Who should be getting the vaccine?

[fruityloopy]

I’m curious to know if I’m being unreasonable in thinking this appears unfair & what is others experience of how the distribution of the vaccine works.
I have two acquaintances who have had the vaccine already, one is a dental receptionist & the other a private physiotherapist. Both are young (under 30 & under 40) & neither have any underlying health issues.
A mutual friend is fuming as her Mother who has recently had 6 rounds of chemotherapy hasn’t had it yet.
I’m interested to know how they’ve already had it - as they’re not key NHS workers or frontline staff etc.
Has anyone else heard of friends that it feels unreasonable to have been prioritised to get the jab & what do they do?

As per the first two answers. I do you have some questions/concerns but not in the two cases mentioned.

Dentist practices are incredibly high risk for infection. Which explains the first and I expect the physio is either chest or stroke physio - which will make them front line or if they’re MSK they were probably just in the right place at the right time when a supply was needed not to be wasted.

Although it is concerning your friend whose had chemo has not been offered it.

@LadyMayoGoodway

As per the first two answers. I do you have some questions/concerns but not in the two cases mentioned.

Dentist practices are incredibly high risk for infection. Which explains the first and I expect the physio is either chest or stroke physio - which will make them front line or if they’re MSK they were probably just in the right place at the right time when a supply was needed not to be wasted.

Although it is concerning your friend whose had chemo has not been offered it.

I dont think even current chemo patients have been offered it?

Which is broadly what I think @MolyHolyGuacamole I think risk should be based on how clinically ill this makes you along with your ability to shield. This type of analysis would mean it would be 50 year olds getting it first. As this age group are still in work but also really quite clinically vulnerable, and are the ones in hospital (not the over 80’s).

Whilst I’m desperate for my 87 yo Grandma to get I’m more desperate for my 56 yo uncle who works full time and has 3 children - one of which is still at home to not get Covid.my Grandma is far more able to shield for longer than my my Mum and Uncle are.

Many physio’s are working on the front line with COVID patients so it stands to reason that a physio would get the jab.

It is a bit of a lottery, I am supposed to be in group6 because of an underlying heart condition but have been told I am not categorised at all and there is a bit of a discussion going on about it.

But at the end of the day we will all be vaccinated sooner or later.

I’m not sure whether chemo patients qualify anyway as Chemo severely compromises the immune system...

Also, it’s not necessarily about who is more able to shield, it’s about who is most likely to fall seriously ill.

If you vaccinate the 50 year old they are less likely to fall seriously ill or die whereas the 80 year old is more likely to end up in hospital thus taking up hospital space and putting higher pressure on the existing resources there. If a hospital staff member catches it they won’t be available as part of that resource and therefore the 80 year old’s health could be more compromised...

Also, some hospital back room staff are volunteering on the front line. I was reading the other day about how in Papworth in Cambridge for instance many of their admin staff are volunteering to help on the front line with helping to move patients etc who require constant turning etc and large numbers of staff to do it.

So just because someone appears to work in an office, doesn’t mean they won’t see the front line.

Well the NHS Trust I work for isn't discriminating between staff and we can all book and have it.

There is at least one of these threads whinging about how unfair the way vaccines are distributed is.
At the end of the day as long as the vaccine is getting into people it really does not matter.
I would much prefer that the people that are having to go out to work in roles such as dental reception, physiotherapy (whether it is private or not is completley irrelevant) etc were prioritised. They are at a much higher risk of contracting and then spreading Covid than someone who does not go out to work and interacts with minimal people.
Your friends mother would not automatically get it just because she has had chemo. If she is under 75 and does not reside in a care home then she will be in group 4.

If she is under 75 and does not reside in a care home then she will be in group 4.

And various ages are now on Group 4 anyway, my trust certainly is, we had an email about it today.

*various areas. Not ages.

My friend is private dentist, called large London hospital, got an appointment and had it a week ago.

Teachers. Get the next generation back to school. They'll probably be paying for this in the future so let's Prioritise their education.
Front line workers. Health care then retail.

Certainly don’t mean to appear to be whinging, genuine interest & curiosity hence why I asked!
Sorry to hear of those waiting for elderly & vulnerable relatives not been offered it yet. As I did say, my Mum has had it & actually believe she wouldn’t have preferred a teacher to be prioritised over herself.
Interesting also, sounding bit like different trusts & areas are doing things differently.

@Chimeraforce are you saying teachers should have it above healthcare workers? Who do you think should be bumped down the line so teachers can be prioritised?

As others have pointed out, it's not necessarily prioritised on your risk of catching it but on the risk you will get severely ill and use up NHS resources (or work in the NHS and be off sick)

All staff at the NHS Trust I work at have been offered it, not just frontline staff. There are a number of reasons why this makes sense even for backroom staff. I think those people who are likely to take up a hospital bed if caught it, NHS Staff, any sort of Care staff first, the other frontline professions such as fire service, Police (these are already being done in my area) then teachers, customer facing essential staff.

@fruityloopy but that just wouldn't make sense for a teacher to have had it instead of your mum. Your mum is much more likely to need hospital care if catching the virus so if the vaccine means she woudn't have symptoms or only mild symptoms then surely that is the sensible person to have the vaccine first. A teacher in their 30s in good health may be exposed (athough not 1 teacher at my DCs school has been off with it sicne the pandemic started) but are liekyl to have it mildly and won't put a strain on the NHS.

Teachers. Get the next generation back to school. They'll probably be paying for this in the future so let's Prioritise their education. people really don’t have a clue do they?

Vaccinating teachers isn’t going to make any difference to children going back to school, because it is the children who are catching COVID and it is the children who will be taking it home to their parents/grandparents/other vulnerable people.

Teachers being vaccinated will make 0 difference to that.

Any teacher who is vulnerable will be categorised in the right category anyway.

There is absolutely 0 logic to vaccinating teaches apart from giving people something else to wine about.

Healthcare workers, care workers, teachers & school staff, clinically vulnerable, elderly, everyone else. In that order.

@AlternativePerspective I agree and don't think people have a clue. My friend is ECV with a school aged child. If her school aged child goes back to school and catches it, she could catch it off them. Her child's teacher being vaccinated won't change that

I know social workers have been offered the vaccine as well because my husband and all his colleagues have been told to make appointments. He is working from home, only been in to the office twice since march so I don't know how they've been prioritised. He's not in the kind of role where he makes visits to service users or anything but has been told he can get the vaccine as early as this weekend. Very early 40s, no health problems, no contact with anyone outside of our household🤷

Vulnerable people cannot always stay at home shielding. Cancer patients getting treatment have to go to health centres and hospitals possibly using public transport. It is not a simple case of high risk individuals staying at home in all cases. I’d rather see clinically vulnerable individuals get the vaccine first than much lower risk individuals.

Second doses have been done in parts of Hertfordshire for the over 80s.

I don’t disagree with you, but category 2 covers health and social care workers - it doesn’t specify NHS workers - anyone registered with the HCPC is eligible.

And there is logic to vaccinating teachers - it creates robustness in a much needed tier of workers.

You say they are acquaintances, so you are unlikely to know if they have underlying conditions.

NHS staff are priority for a reason.
I was vaccinated before Christmas, way before my CEV sibling and 85 year old grandparent.