To think there is no chance 18 million will be boosted by 31 Dec?

[JadedJabber]

Name changed for this as would be outing with previous posts.

Am I alone in feeling quite angry that Boris Johnson has announced what is likely to be an unreachable target and will be causing untold pressure and stress in the primary and secondary care workforces who are already exhausted?

I was very closely involved in the rollout of phases 1 and 2 of the vaccine programme last winter/ spring for a large NHS trust. Everyone was 100% committed to the vaccines and our workforce was incredible despite a lot of challenges particularly around the time taken to train as a vaccinator and disruption to business as usual in the trust. Despite that the best day was c800K jabs and most were significantly less.
Johnson has glibly talked about training 1000’s of new vaccinators. Well unless the mandatory training is axed to a fraction of what is was earlier this year that will be impossible.

It seems so easy for him to make these pronouncements without any thought as to how this will actually play out in practice.

I can’t see the (exhausted and less motivated) workforce suddenly expanding and then working 12 + hours a day from now until 31 Dec, including Christmas. It just sets everyone up for failure.

They are now claiming they mean that the target is everyone being able to book a booster by the end of December - not to receive the booster by the end of December. Very different! Slippery fucks.

Next up, ‘Well we didn’t say WHICH December’.

The BBC reported 4 days ago "More than 20 million boosters or third doses have been given so far."

So it's already done?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55274833

This was deliberate to set the NHS up to fail and as a population cull.

I don't believe he is bumbling Boris

He has all the 'charm' of a psychopath

We even questioned our GP surgery in September as to why we weren't notified when we were told we should have had our boosters (both in underlying medical conditions categories). Receptionist said 'Oh we just wait for people to contact us' (!!??)

Last year there was a letter / phone call to us and this year we are meant to mind read?

I even got told by the Nurse in November 'you should have had it done by now'. I got it done by standing an hour and a half in a walk in appointment at the end of November.

This announcement/mass mail/poster outside surgeries/text service/phone call/carrier pidgeon! should have been rolled out months ago from the top down.

This is no accident.

I think they mean they will offer everyone an appointment, many won't want a booster, many will delay until after Christmas, etc. etc.

If only they could’ve predicted this might have happened weeks ago and started ramping it up from then.

Oh wait, they could.

I got onto the website this morning and was offered 2nd week in Jan but the site crashed as I was trying to book and I haven’t been able to get back on the website since so I don’t think this year is going to be doable where I live for most people.

I thought it was “offered the vaccine”.
i.e. they have been able to book one for a date in the future.

DP managed to book his yesterday for over 30s, the next available appointment near us was 30th Dec. When they reduce the age again, there's no way the rest are going to be able to get an appointment near us this month

I booked mine last week for NYE. Tried last night to bring it forward but the website is crashing. Local sites to me are reporting 3 hr+ queues for walk ins. I haven't got that much spare time during a work day!

I'm confused as to how a lot of people actually even need a booster. I only had my second vaccine in October, so I don't need a booster for at least 6 months. Yet I saw Scotland wants 18 year olds+ to get a booster.. How when I'm 30, they should have had their vaccines after me surely?

Or are they trying to say vaccines aren't enough and you're only properly protected with a booster?

I went in a walk in today and got my booster. It was an hour wait. It just depends if people are willing to risk a wait in a queue or will want to book. Understand some people can't spare waiting around.

Will Boris achieve what he announced? Absolutely not. Will his announcement result in more people being vaccinated than would have been had he not said anything/set the target? I think so.

We managed to do 800,000 per day didn’t we back in January 2021 iirc so I reckon we could go that again plus the boosters are open to everyone over 18 which they weren’t JanFeb/March as we were still working down the ages.
Huge queues reported today at various walk in centres and we’ve already done 38% boosters or thereabouts of over 12’s so with a fair wind I reckon it’s possible.

i went on the website and it wont let me book it now anyway , summit to do with being overloaded and an operating system , so as theres not much i can do i wont worry about it ,

What I reckon they mean is everyone can BOOK a booster by 31 December, not have one. So you can book for February or March and that shower of shite that calls itself our government can pat themselves on the back and say “ see, we said everyone could book a booster by the end of 2021”.

They have clarified that that is exactly what they meant. So really the target has been met, and was met as soon as he said “everyone can now book or go to a walk in”. That was him offering the booster to all.
Well done them, boosters offered to everyone, what a triumph.

Because god forbid he could have had an ambitious but realistic target.

@Pedalpushers

I'm 33, I booked my booster this morning, it's in 3 days time. Round my way it seems there are huge numbers of appointments available, I was spoilt for choice.

@Pedalpushers - please tell us where you are, some of us may be local to you or be able to travel...

As for near me, chaos. Absolute chaos.

Local large centre fully booked by local people...except the address and name of the venue were incorrect and ( over a period of a week) when people turned up the large centre is closed!

Local centre continues to be closed, a trip elsewhere...at least 15 miles and no direct public transport.
Local centre did open on Sunday with walk ins mixed with bookings. A three hour wait outside in a queue.

Other centres at least 30 miles away.

I had a slot booked for Sunday but was symptomatic so couldn't attend.
Now that this is a free for all, I won't be able to attend and wait for three hours as I'm needed to keep my short staffed school open.

Disgraceful Boris.
Feels like schools all over again. Boris has an idea to deflect from his sh*t - but doesn't tell or ask any of the professionals who need to make any of it work.

Idiot.

@Pedalpushers

I'm 33, I booked my booster this morning, it's in 3 days time. Round my way it seems there are huge numbers of appointments available, I was spoilt for choice.

*@Pedalpushers* - please tell us where...we may be local enough to book or travel to....

@Pedalpushers - please tell us where you are, some of us may be local to you or be able to travel...

As for near me, chaos. Absolute chaos.

Local large centre fully booked by local people...except the address and name of the venue were incorrect and ( over a period of a week) when people turned up the large centre is closed!

Local centre continues to be closed, a trip elsewhere...at least 15 miles and no direct public transport.
Local centre did open on Sunday with walk ins mixed with bookings. A three hour wait outside in a queue.

Other centres at least 30 miles away.

I had a slot booked for Sunday but was symptomatic so couldn't attend.
Now that this is a free for all, I won't be able to attend and wait for three hours as I'm needed to keep my short staffed school open.

Disgraceful Boris.
Feels like schools all over again. Boris has an idea to deflect from his sh*t - but doesn't tell or ask any of the professionals who need to make any of it work.

Idiot.

@sashagabadon

We managed to do 800,000 per day didn’t we back in January 2021 iirc so I reckon we could go that again plus the boosters are open to everyone over 18 which they weren’t JanFeb/March as we were still working down the ages. Huge queues reported today at various walk in centres and we’ve already done 38% boosters or thereabouts of over 12’s so with a fair wind I reckon it’s possible.

The best day was in March and was 844,000 doses. The best 7 days was in March and was 4.2 million. It will need a significant and sustained increase on that. 4.2 million in 7 days is 11 million in 19 days give or take, and there are 18 million to do. And those 19 days include Christmas where fewer people will want to go.

Planned well in advance I guess it would be possible. But not announced last minute to everyone involved.

Irrelevant anyway, since they confirmed today they’re not actually aiming to get everyone done in december, just to get everyone booked in for an appointment at some point in the future.

@FreedomFaith

I'm confused as to how a lot of people actually even need a booster. I only had my second vaccine in October, so I don't need a booster for at least 6 months. Yet I saw Scotland wants 18 year olds+ to get a booster.. How when I'm 30, they should have had their vaccines after me surely?

Or are they trying to say vaccines aren't enough and you're only properly protected with a booster?

Yes, that is exactly what they're saying, especially if you had AstroZeneca.

Also, they have changed it so it is only 3 months between second jab and booster.

We’re in our 40s, our boosters are booked for the earliest appointment we could get. 6th Jan! North west. Not a chance we’ll all e done this year.

I've just looked at the link my local GP surgery sent again and they've now added more appointments late this week and early next week. I've managed to book Friday afternoon now, within 10 minutes walk from home. When I looked earlier there was nothing before 30th Dec.

Yes, that is exactly what they're saying, especially if you had AstroZeneca.

Not going to be much help though surely when they made the booster before they knew about omicron?

Also, they have changed it so it is only 3 months between second jab and booster.

Ah that makes more sense then, I thought it was still 6 months.

It’s total BS, on the NHS booking website there are no boosters available near where I live until Jan earliest.

The walk in queue at st Thomas hospital is mental tonight. It's been queues of 2hrs plus all.day

Nope, not a chance! I work for the NHS, our vaccination team are flat out vaccinating all the secondary school children, where do they think all these staff are going to come from? It's all very well to say they'll 'cancel appointment to prioritise vaccinations'... have they seen the waiting lists and how busts GP's are? Utterly ridiculous sweeping statement to try and impress the masses and deflect from the embarrassing mess that is the Tory party.