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Original poster

Covid 19 vaccine vaccination numbers, why won't they tell us?

338 replies

MG2020 · 13/12/2020 14:09

I've been looking for a few days about the number of people vaccinated in the UK. However, this appears to be some kind of secret.

Does anyone know how many people have been vaccinated and how many vaccinations we have in the UK and what we can expect by mid Jan 2021?

I fear this secrecy means that things are not going to plan and when Matt Hancock said the other day that tens of thousands of people had been vaccinated, it was far from true.

You may recall the figures about Covid 19 tests when we were told x amount of tests were carried out but they failed to declare that everyone had at least two tests and many NHS staff and others in hospital were being tested several times a day therefore 100k tests may have been 20k tests in reality.

I want the jab and so do our children but both are severely allergic so we are praying for others to come on line ASAP.

OP posts:
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Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum · 23/12/2020 11:10

Cool, thank you. I thought that figure seems so high I must have misunderstood.

Fizbosshoes · 23/12/2020 11:14

One of my friends (early 30s) has had the vaccine. He works in the leisure industry and part of their building has been used as a vaccine hub. He was given one because once the batch is opened and mixed it has to be used that day. Not everyone with a an apt could make it (isolating or ill) and they had unused ones at the end of the day.

CoffeeandCroissant · 23/12/2020 12:17

John Bell, a Professor of Medicine at Oxford University has said the Oxford Vaccine could get the go ahead "just after Christmas".

He has also stated the data behind the jab is looking "better than ever".

The government has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, with around 40 million available by the end of March.

Sir John, Oxford University's regius professor of medicine, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he expects MHRA approval "pretty shortly".

He said: "They got data quite a long time ago but that was the first set of data.

"They receive multiple sets of data.

"So we are getting to be about prime time now, I would expect some news pretty shortly.

"I doubt we'll make Christmas now, but just after Christmas I would expect.^
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/oxfordastrazeneca-vaccine-could-approved-just-19510561

LemonTT · 23/12/2020 13:08

The planning to establish vaccination centres is complex. This is a whole population vaccination programme where neither time or vaccine can be wasted. Sites will run 7 days per week and 12 hours per day. They are not going to be part of business as usual for GP practices or hospitals.

The distribution of the first supply of vaccines to hospitals was because they were in position to accept it and to crack on with their staff programme and any other random over 80’s they could. The hospitals are doing their staff and supporting the development of the mass sites. That is their role.

GP practices needed to establish new clinics that would run continuously, which is different from their usual flu clinics. They needed more room, dedicated teams of staff and additional training. The complexity associated with handling the Pfizer vaccine cannot be underestimated. Each week new Gp centres are being added and from next week they will do care homes which was their first priority along with the over 80’s. The work done by GP teams in getting these set up with a few weeks notice is phenomenal. The lion share of the 500k is down to them. Even in groups they don’t have the big operational and estates teams that the trusts could call off to get going. Reporting data isn’t top of their things to do.

Gradually in January mass sites will get going. This was always meant to be the largest element of the capacity.

It would be impossible to open all the capacity at once. The supply chain would not cope. It’s going to be wave after wave opening up. Growth in the numbers will be exponential. And yes maybe the government is over ambitious in expecting a lot of it to be done by the spring. But it’s not impossible

What joe public needs to do, is take their place on the queue and come forward when called. That is how the queue will move.

And it’s better to give vaccine to anyone in the queue rather let it go to waste if people don’t turn up for appointments.

For every vaccine issued, one is held in reserve for the second dose.

The Pfizer supply does seem to be loosening and Oxford is really just around the corner.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 23/12/2020 13:23

Thank you for that excellent summary LemonTT. What do you mean by the Pfizer supply ‘loosening’?

LemonTT · 23/12/2020 13:37

The sites are being offered deliveries at increasing frequency

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 23/12/2020 14:49

Thanks. Very good news then.

alreadytaken · 23/12/2020 15:51

As I said earlier Wales was starting to vaccinate in care homes this week. The information was second hand but came from a nurse who was doing the vaccinating last week of staff who will go into care homes this week (and are nervous about that as the vaccine they've had wont fully protect them).

PuzzledObserver · 23/12/2020 17:48

You’re right.

Population is 67 million. 1% of that is 670,000. We had done 500,000 by the end of Sunday.

It’s could be over 1% by now - updated figures tomorrow, I think.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 23/12/2020 20:46

I couldn’t hear exactly what Matt Hancock said (because dh kept talking) but I think it was that they will be adding the vaccine counter to the dashboard tomorrow and updating weekly?

iolaus · 23/12/2020 21:22

The Welsh ones are up each day here coronaviruscymru.wales/

Have to say the teenager who has been updating that site daily and created it has done amazing

janetmendoza · 23/12/2020 21:41

There are 975 doses per box. Boxes cant be seperated. So some people will have to travel. Small gp surgeries with say 100 over 80s won't get any. They will have to join together with other gps in the same ccg until they reach the magic number. They will all be done together in one centre. Those vials then have to be used quickly and once mixed (each vial is mixed in proportion with sodium chloride on site) even quicker still. Each vial says it does 5 doses, but in reality does 6. Obvs for every elderly person who doesn't turn up, a random (but ideally a health care worker) can be done . Better that than bin them.

Bathroom12345 · 23/12/2020 22:11

Goodness, if some people don’t turn up they could literally grab people walking past rather than waste it. Could they do this or am I just being silly.

MistletoeandGin · 23/12/2020 22:14

@Bathroom12345

Goodness, if some people don’t turn up they could literally grab people walking past rather than waste it. Could they do this or am I just being silly.
If there are any left over they’re offering it to people such as admin/back office NHS staff.
Bathroom12345 · 23/12/2020 22:18

Those admin people would already done though wouldn’t they. I hope everyone who is invited turns up and if they don’t want the vaccine please say so your appointment can be given to others.

iolaus · 23/12/2020 22:24

@Bathroom12345

Those admin people would already done though wouldn’t they. I hope everyone who is invited turns up and if they don’t want the vaccine please say so your appointment can be given to others.
We have been told that it's patient facing - so admin wouldn't automatically be done

I know a collegaue said her husband, who is a radiographer and xraying covid positive patients, said they complained (and won) over the fact that they counted radiologists under IT and said they weren't eligible (lots of them have already contracted covid in work)

iolaus · 23/12/2020 22:25

BTW a few I know were refused the vaccine when they did arrive - so there could well be a few left over

MistletoeandGin · 23/12/2020 22:30

@Bathroom12345

Those admin people would already done though wouldn’t they. I hope everyone who is invited turns up and if they don’t want the vaccine please say so your appointment can be given to others.
No. My mum works in hospital admin and she isn’t being treated as a priority. It’s front line staff first.
janetmendoza · 24/12/2020 10:46

Yes they could grab people off the street. At Dhs one a bolshy older man came in and shouted at them all because he hadn't been invited yet. He was still in the carpark as they were packing up to they gave the miserable old git one as they had one left. People don't turn up because they are sick or isolating or they forget or there are contra indications when they arrive or very sadly they do turn up but they are unable to give informed consent on arrival.

Fizbosshoes · 24/12/2020 11:03

Yes they could grab people off the street. At Dhs one a bolshy older man came in and shouted at them all because he hadn't been invited yet. He was still in the carpark as they were packing up to they gave the miserable old git one as they had one left. People don't turn up because they are sick or isolating or they forget or there are contra indications when they arrive or very sadly they do turn up but they are unable to give informed consent on arrival

Yes friend I mentioned previously said by the time all scheduled apts had finished and there were vaccines left over due to people unable to take it on the day, they were ringing anyone they knew who could get to the venue within 10 min.

CoffeeandCroissant · 24/12/2020 11:07

Vaccine data for England now published, with weekly updates:
www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/

cathyandclare · 24/12/2020 11:22

That's great Coffee. 520k plus by Sunday and more than 70% in over eighties.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 24/12/2020 11:28

520 just for England? So UK numbers will be even higher.
I am actually a little disappointed, not with the figures which are fab but the fact they are so far in arrears. It is entirely possible they will have done a million by tomorrow but we won’t find out about it till 1st January.

BruceAndNosh · 24/12/2020 11:45

The calculator suggested I'm due for mine around May but that's on the basis of a million a week.

Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum · 24/12/2020 12:55

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

520 just for England? So UK numbers will be even higher. I am actually a little disappointed, not with the figures which are fab but the fact they are so far in arrears. It is entirely possible they will have done a million by tomorrow but we won’t find out about it till 1st January.
Know what you mean.

Still at least we are being given the figures and they are very pleasingSmile