Private COVID vaccine?

[HorseyintheHouse14]

Normally I wouldn't be bothered by this at all, but DSIS lives in New Zealand and is getting married next Christmas. This has been planned for a few years now and we were/are planning on going. However I have a feeling we won't be allowed in unless we are vaccinated against COVID. DH is a key worker so likely will have had the vaccine - me and DD probably won't have, so was wondering if anyone knew if some vaccines will be made available privately? If it wasn't for this I would wait our turn but I really wouldn't want to miss this.

@HorseyintheHouse14

Normally I wouldn't be bothered by this at all, but DSIS lives in New Zealand and is getting married next Christmas. This has been planned for a few years now and we were/are planning on going. However I have a feeling we won't be allowed in unless we are vaccinated against COVID. DH is a key worker so likely will have had the vaccine - me and DD probably won't have, so was wondering if anyone knew if some vaccines will be made available privately? If it wasn't for this I would wait our turn but I really wouldn't want to miss this.

I expect it'll be more an issue of supply initially. Attending weddings doesn't really sound like a priority.

But surely if it's private it doesn't matter what the reason is for wanting it? Just wondering if they'll be available privately.

The company have said they will initially only be supplying governments, not selling vaccines for private supply. This will likely change next year when production increases.

@LethargicLumpOfLockdownLard

The company have said they will initially only be supplying governments, not selling vaccines for private supply. This will likely change next year when production increases.

Brilliant thank you!

It doesn't look like it will be available privately to start with thank goodness. Not till well after the priority groups have been vaccinated at the very least.

Granted the article I read earlier was the daily mail, but it said that there would be none available privately and honestly I'm glad.

Seeing the famous wealthy get tested with mild to no symptoms while people were dying not able to get one was heartbreaking in the first wave.

We all want this over with for a variety of reasons, I dearly hope the daily mail is correct on this one. It has to come down to medical need.

Apparently you can’t but it privately and I think this has just been confirmed by professor Van Tam in the briefing just now.

12 months away is a long time, think back to 12 months ago.

Once a percentage of the vulnerable groups are vaccinated, presuming they are, I think we can presume the travel companies will start demanding vaccines for travellers, possibly paid for, to get the industry (s'cuse the pub) moving again.

Hope you get there.

Pun not pub!

I hope you get there too, but I also really hope that a Covid vaccine won't have a private jump list. No other reason is more important than medical need.

I think in a few months vaccines will be available for private purchase. Like everything in the private medical world, it will be avaliable for a certain fee....

How old are you?

In any case I think the answer is just that you’re going to have to be patient for a few weeks while things become a bit clearer. We don’t yet know whether the Pfizer vaccine prevents transmission or just symptoms. If it doesn’t prevent transmission then requiring a vaccine in order to fly doesn’t really make sense.

Assuming that it does prevent transmission, then there are a whole bunch of vaccines in the pipeline, so the UK may have enough to vaccinate all the adults who want it by the end of 2021, but children (unless CV) may be excluded from the NHS programme on a risk-benefit basis (Because if the vaccine really is 90% effective then perhaps there is less need to vaccinate the non-vulnerable to facilitate herd immunity). But you can’t ban all children from flying indefinitely so some form of solution will be needed. Private vaccinations for children who want to fly maybe seems reasonable once all the adults who need them have got them, but “all the adults” means worldwide not just in the UK, so that’ll take a while.

In summary, god alone knows, but if you can try not to think about it for a month or two then the situation should be a lot clearer.

Van Tam said this morning that it's not yet set in store, but that it would be wrong to permit private supply when there is a national need to vaccinate by priority for public safety and as a route to lifting restrictions here.

Manufacturers are also selling globally to governments, and the UN/WHO is being active in making arrangements for supplies to be distributed fairly across all nations - so the rich such as UK do not shaft poorer countries.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

Actually I didn’t mention the obvious thing, that once all the adults have been vaccinated then the children might not even need vaccination to fly. So many moving parts!

I didn't notice the bit about it being a year away. I'd think you'd have more chance by then.

Most manufacturers are doing deals with governments who are committed to national PH programmes to vaccinate their population and to support WHO programmes internationally. That’s a lot of supply to deliver. I don’t see UK private clinics or wholesalers getting a look in.

I think for a certain answer you will be waiting months and even then with no certainty if there is an annual vaccination programme with governments doing big bulk deals again.

There will be a market for private vaccines so imagine at some point people will be able to pay for them like any other private healthcare. The more who have it the better.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Boots haven’t already had discussions to distribute private vaccines.

UK is a member of COVAX

That may well limit how much more vaccine we can buy, until every other country has achieved coverage of 20% of its population

www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/sep/21/landmark-moment-156-countries-agree-to-covid-vaccine-allocation-deal

We are committed to doing our bit to prevent vaccine nationalism, and I don't think allowing private vaccination meets that aim

I really hope that this is one thing you can’t buy your way out of - surely in a pandemic people shouldn’t be allowed to jump the queue because they think their reason is more important and they can afford to pay?

We have private health care through my husband's job and could afford to pay for a jab, but it seems right to only have to for NHS distribution until the elderly and vulnerable are taken care of. I'm in my 50's and vulnerable, so will get it eventually, but will have to be careful until then.

It will depend how successful the worldwide rollout is - if things are going well by this time next year it might be possible, but I wouldn't bank on it now.

I would expect that in the long run if it isn’t deemed necessary for the nhs to vaccinate some groups of people but they need it for travel that those people can buy it the way you can buy other travel vaccines and things the NHS doesn’t supply but that people want. But you’re probably talking in a couple of years time - the priority of suppliers is going to be fulfilling their massive national government/international coalition contracts and those governments will rightly prioritise a very scarce resource for saving lives not attending a wedding. But next Christmas is a very very long way away still. Worry about it next summer.

People are naive to think this won't be made available privately. These are pharmaceutical companies whose only mandate is to make as much money as possible. They absolutely will direct sell and make a killing.

Think you’ll just have to wait and see on this one OP. It is less about what this country has available but more about what the rules in NZ are. Currently it is not possible to get into NZ unless you are a resident and even then you have to have an allocated place in a quarantine facility which costs several thousand NZ$.

They are v happy to be COVID free and will not change their rules unless they are sure that COVID free status will continue.

Here’s a link to the NZ quarantine website:
www.miq.govt.nz/

BTW I am from NZ and am fully expecting not to see any of my family there for a long time

I dont think there will be private availability before those if 65, those with health needs that require it, front line nhs staff and those on social care.

The good news is the UK have bought doses from 4 companies. So some vaccines may be better suited to different ages. It also means vaccinatung could be done quicker.

Im not sure if under 18s will be vaccinated. No under 18s were tested in the trial I am in.