1st cock up in vaccination rollout

[CKBJ]

Being reported in the media that many over 80s received their letters yesterday, supposedly those living up to 40mins away from one of the 7 vaccine centres, but when they book appointments they are instructed to travel very far. No where does it state in the letter patients won’t be penalised if they don’t book one at one of the 7 centres and if they wait their gp practice will contact them for a local appointment. This is causing a lot of anxiety in people who are already likely to be shielding and potentially put them at risk by them trying to travel to one of the centres. Surely the letter template should have been reviewed and this issue picked up!

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles vaccine is administered in arm, specifically into the deltoid muscle of the arm I was vaccinated via work and no ill effects, nil. No sore arm, nadda

You're so negative, this is a massive project which has never been done before. There's going to be a few hiccups. Give them a break.

I like the martini analogy. It matches what I've told my parents - we will get them wherever necessary whenever we need to.

Those who dont have support to do that can then get the local spaces.

The staff are clearly well organised and have implemented a huge clinical intervention on a mass scale

Well done and thank you to everyone involved

I’m frontline and it made me feel a wee bit better getting the vaccine. It’s hugely significant.

People need to stop crowing,bellyaching and hovering waiting on something anything to moan about

Surely all they need to do is add a paragraph saying if you don't want to travel to the centre you can just wait until your local GP/service contacts you.

OP, you’re being mean spirited and petty.

Isn’t this what happened when mass testing was rolled out?

I'm not sure I'd see this as a cock up. If you want good news, we're getting 6 doses from almost every vial so legitimately almost 1200 doses from 975 pack. To prevent people getting worried about whether this affects quality - www.gponline.com/pgd-pfizer-biontech-covid-vaccine-updated-allow-six-doses-per-vial/article/1703761

I’ve heard a few Labour left on radio or print trying to spin the negative on this.

What we have us is great so far. Just squash the urge to be the back room critic

Or they could just make it clear that if you can't get to the centre you will still be offered an appointment locally. Not hard to do. I can understand people worrying that if they turn down a chance for an appointment they might go to the back of the queue. Just make it clear.

I have taken on board what people are saying. Just to clarify I appreciate the huge task rolling out a mass vaccination program the largest in history. And how far ahead we are to other European nations.I so want it to be successful, like everyone else desperate to return to “normal”. A neighbour received her letter yesterday 91yr old, her daughter posted a copy of it on our community group chat this afternoon. Her mother was extremely concerned about travelling into Birmingham as her daughter doesn’t drive. If only a sentence/paragraph had been written stating eventually she’ll be called more locally, a community hospital is literally on her doorstep and earmarked to be a “hub”, it would have saved her and others unnecessary worry.

Agree with others who say its not a big cock up.

I'm actually sick of the negative people on this board who moan about everything, think we are doomed for eternity and seem to wait to pick fault in everything.

Sorry cross-stitch

No cross post !

@enjoyingscience thank you for giving up your time to help organise and ensure people can get their vaccine! My DH has been furloughed since March and got approved yesterday

I wish we could hear more positive stories like this than the negativity all the time.

Our local GP surgery isn’t administering the vaccine and relying on a hun (not sure how local it is) The village where we live are organising volunteers to take anyone who can’t get there themselves. Masks on, windows open, bigger cars / mini buses preferred, sit in the back etc., Time to pull together rather than moan!

My Dad got his just before Christmas. He's an insulin dependent diabetic, and is on immune suppressants for rheumatoid arthritis. He was pleased to be offered it so quickly and didn't mind the 20 mile journey to get it.

Only downer was that the person who gave him the jab wasn't wearing gloves, and Dad got a nasty infection on his shoulder about 3 days later where they had pressed their thumb in whilst giving the jab - he's had 2 courses of antiobiotics and the district nurse is having to dress it for him

It's not the first cock up. Loads of vaccines were lost when a freezer failed. Containing those vaccines which had to be stored at a very low temperature.

I mean - got approved to volunteer yesterday! That didn’t make sense - sorry!

Errors at the roll out of an operation on this scale are inevitable. The logistics are beyond challenging. So far, we’re doing remarkably well.

8 month ago there was 'never going to be a vaccine against a corona virus'. Now two are here and more on their way.

Agree with others that it is so tragic people like the OP are sitting just waiting for a 'cock-up' (which I don't believe this is). A cock-up would be tens of thousands of vaccines going to waste.

France was due to have carried out 100,000 vaccines by today. The UK are to be carrying out 200,000 per day next week. I really don't get the feeling @ancientgran that that is last minute at all - to me it shows that plans were drawn up in advance, then adapted and rolled out ASAP on a huge scale, and can only keep improving. I know that volunteers and vaccinators were beginning the recruitment process as soon as it was even suggested that vaccine approval would be imminent. I'm not getting angry any more at people who are whipping up fear at every turn, I'm now feeling very very sorry for people who must go through life focusing on the negative in everything, and not just that, but actively wanting to bring others down by starting and contributing negatively to threads like this.

Can I just say a huge thank you to everyone in the UK involved in this amazing roll out. I am so grateful that my family in the UK are due to be getting there vaccines soon. Can't stand the Conservative gov and especially Boris, and don't get me started on the mess they've made with Education, but I can't find fault with the vaccine roll out.

As someone living outside the UK at the moment, let me assure you that many other countries are looking at the UK and asking why they are not in the same position with vaccines. Every bit of news reported about vaccinations in the UK is positive where I am (although admittedly not much else about the UK is). There's this one thing to be hugely proud of, and people are still not happy. What a depressing way to live.

@Mousehole10

not exactly a huge cock up. Some people are just waiting for every little thing that goes wrong!

Exactly. Any excuse to politicise. These are unprecedented times. There are bound to be slip ups along the way.

It's been on the news multiple times that more sites will keep opening over time, I don't think most people would find it confusing. Best way to help if someone is confused or concerned about anything is to look up info or make a call for them to resolve the issue. My mum is annoyed they don't have their letters yet so she can book, she's happy to drive the 3 of them (1 in bubble) to either hub and back if it can be a week or two earlier. Not sure I can understand the breathless excitement at an "error" that merely invited people to get a vaccine if they can get to a hub easily.

Some overseas are doing really well, I think I've seen Israel and have heard Jersey too. France will be interesting when they seem to be anticipating low take up with their equivalent of vaccine scepticism.

I am no lover of the government but they need to be given a chance my major concern is that with more people travelling there is a risk of an increase in infections.

So, if you are willing to travel you can have your vaccine earlier than if you want to wait to gave one on your doorstep. You're choice. Bloddy hell, how much more do people want.