Surely Doctors and Nurses should be Vaccinated before anyone else

[Notmoresugar]

I find it unbelievable they are not on the first TOP priority list.

If they get very ill or die - the rest of us won't stand a chance.

They're physically struggling as well and probably more susceptible to catching it.

Where on earth is the logic - and who is responsible for this ridiculous decision?

Before I get a bashing - of course ALL lives matter, but all NHS staff are on the front line fighting this bloody war and have to wait for 'weapons' to help them!!?.

@RosesAndHellebores a lot of NHS staff are doing a mixture of wfh and clinical work.
Sounds like different times for different trusts.
I get mine tomorrow as it’s essential clinical staff and I’m a mixture of wfh and clinical contact.

RosesAndHellebores . They are working hard from home with lots of telephone contact. Having the vaccine enable to get back to home visiting. Same if teachers get prioritised. They would be able to get schools open again.

Well let's hope all NHS staff who have it are back at work full time as soon as it's effective.

Sorry @marbeth couldn't resist. 26 years on am still gobsmacked at the jobsworth attitude of my hv team.

I know of 3 nurses, a consultant & a paramedic - all vaccinated & another nurse getting it this week. We were discussing how the NHS is getting vaccinated so quickly here when it's not like this elsewhere, (care homes being done quite fast too). I think it's because here in NI we have had the worst waiting lists & most pressure on the NHS so less wiggle room for more cases before we collapse

Glad to hear the hv's might be doing even a little work @marbeth wink

Haha! I'm sure some are good, but yet to meet one.

My mum is NHS patient facing, and had hers last week

Completely agree, anyone who steps foot on a covid ward for work should have been at the very top of the list.
I would put other key workers right after them as well.
A frontline doctor friend of mine (unvaccinated) was telling my how her elderly aunt (vaccinated) was saying how she wished her niece could have had her vaccine as the aunt never leaves the house anyway and is fine were she is and not in danger from the virus anyway.

It must depend on the trust. When they started the vaccine rollout in Dec, our trust began vaccinating vulnerable staff straight away. I was hoping that I'd get one maybe end of Jan / early Feb. It's now been rolled out to everyone, I had mine earlier in the week.
Over 10% of the workforce in our trust are off at the moment and we are on our knees, so the vaccinations are essential. But I do agree with the over 80s being priority 1.

Agree, and I'd like to think if I were in my 80s upwards I'd think the same.

They are being pretty much. Them and the very vulnerable older people who are highly likely to need hospitalisation if they get covid.
Lots of doctors and nurses I know already had it.

My mum is a nurse and is 70. No vaccines available in their area until next week at the earliest. I think it is varying hugely from area to area.

Front line nhs staff and no sign here.
A AND E staff done first day.. The same A and E dept where any suspected covid are not taken.. There is a covid area for that... Yes them

Agree and since so much transmission happens in hospitals this would also protect the patients they come into contact with to some extent.

In Israel, if there are left over doses at the end of a day of vaccinating anyone can turn up and take a jab so that none are wasted. Using any left over jabs for healthcare staff or anyone who works in a healthcare setting in this way would make sense if we're not already doing so.

@Chessie678

Agree and since so much transmission happens in hospitals this would also protect the patients they come into contact with to some extent.

In Israel, if there are left over doses at the end of a day of vaccinating anyone can turn up and take a jab so that none are wasted. Using any left over jabs for healthcare staff or anyone who works in a healthcare setting in this way would make sense if we're not already doing so.

That's been happening at my workplace.

@Chessie678

Agree and since so much transmission happens in hospitals this would also protect the patients they come into contact with to some extent.

In Israel, if there are left over doses at the end of a day of vaccinating anyone can turn up and take a jab so that none are wasted. Using any left over jabs for healthcare staff or anyone who works in a healthcare setting in this way would make sense if we're not already doing so.

This is happening. Two of my colleagues (GP surgery) we done a few weeks ago when a the next town over was vaccinating (part of the 1st wave) and had a few (6) left over at the end of the day. They just called round local surgeries and anyone who could get there within the hour was given one. Since, we've been offered vaccines at a larger hub an hour away, manager had to send a list of who wanted it. Some of my colleagues got them that way, I was invited for the next day but couldn't as I was working, another colleague still hasn't been invited. But we're both due to join the hub starting in our surgery town next week and expect we may get them then if there's any doses left over (we're told to book 900 but as you can often get 6 doses from a vial rather than 5, there may be some left though we will prioritise the patients first as they are 80+ and more vulnerable).

@HighHeelBoots

They aren't prioritised in my area. We are all still waiting whilst the over 80s are getting their jabs The average age of person in hospital has dropped considerably Imo those who have to mix to work and keep the country moving, including teachers and supermarket staff, should have been the priority

100% agree

@Norah8

A&e staff makes sense surely, they have such a high turn over of people coming in and out, patients waiting for 6 hours all sat in one waiting room etc

All my doctor friend have been vaccinated by there being spare at the end of the day and being allowed it

They aren't prioritised in my area. We are all still waiting whilst the over 80s are getting their jabs

You might still be waiting, bit your priority is set nationality, so yes they are prioritised. But logistics of delivery is an issue. Nationally, about 25% of the over 80s have been done, but not figure yet released on proportion of NHS staff. But they are clearly receiving it in large numbers.

There's sod all point in moving to occupational priorities (other than care/NHS) until we are off Alert 5. Unless you want longer lockdown and no treatment for anything non-covid for a long time (even those is critical incidents and major accidents can't get care when hospitals are abslotely full, and UCLH bod on the news was warning last night that his hospital was only 7 days from that. The national picture is slightly more optimistic at 14 days. We need to get those most vulnerable protrcted asap.

Nationally it's patchy. And it's enraging when you're going onto covid wards every day and then hear things like this: "My friend who works in the NHS but isn’t on the front line was done before Christmas."

Can I just point out that not all staff are NHS. Some work for private companies doing NHS services, yet they don’t get offered the Covid jab.