To propose that vets and dentists should vaccinate people right now?

[Destinysdaughter]

I saw this on Twitter, a vet saying he'd be willing to administer the Covid vaccine and someone else said why not dentist too? May be a bit leftfield, but with cases rising at an alarming rate, why not? I'm sure with a bit of training, these professions could be ideal to help accelerate the vaccination process?

Why can't we just vaccinate ourselves?! I wouldn't mind doing it to myself... Click and collect vaccine, do it in the car at testing sites!

No problem. Tesco has offered its cold delivery network logistics too and Boots it’s pharmacies, no doubt more will offer now. More the merrier.

I'd be more than happy to have my jab given by my vet or dentist but when, exactly, are they supposed to fit in this extra work.

My vets are always busy with their existing patients, even during lockdown, and always need to keep appointment spaces available for emergencies.

Dentists might be a better bet though, as during lockdown my dentists didn't seem to want to see any patients at all.

I imagine they could find time to do the jabs given that it wouldn't involve having to look inside people's mouths.

My 18 year-old DD who is on a gap year has been interviewed for a post to be a volunteer vaccinator for St John Ambulance. She passed the interview and is now waiting for her enhanced DBS check to come through.

Radicalisation training?????

“Now Susan, sharp scratch here, now, while you are here do you have any plans to commit any atrocities this week? No. Excellent. Next!”

Mumoftwoinprimary

“Radicalisation training?????”

Indeed, possibly (probably) the first and last time I have/will agree with PM. It’s ridiculous.

Hell no to dentists. Due to the extensive clean up required after every aerosol procedure appointments with them are scare enough as it is.

As PPs have said - if it's an injection into a muscle why can't we all do it ourselves? I had to when we went through IVF - the first ones were with a sort of trigger syringe which didn't even require you to push it in, I'd have thought they could use those for this?

Even if not - the others where you actually had to push the needle into your thigh were actually very easy once you'd done one. I appreciate it's not something everyone would be comfortable with but if half the population would, that would surely simplify things? Click and Collect? Hell yes!

If additional premesis for vaccinations (and vaccinators) are needed, why not tattoo studios and beauty salons (who do Botox and fillers)? Sterile environments, staff would already have some skills, all currently closed, several on most hightreets.

I took an elderly friend to be vaccinated last week. It took over an hour and involved queuing up like the rides at Disneyland, just when you think you’re at the front, there’s another surprise queue ahead. They had only 4 drs/nurses giving out doses to 100’s of patients. They clearly needed more trained staff. Lots of volunteers directing people where to go though!

I had a bit of tooth fall out 3 days ago & am praying for a soon filling -- I had to go to a very expensive dentist after waiting 4 months this summer for another filling, no idea what my regular dentist can offer now. Hope they can help and were not swooped up by vaccination programme.

I volunteered on the 8/12/20 and have heard nothing. I work in the NHS so would not need all the red tape stuff.
Trouble is the staff who organise this sort of thing have been on Xmas break while the rest of us are contracted to work through the Xmas period. They get the tea boy to ring round all the NHS dental practices to make sure we are not skiving off.

Send the bloody things out in a Jiffy bag and I’ll let my OH (joiner) do us both!

1lbperweek

“Send the bloody things out in a Jiffy bag and I’ll let my OH (joiner) do us both!”

Good grief, common sense. I would walk over coals and swim shark infested waters. I would then happily self-administer into my eyeballs if necessary.

My type-1 diabetic injects thrice daily. He hasn’t attended a diversity course 😱

I would think production, quality checks and logistics are bigger issues rather the number of health are professionals who could administer the vaccine.

Each country in the world wants each vaccine.

“Right then Barbara. Any loss of taste or smell? Any anthrax in your handbag? On you go then, queue number 5 please” 😁

Good idea but vets doing it will be uncomfortable.

You know when they grab the back of your neck

Knowing my luck, I'd show up at the vets and get the guy from the Specsavers ad. He'd pick up the wrong needle and put me to sleep

@165EatonPlace

The list of Professions that NHS England wanted to recruit initially is quite long, approx 15. Doctors, Nurses, Physiotherapists etc. Conspicuous by their absence from the list were Midwives. NHS England has sadly excluded approx 33,000 professionals who regularly give injections.

I’m assuming that’s because there is a shortage of midwives so they don’t want to cause problems by borrowing them? Or is that me being too logical?

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum

Good idea but vets doing it will be uncomfortable.

You know when they grab the back of your neck

At least they're not taking your temperature.

No lyralalala, it's because Midwives are not even on their radar ( they think they are Nurses and haven't a clue what they do.) Many Midwives are not Nurse trained.

You don’t need that many qualifications to be a vaccinator.
I enquired about volunteering to do it as I work for the NHS. Unfortunately the shifts clash with my full time hours and aren’t very flexible so I can’t do it. But if my hospital start doing it at the weekend and allowing us to do shorter shifts also then I will be volunteering!

Never mind the vet, I'd let the vets patients vaccinate me.

I'd be happy to do it myself
Same here.
When I was an au-pair in Italy the mim of the family I worked for (SAHM, not medic:vet etc) got vacccines from the pharmacy to inject the baby.
My son’s friend os a 2nd year medicdl student and has been recruited -side benefit is that he is being immunised first..

You know when they grab the back of your neck

Given that they have to try and get shots into snarling dogs and hissing cats, I suspect vets are particularly skilled at giving vaccines!