to be in an area that's moving quickly!

Have they tried booking via website? I understand you don't need to wait for a letter to book online if you're over 60

[MarsandPluto]

People I know who are over 50 haven't been called yet

[CeeJay81]

I am having mine on Friday as group 6, thought I'd just be in the over 40s getting it in May. I'm not 40 till end of this the month. Here they are just starting on 60-65, can't imagine them getting down to the over 40s that soon. Putting me in group 6 means I'm having to have AZ though as we are being done at the docs. They are doing the age groups at the vaccination centre a long way from here. So I don't know if I'm lucky or not what with AZ maybe not working against the variants as well.

[CavernousScream]

I suspect many people in their 40s and in group 6 will end up getting their invitation via the national booking system (as part of group 10 and 11) before they get their GP invite as part of group 6. The group 6 roll out is so much slower than the others. Not creating a system for group 6 people to access the vaccine hubs isn’t ideal.

[WombatChocolate]

It's the 1st of month and saying 40s will start being invited this month means by 31st.

This is over 4 weeks away and given the massive upswing in vaccines about to be offered, it wouldn't be surprising if many areas have finished groups 5-9 in the next 5 weeks.

Currently over 60s can book on national site (group 7) and group 6 are being called by GPs. It takes a while as there are far more in Group 6. There are 2 concurrent systems..age based via national system, along side Group 6 via GP local hubs.

Even within this week, we are likely to move onto group 8.

It isn't inconceivable at all that they can whizz through 50s and be onto 40s, when over 2.5 million have been done each week and the expectation is for a big upswing.

If you know someone 60+ who hasn't booked (not group 6) then tell them, they don't need to wait for a letter and to get int he website and book and take an appointment sooner rather than later. If people get in the site as soon as their age group is eligible and take the appointments offered there, it allows GPs to speed faster through Group 6 and later age groups to get done sooner.

The things slowing it now are people not going on and booking and people deciding they don't want the locations offered by the national site. These age groups really just need to get on with it now and there should be less delay as we move down through age groups as less complications about things like travel.

[CavernousScream]

@ethelredonagoodday Your family members can book their vaccine now:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

[ArseInTheCoOpWindow]

Is this just the Telegraph talking shite again?

[TheFiend]

Dh and I are 41 and have been called already. We live in a high BAME area and a lot of people are refusing the jab, so we’re a bit ahead of some places.

[OldRailer]

I think it could happen as vaccine supply opens up and the big hubs know how to put through the volume now.