To have expected a booster

[JabNotInArm]

Name changed for this as outing.

I'm 37. I live in the south east, in an area with good vaccine uptake and one of the highest % of boosters administered. Virtually everyone I know was offered first and second doses of the Covid vaccine before they were officially rolled out because of excellent work by the GP surgeries/local PCNs.

I received a text last week from my GP (via the group coordinating the booster programme) asking me to book my booster. The text had a link to follow which wasn't for the National booking system but to book at a local venue being used exclusively for patients at this group of surgeries. I had to enter my DOB, then was allowed to select a time and date.

My appointment was today. I had a c section 5 weeks ago and recovery has been slow. I can't drive yet and I've only been out on my own once so this was quite a big milestone for me. I arranged for my mum to have my baby and my dad drive me to the venue.

At the venue they checked my 2nd dose had been at least 6 months ago, ticked my name of the list and gave me a QR code for the vaccinator to scan to bring up my details. Sat down, sleeve rolled up, ready to go and the vaccinator said he had to check with his manager as I am under 40. She refused to give me the booster. He was clearly keen to just jab me so spoke to her 3 times. She refused. So I was there, ready to go, in a quiet venue on a Wednesday afternoon, after listening to Boris fucking Johnson bang on about our amazing booster roll out, and they turned me away.

I was glad I had my mask on as I was so close to tears and felt completely embarrassed.

The thing that really got me is that he ended saying they're opening eligibility up to my age group next week so I can come along to a walk in at the same place next week. Realistically I can't attend a drop in with a baby, I'll need to book an appointment arrange childcare (or take the baby with me) and sort another lift as I'll have no car until after Christmas.

I'm keen to get my booster when I can, but what annoys me is that I could have been nervous about needles or hesitant about vaccines and that experience could have put me off going back.

AIBU to think I should have just been given my booster and that they should be following the spirit of the vaccine guidelines (which I've lost track of now anyway) rather than sticking rigidly to the "rules"? I appreciate there is a mismatch between political narrative on vaccines ("we're offering them to all over 18s") and the reality on the ground but there are times discretion should be used.

I keep getting texts from my GP surgery to book a booster. It will let me book a time once I've put my date of birth in - but I'm under 40 and it's not quite 6 months since my last jab so I've not booked as I don't want to get turned away as it's a bit of a journey to get there. Seems my caution is well founded

Oh really, @Xfox - are you south east?!

What's the point of sending texts encouraging people to book if we have to second guess whether we'll actually be "allowed" a booster when we turn up?

I feel your pain. I’m in Scotland. 5 months pregnant, told to book as soon as I’d had my flu jab. Rang today to book and was told to go away and wait until my age group was called. Just seems like a lack of common sense 🤷‍♀️

We would have done you at our walk in! We are jabbing anyone over 3 months since their second vaccination with their sleeve rolled up!

@Guineapiggiesmalls - that's even worse given the balls up with advice for pregnant woman until recently. Hope you get it soon

@Cookerhood - that's brilliant. I understand some areas or venues might not have the capacity to be that flexible, but even where they don't it wasn't like I'd just chanced it - they'd bloody asked me!

I went for my flu jab and I swear they would have locked in anyone that refused the booster, they were all over it...I felt sure I'd have to go back another time as I was about ten days from the six months since the 2nd. In Scotland and over 50!

Having said that, before all this Covidshitshow I would always get a reminder and phonecalls about getting my flu jab and twice I went only to be refused it as I was not on the nurses' list. I gave up in the end and would pay to get it at the pharmacy. Last year I was summonsed to the surgery and just got it without a murmur, same this year, except it was the Vaccination Centre, so I must be on ALL the lists now.

That's ridiculous. They should have used their discretion.

Yanbu at all. It's ridiculous. I had mine today, 6 months to the day after my last one, and I'm 37. I supposedly have a health condition which meant I was called for jab 1 in March, but nobody can actually tell me what this mysterious health condition is! Tbh I think he was being a jobsworth and should have just jabbed you without asking. Nobody asked my age!

Moronic country that we live in. They'll probably have to throw your booked jab in the bin. But yay, all boxes were ticked. And no common sense was allowed. Typical. I'm ashamed to be British these days - I've seen so much of this idiotic stuff go one and I am jaded from doing so.

We would not have been able to jab you at the centre I volunteer at - as of yesterday, when I was last there, we were only able to do those over 40 and who were >182 days from the 2nd jab (there are a v small no of exemptions to the 182 days, which are medically based and need to be signed off by the medical lead). Literally none of us take any pleasure from turning people away, but those are the protocols we have to work to. I know that some centres have slightly different protocols which I think depend on them have drs/prescribers on site - which gives rise to discrepancies which must seem really annoying. It sounds as though the protocol has now changed to over 40 and >3 months, which will be great as it means we can booster more people - our area does not have great uptake and we are all v keen to get as many people as possible done. What is super-annoying for all concerned is the gap between the headline announcements and the actual change to the protocols which permit the vaccines to be administered.

But them’s the rules. The centre isn’t allowed to “apply the spirit of the rules”. According to someone yesterday we were “fucking jobsworths” for telling them politely they weren’t eligible for a jab, which is nice when you spend 4 hours outside in a cold carpark in the rain doing it as a volunteer. . (I still stamped their car parking ticket to give them free parking after this little tirade) .

Common sense is being used in some places. A friend who doesn't drive was offered a lift to a centre that wasn't officially doing walk-ins. They were turning some more local people away, but they did agree to her having one since she'd managed to get the lift that day.

I suspect there may be differences in how the GP-run centres feed into the national data system, so maybe there's a problem with gettig the records right if they do people ahead of time. It's very poor that they allowed you to book when you weren't eligible, though.

I think, if you have managed to get through whatever booking system database with your date of birth and name, there is a jab there for you and you should be allowed to have it.

They don’t have a lot of choice. I had my booster at a walk in clinic the other day. There was a guy there who was two days to early for the six month cut off and they wouldn’t jab him and yet I overheard the nurses discussing how many vaccines they would have to dispose of that day

My daughter got the comment, “Oh, you’re very young!” at her booster on Saturday, but after checking her dates they gave her the Moderna jab (she has asthma & Hashimoto’s so was in a priority group at the start of the year). She’s 25.

That was at one of the UK’s 6 original regional vaccine centres, so I thought they might be a bit more familiar with the whole ‘there may be people coming in that are younger than the over 40s). She did think she was going to be denied, but common sense prevailed thank goodness!

I have my booster on Sunday, but I doubt there’d be any age confusion as I’m nearer 50 than 40 & look like a wrinkles scrotum.

Ah, I see the jobsworth insult is being bandied about.

Certainly where I am volunteering (large vaccine site):

1. No vaccines are “thrown in the bin” - doesn’t happen, not even at the end of the day.

1. You may not be asked your age but i cannot believe people aren’t asked their date of birth?? People coming for jabs get asked it about 4 times at our centre as it is a key identifier. Literally you couldn’t just sneak through. If you are a walk-in you have to give your NHS number, which throws up your date of birth on the system. I genuinely cannot see how you can get a vaccine without disclosing it.

Do you know what vaccine they were giving? I'm wondering if it was AZ so it was more than just a computer-says-no issue?

If you got to that stage seems silly and a complete waste or their (and your time). If the app/GP has opened it to you then they should have given you the booster, then take it up with the GP/raise with app.

I think the only reasons to refuse should be you were a walk up and they didn’t have any or it might be medically not safe for you. Neither applies - presumably they had vaccine for whoever was given the appointment.

So sorry op how utterly maddening!

When I went for my second appointment there was a couple ahead of me and the woman said she didn't have an appointment but was there with her husband and they said no problem we can give you one too. Where I live now (sw London) there's a walk in clinic that gives boosters to anyone over 40, jabs to 12-15 year olds in the afternoons and anyone over 18 on Sundays. So I don't think there's a shortage. So I think very unreasonable for them not to have given one to you.
Mind you I've been texted since reminding me to have my booster a week after I had it. The system is not perfect ( which I already knew as I am 59 and have an underlying condition making me vulnerable and I still had to wait till they opened jabs up to the general over 50 population).

Towards the end of the day/within the last hour we count carefully how many people we are expecting and moderate the walk-ins. It’s just basic management/housekeeping. I’d be very surprised if centres are “wasting” more than a couple of jabs - its definitely not “lots”. At that stage jabs may be offered to people working there or if they know people who can get there in 5 mins (and who are eligible).

Centrifugal - that sounds like small talk. We vaccinate between 500-1000 people a day, lots of people are not bog standard over 40’s having a booster. All of the centres will be seeing a reasonable number of “medical” cases, so its not “common sense prevailing” - lots of people are eligible for a whole number of reasons.

It does seem ridiculous and very frustrating they couldn't just give it to you.

But I would take your baby with you if it comes to it - don't see why it should be an issue with such a young baby.

I had my booster a while back and got an absolute grilling from the vaccinator about why I was there. I have a health condition that means I'm eligible but it took a long time to get that through to him. He just kept repeating my age and reiterating that they weren't dealing with anyone my age yet. I had to be quite firm with him about why I was there and the fact that I had a booked appointment and the message inviting me before we could move on.

@SpamIAm - it was moderna, to compliment my x2 Pfizer.

I know for 1st and 2nd jabs it was very much a case of just getting people vaccinated - I work for a local authority ans they'd come and round us up irrespective of age/other eligibility criteria to get "jabs in arms". Maybe by 3rd dose / boosters they assume if you've had 2 you'll have a 3rd but I know a few people in my age group who won't bother with a booster as they feel they're low risk and probably have enough protection from the first 2 (usually because they've felt lousy for a few days after).

@witsendeverytime - my parents said the same. They've had their boosters but are still being bombarded with texts.

It's the fact that I had to put my own date of birth in to be able to book my appointment so I was clearly on a list somewhere as being eligible. Why not just give me the booster on that basis?

They may have strict guidelines but In that scenario would the world have imploded if moderna had entered my body today instead of next week?!