I feel envy at mate with no clinical vulnerabilities called for covid jab

[priorityconfusion]

She is on the shielding list because of autism and her mental health, but doesn't shield. Called to say her vaccine is next week. We don't live in the same place anymore but I'm in group 6 and won't have my vaccine for a long time. I'm not shielding as I don't need to, but apart from one very stressful trip to an ill family member who needed me, am very cautious and limiting trips out to medical appointments and groceries like most people with my condition because we are over represented in the hospital admissions and deaths.

Logically I'm glad that she is getting vaccinated because the more needles in arms the better and she is out and about a lot on trains and having takeaway coffees and cake outside (within guidelines so that's all good, that's not the point) so hopefully this means she won't get it and transmit it.

But I am a little envious. I want her to be vaccinated but I want it too. And also think somebody like a shop assistant with a clinical vulnerability should be higher up the priority list, to be blunt.

I know I'm being a dick, slap some sense into me here.

Ha yes the arms. What’s with all the arms? It’s going into arms everywhere.

@Paapa

As an aside, does anyone else feel weirdly creeped out by phrases involving 'jabs' and 'arms'...?

'We need to get as many jabs in arms as possible.'
'So far we've got almost 5 million jabs into arms'.
'Cecile got her jab into her arm today'

Jabs isn't used alone any more. Always with the arm there.
Why?!

Least it is arm not bum

OP, if she has been offered the vaccine ,she has something else .I am also in Group 6 and waiting for mine .You don't need to be envy of her , poor she must have something more .Be kind

I stayed in my flat for 12 weeks at the start of the pandemic on advice of my doctors.

The whole family stayed in from early march to early July. On account of DS, who is CEV as agreed by consultant. But not entitled to jab as things stand as under 16 (although were working on it) DS himelf was forced into homeschooling long term in September because doctors "weren't allowed" to go against government guidelines that all kids should be in school. DD has been home since November (at the risk of fining) to protect DS.

Everyone has suffered somehow.

Whatever collectively we have been through. I can still find it in my heart to feel nothing but relief for each an everybody who gets the jab.

We all benefit from one less hospital bed being occupied.

Ha yes imagine if it was all about bums. “This is all about arses- thousands of arses- millions even”

@Hazelnutlatteplease I did acknowledge how difficult things are for so many folk. I really hope they approve a vaccine for under 16s as soon as possible.

I'm not sure what the very latest updates are on it but last week I think I read something promising about the Oxford one for under 16s?

I know of someone else who is on the shielding list solely because of autism. When a relative rang the doctors to query it as they are an other wise very healthy 20 something, they said it was due to the fact autistic people may struggle to understand the need for social distancing etc. Ironically, their particular form of autism manifests itself in a complete reluctance to have physical contact with others.

This is not true

@FellWanderer I think the doctors were pretty much left to interpret the guidance in their own way and some may have been more cautious than others.

I'm getting my vaccine tomorrow because I'm classed as CEV. I shielded to start with, and then I thought they had changed the classification for my condition so I stopped shielding so strictly and went out for walks. I never got a letter to take me off the list, and keep getting the shielding letters, so have been shielding again this time as levels are very high in my area. I'm really confused as to whether I'm more vulnerable or not but I took up the vaccine because if I said no I didn't know what would happen (whether I would get called with the group 6 or not). The advice is to accept if you're offered so that's what I've done. Still confused though.

My friend is clinically vulnerable because the winter pre covid she had an awful chest infection, which three lots of steroids in short space of time didn't touch. She knows this as she rang the drs to find out why she was put on list. She's fine now, but it could be something like that?

I did acknowledge how difficult things are for so many folk

The best way to acknowledge it is by living it. It's not nice to be envious of something when you should be celebrating for you "mate"

but I took up the vaccine because if I said no I didn't know what would happen

Never ever ever feel guilty for accepting a vaccine. One less person in a hospital bed means one spare hospital bed. Always a good thing

I would put money on her being on immunosuppressing drugs for her IBS, my Dad is classed CEV for the same reason.

Of course her autism and mental health issues won't help either.

I wish her, and you, well.

I don’t get why people aren’t allowed to feel envious or wonder about why things are the way they are. Yeah, don’t be shitty to the friend or probe her about her health issues. But clearly other cases don’t make sense. But we can’t expect the roll out to be sensible considering the disaster of test and trace and the apps. We can be annoyed and questioning, but it’s an emergency situation (predictable) we were ill prepared for. We will get there soon. It’s a matter of a few months. It’s shit but you are not alone.

At least if your friend gets it she won’t be infecting others on her train journeys etc.

(I’m praying my CEV gets it soon)

*CEV mum

I'm very surprised to hear this. I have autism and neurological issues which come with all sorts of mental health challenges, all diagnosed, and I'm certainly not especially vulnerable to covid or on any shielding list.

Thanks @Hazelnutlatteplease

It's severe mental illness and so schizophrenia or bipolar disorder or something that severely impacts functioning. That's in the guidance.

I work in mental health and it will be likely due to logistics if she is having a vaccination due to that reason. The teams will be working out how to vaccinate their caseload. It may well be that logistically it's worked out that they can do a batch now.

Or else it's not due to that reason and she's being vaccinated for another reason. I highly doubt there's any queue jumping going on. The vaccination roll out is being done very professionally.

Tbh I know how you feel. I'm extremely clinically vulnerable - have been shielding and very worried for ages. I manage a 33 year old, who is totally healthy (I know because we all had to do risk assessments for going into the office last summer). He got the Pfizer jab last week as his parents are doctors and managed to get one for him. I have to be honest, I felt really annoyed!

Yanbu one of my friends who lives in the same town as my parents, young, no underlining health problem has had the vaccine-pure luck on her part as works in medical admin, does not go near anything clinical. I am glad for her, and she would have been stupid to turn it down. I would just rather my elderly, vulnerable parents had it.

I do understand why you feel that way - we all must be hoping for the vaccine as soon as possible!

But you can’t think like this or you’ll send yourself mad.

Just to add I have known some people with autism to be added to CEV on the basis they couldn’t handle being in hospital/treatment. It was very individual and not a common thing

“This is all about arses- thousands of arses- millions even”

Thanks for that. It takes some of the creepiness away!

The best way to acknowledge it is by living it. It's not nice to be envious of something when you should be celebrating for you "mate"

I never said it was nice. I actually said it's an unpleasant emotion - I'm not proud of it.

You seem to want to simply want to berate me, for not being "nice" enough. Fuck that, quite simply.

On the Arms vs Arses angle, I think arses would be way creepier...