To wonder if lack of covid boosters this Autumn is government cost cutting

Me and DH are booked in for both flu and Covid at the GP surgery on Saturday so I don’t know if they will give us both. We are in our 50’s and DH works for the ambulance service so don’t know if he will get his Covid this year. He qualifies for the flu for other reasons. They might give me the Covid one as I’m on immunosuppressants, but I’m not sure I qualify.

I have a flu jab booked for next week, it offered to add Covid onto the booking (I said no as I often get unwell). I’m 50 with no health issues.

DH had one on Saturday, he popped into the pharmacy and asked if they were doing them and they just gave him one (he does have health issues but they didn’t ask).
I had covid last year and it was awful, I had to cancel my covid jab as I was ill with it at the time.

I had a long explanation of why the flu jab is necessary in pregnancy and all the complications the flu can cause for pregnant women and their babies. But no mention of COVID.

You might actually be refused it when you turn up…happening a lot in our area and pharmacies have got signs on their doors saying the equivalent of please don’t take it out on them!

Also I may be showing scientific ignorance here but are they working on improving the vaccine? Or is it as good as it gets? It’s understandable with potentially loads of unpleasant side effects that will put people off. Or is that how it has to be?

Ah makes sense with the population size.

I asked my GP about paying privately for the vaccine, as I tend to get awful coughs with Covid and have had it so many times. But she said they are not recommending anyone gets it, other than the very elderly, because of side effects.

Covid hands down. Every covid infection doubles your risk of a heart attack or stroke in all age groups regardless of whether you are obese or not.
Makes no sense from a long term population health perspective not to offer it.

Problem is that the JCVI chose not to look at the long term effects just the short term ones. That was a deliberate decision.

What's your suggestion for the 'can't wear a mask' people then, if mask wearing is to be mandatory?
Am remembering the joys of 'help your vulnerable neighbours' during covid, which led to many doing shopping etc for those who felt they couldn't leave the house, but then got the jab in the first flow of vaccinations, who then forgot how helpful people had been, and quickly turned into 'keep unvaccinated germ spreading, grubby children locked inside now I can go shopping again!!' And the threads on here,one of which I always hoped was a troll stating an 8 yo who'd tested positive should be locked in her room for the 8? days, with no family contact at all.

Probably a miscoding error. The reception staff will be uninterested because as long as you have a code to receive the vaccine the practice will receive a dose and payment for you to have it, so they’ll happily book you in.

The clinician you see may be confused lol.

As I said in my previous post, I am 71 (was 71 in June) and have no health problems and yet am having the jab on Friday.

I queried it with the surgery as I assume it has to be a mistake and they were not interested.

I’m not immunosuppressed. Immune compromised yes, which is perhaps the qualifier in my case. I can’t understand why people with heart conditions etc no longer qualify. That makes no sense to me at all.

It’s not. It’s either an error, or her DS has a condition causing severe immune suppression.

The only criteria for receiving a covid vaccine this winter are being 75 or over (or turning 75 by 31/01/26), living in a care or nursing home, or being SEVERELY immunocompromised as per the section in the Green Book.

New Zealand.

Thats great. Where do you live?

It’s very different when you have to be in a school, hospital, office etc. Very easy if you work from home, but then people who do that are less likely to catch it. If you work with vulnerable people you have an ethical duty to think of them.
And it’s not just like a cold. I get those a lot working in schools, covid is far worse.

That's terrible, and surely it would be cheaper to vaccinate you than have you hospitalised and off work.

Where I live anyone 30 and over is entitled to a free vaccine.

I would usually say no but having just been hospitalised after the new strain, it’s likely we are in for a really rough winter so I agree op. I am healthy and not old. It is a real worry.

If it's truly cost cutting, what would you rather have: WLI or covid jab?
Sadly there isn't a limited pot of cash at the end of the rainbow NHS.

Yes of course I know you can buy tests, but ime nobody is really bothering.

Agree OP. I was previously eligible and now no longer am, but I have an auto immune disease so if I get it I could be really ill. I’ll also have a new baby to look after and don’t want to be too ill to nurse the baby.

I’ll have to travel to our nearest big city and pay the £100. Infuriating.

You believe immunocompromised people are inadequate?

What an odd dogwhistle.

Because some parents test themselves and their kids. And they all have very similar symptoms and they come to the Medical Room because they start feeling rubbish. So then I start getting the same symptoms and need to spend a couple of days at home. I do a test, to protect my elderly Father. And surprise surprise it’s positive. Pupils test positive and still come to school. Were you not aware you can buy tests????

I don't see how you can know that people have had Covid. Has anybody actually tested?

Schools are an absolute breeding ground for germs at this time of year, but I don't think one could claim it's definitely Covid.