Would you pay privately for a vaccine?

[Bluewavescrashing]

If so, what's your reasoning and how much would you pay?

why don't you go first OP, might seem less like a DM journalist if you do...

Yes, I would - prepared to pay up to £300 per family member, thought about it. In fact, will be flying out as soon as flights are fully operational to my home country where it is available privately and getting it there.

It depends. If there are definitely enough vaccines to go around then yes I would pay privately and free up NHS appointments for those that require them. How much? Up to £100 but would expect it to be sub £50.

However, if me paying and jumping the queue means that it is taken away from the NHS and someone more in need, then absolutely not. I feel we all have a moral duty to wait and prioritise those most at risk and in need.

We've already had covid, but if we hadn't then yes!

Totally

Yes.

I want my life back, and I would jump at the chance to pay whatever it cost to get vaccinated tomorrow. Even if it cost thousands of pounds, I can afford it and I would be prepared to pay.

Which is exactly why I should not be allowed to do so and why vaccines should be allocated on the basis of clinical need, rather than ability to pay.

Only if I could be sure it was not being taken from a person who needed it more.

In Israel, when vaccines are left over, the nurses will bring in willing volunteers off the street who are happy to have the remaining vaccines rather than letting them expire. It might be worthwhile having a system where people could hang around the distributing hospitals at the end of the day "on standby" and volunteer for any doses which are left. As about 1/5 of the population are refuses, hospitals might have quite a lot of leftover vaccine on their hands.

I would!

I've been offered it and declined.
So no I wouldn't pay for it.

I would if I could afford it. I can't wait to be vaccinated and not be low key worried if the virus would kill me. Sadly we've taken a huge financial hit as a result of the virus so it's not an option.

Yes . Not that I particularly care about getting covid - pretty sure I've had it already - but if it means I can travel then absolutely I'd pay up to a £1000 to have it done as would DH. We're over 50 so we should get it at some point and I do understand that whilst demand outstrips supply then it's not going to be available to buy.

I don't think private suppliers will be able to have orders fulfilled to the UK until, at least all the current priority categories have been done

When you have only say enough for 25million people, if 1 million goes into the private supply chain, you're not 'freeing up' NHS appointments, you're cancelling that number

I have paid for vaccines in the past (not covid) unless you are extremely vulnerable or elderly, I’m not sure why you would want or pay for a covid vaccine. There would be masses of people that couldn’t afford to pay for a vaccine, just because a few people have it the world isn’t going to get back to normal!

@Rudolphian why were you offered it and why did you turn it down ?

If it wasn’t taking away from NHS supply then yes.

If it was then no.

Yes, happily
Dont know how much I would pay though - maybe up to a few thousand £ for all of us.
I am due to go to an overseas conference in May and if the vaccine is necessary to travel and it’s available my employer will pay for me to have it.

I would but the thought of people paying jumping the queue etc makes me really fucking angry. With the thought that life going back to normal for the rich but not the poor.

This is precisely why it's not available privately. @Hoppinggreen if you're outside the UK maybe, but it won't be happening here. And yes this does feel very like a DM journalist scratching around!

I would for my mum's carer

But surely that would be unethical? There’s a limited supply so it should go to those who need it most first.

Yes and I would pay up to £100

@emptydreamer
What country is that??
I haven’t managed to locate it privately.

What does already having had covid have to do with having the vaccine @HairyToity ? Sorry you had it. Hope you're all ok now.

Yes I would pay. Given the Oxford vaccine is under £20 to produce I wouldn't expect it to be exploited but I'd be very happy to pay. As long as there's enough first for NHS and school staff.

We paid £130 a few years ago to have dd vaccinated against chicken pox, so not against going private.

I think as a family, we would probably pay for me to be immunised, I work in childcare/early years and we have been completely forgotten about in all of this. There’s a lot of shouting about teachers being at risk, but no one ever says anything about nursery staff and childminders putting themselves at risk every day to keep parents working/economy running. So, if it meant I could be safer while working, yes, I’d pay to be vaccinated.

Dhs job is much safer. His company (Manufacturing) have pulled out all the stops And there have been very few outbreaks compared to a similar factory 10 miles away from his that has had to isolate lots of teams over the past few months.
As the vaccine isn’t licensed for dc, it makes no difference if I’d pay for it or not. It hasn’t been proved safe for dc, so I wouldn’t pay for them to have it even if I could.

Honestly yes we would, if it was available privately. I don’t believe it should be, I just know that if it was possible we would do it.