NHS STAFF - are you getting the vaccine?

[Cinderellashoes]

Just interested. I’m a nurse on a ward and I will be getting it as soon as I can. However I worked in research for 5 years and know how strict clinical trials really are - I understand not everyone with that background would be as trusting of new drugs being developed. Where do you work, and what will you do about the vaccine?

But wouldn’t that mess with the results of the trial you are doing? You won’t be able to tell if the novavax vaccine prevented the virus or the approved vaccine prevented the virus?

I suspect in this case that you would leave the clinical trial. We can leave at any time, or withdraw consent for certain aspects of it.

As the above poster said, you’d be leaving the clinical trial. It status would be “unblinded”, so you’d be told if you were treatment or control group. And you’d make no further contribution to the trial.

I’ll definitely be taking this option when my time comes.

Yep. I work on a respiratory ward so it really is deadly for the patients I care for.

I tested positive a fortnight ago, so I expect I'll have had the vaccine by the time my immunity wears off.

I usually snap up any opportunity to vaccinate against possible illness but had Covid earlier in the year and had antibodies when tested a few months ago (was recently retested so will find out soon if they're still detectable). I need to read some well informed advice regarding vaccine for those with some immunity already. Suspect the advice will be to have it but would like to understand the rationale.
Wonder if mask wearing rules at hospital will be relaxed for staff who have the jab (and at what stage)

Nurse working in community, visit the care homes a lot. I will when it's offered.

Mental Health worker in the community and yes, as soon as I get to the top of the list.

DD just started working in a private mental health hospital. Will they be offered it at the same time as NHS staff?

Will we still have to wear full ppe I wonder? I work in NICU and yes I will be having it as soon as I can.

Thankyou to everyone who has been involved in trials.

Thankyou to all nhs staff - not only for saying you'll have it, explaining the Process but for everything you do all day everyday to support the health of the nation.

We were fairly high on priority list for swine flu (special school) so I'd be interested to see where we fall on this. Our pupils are extremely vulnerable.

I'm still waiting for Occ Health to get caught back up on the Hep B jabs schedule - and the last one they did there must have pranged a nerve slightly as I've had numbness in some of my fingers that's only going away now! No more needles are going in that arm until I've got that sensation fully back!

I'm unsure. I'm concerned about how rapidly this has been developed compared to the norm for vaccines however I doubt we'll get given any choice in the matter really - they won't clear us for placements if we don't have it no doubt so it'll become an "oh you need to consent for us to give you it but if you don't..." situation.

I am sharpening my elbows already waiting to fight my way to the front of the queue.

Frontline clinician. I am beyond sick of FFP3 masks and visors and being slightly scared all the time. I just want to get on a plane, dammit, and go somewhere with good hiking trails and cheap wine. I want to be able to do my job properly without having to wrap myself up like a mummy first.

I recognise that we won't know the long term effects until more time has past (and understand why some find that a barrier) but it's rare for vaccines to cause late-presenting sideffects. I'll take the hypothetical risk from the vaccine over the real risk of long covid any day. Plus widespread vaccination is the only way we really get back to normal.

I will be having it. I’m a general practice nurse and see lots of older people with respiratory conditions (when not on mat leave). I also vaccinate 100’s of patients each year so I think it would be remiss of me not to have it.

I’m a bit reluctant, personally.

I'm on the fence to be honest. I do have an awareness of how stringent clinical trials are however no matter what safety measures, checks etc. have been put in place, one thing that they can't do is manipulate time. They can't fast forward 10 years and see if there are going to be any long term side effects. I don't know, I'll have to do my research as it becomes more readily available.

@Honkyponk

I'm front line, and will definitely be getting vaccinated. I heard a very informative interview on the radio with a vaccine research scientist. The reason it normally takes so long to develop a vaccine is grant applications, funding and finding sufficient volunteers to take part in the trial. The science and safety for the covid vaccine is no different to any other, but the other hurdles that are time consuming to overcome have been removed.

This is interesting to read

No. I'm frontline (A&E + wards) but I'm 18 weeks pregnant.

@Mrscaindingle

Yes I'm in community mental health and phone consultations are just not enough now for many of our patients. The sooner the better.

Is it bad with Mental health at the moment ?

Probably
However if I was planning on having a baby in the near future I wouldn't

@wildbarnet impatient services are very busy, lots of patients whose conditions have been exacerbated by worry/health anxiety, isolation, loss of carers, issues getting medication, paranoia and lack of day services and routines to name a few.

Thanks for all the explanations about the vaccine trials and how an approved vaccine might impact on these! Amazing work you all do!

I'm a frontline clinician and I'm 6 months pregnant. I want the vaccine. I'm going to ask a friend who works in vaccine development about its safety in pregnancy. I'm not sure if she'll even know. I don't know whether I'll be eligible for it when I'm on maternity leave.

@Higgeldypiggeldy35

I'm a frontline clinician and I'm 6 months pregnant. I want the vaccine. I'm going to ask a friend who works in vaccine development about its safety in pregnancy. I'm not sure if she'll even know. I don't know whether I'll be eligible for it when I'm on maternity leave.

I'm in one of the trials and pregnant women are excluded from the study so I doubt it will be offered to pregnant women. I'm back again on Tuesday, so I'll ask.

I'm admin so won't be front of queue but yes, I'd take it this second if they offered it!

Yes, as soon as I can.

GP trainee - absolutely! If pregnant I might wait until 9/10 weeks to be extra cautious, but COVID probably has risks in the first trimester so will probably just crack on.