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!

OMG OP really??!! There has been many many things we have got wrong during the past year but so far the vaccine roll out is something we are doing well. Small things which I would call hiccups like what the OP has said are to be expected , after all this is a HUGH undertaking. If it was reported that take up was less than 50% or thousands of vaccines had perished for some stupid reason then that would be a major cock up IMO

It's a self selecting sample but I don't think we had any DNA from the c1200 Pfizer vaccine-recipients and I'd need to check but I don't think any of the 'oldies' we've contacted have told reception they don't want the vaccine. No anaphylaxis or 'anaphylaxoid' reactions and no questions about Bill Gates' chips either or sterility. None of the 80+ needed to decline due to be being pregnant or breast-feeding either.

It’s disgusting and shameful that so many seem gleefully looking for any excuse to justify their faux emotional outrage on SM, and to attack the government or Boris. 🙄
So toxic and corrosive.

How exactly would you do it? I'm sure you would get it 100% right first time and fast.

PS I am no fan of our government handling of anything here, I do just get quite fed up of people constantly complaining when actually I do believe the people sat trying to co-ordinate it all are doing the best they can at this stage.

Also if I was getting my jab I'd drive wherever I needed to if it was going to potentially save my life.

Notice these poor confused 80 year olds have plenty of friends and family who can contact the papers... Can any of them drive?

And the entitled people who expect the world to revolve around them and their particular circumstances.🙄

@Viviennemary

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.

If a freezer failed, its not a 'cock up'. The word you require here is 'mistake' or 'error' - not cock up!

I'm so sick of all this negativity.

@leopardspotsdotdotdot absolutely agree, some people seem to want failure/obstacles. Schools were an example of this and the constant comparison to New Zealand is wearing.

I worry that the vulnerable will catch it from family giving them a lift on a long car journey. We are at least 2 hours from a hub, 4 hours round trip. Many over 80s would find that a long way to drive themselves. Also a risk to mix carers and families in the hubs.

@VaTeLaverLesMains

I worry that the vulnerable will catch it from family giving them a lift on a long car journey. We are at least 2 hours from a hub, 4 hours round trip. Many over 80s would find that a long way to drive themselves. Also a risk to mix carers and families in the hubs.

If your relatives are two hours from a hub, they won’t be offered a vaccine there. They need to be within about 40 minutes of one. My elderly parents, late 80s, haven’t been offered a vaccine and they live too far from any of the hubs, so won’t be offered it there either.

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.

That's not a cock up. A cock up would be if someone had forgotten to turn it on or left the lid open, not it failing. FFS.

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.

Agree. They must be awful company in real life!

It's very striking that this thread follows a day or two after one saying vaccination centres should be open 24/7.

Lots of people saying that of course they'd travel anywhere, at 3am, to have their shot. And a few, obviously experienced at trying to book patients, saying that people simply would not come.

And now it appears that a 30-40 minute journey in daylight hours is enough of a barrier to access to be headline news as a failure of the vaccine programme. What hope of the 3am appointment?

I reckon it's a miracle we have vaccines at all, and brilliant that mass distribution is starting to be rolled out.

We are doing the best vaccination programme in Europe and maybe the world and someone still complains get off your ass and go and help if it pisses you off

I reckon a fair few of these inconvenienced people would travel longer and farther to get to the airport or cruise terminal for a holiday....

I expect OP wants everyone to receive the vaccine in their own home at a time of their suiting, and the option to cancel at the last minute if they don’t feel like it, and be rescheduled immediately whenever they do. Oh, and perhaps be paid to be vaccinated too. And guaranteed appearance in the Daily Mail sad face slot if the vaccination hurts a little bit...

And now it appears that a 30-40 minute journey in daylight hours is enough of a barrier to access to be headline news as a failure of the vaccine programme. What hope of the 3am appointment? How many of the people saying they would go for a vaccine at 3 am were over 80? I'm nearly 70 and I'd go at 3 am, my aunt late 80s with dementia wouldn't be able to.

I'm not sure you understand that the issue is these elderly people were worried that they would be kicked to the back of the queue if they turned this down. Would it be such a big effort for whoever is responsible for this to say, "We regret the confusion caused by our letter, we would like to make it clear that if you are unable to attend at the centre you will still be offered a vaccine locally very soon."

Not hard is it.

It’s disgusting and shameful that so many seem gleefully looking for any excuse to justify their faux emotional outrage on SM, and to attack the government or Boris. And I think it is disgusting and shameful that the most vulnerable have been thrown under the bus again. It is being reported that 1 in 10 of the elderly in care homes have had a vaccination, one third of the over 80s in the community. Top priority according to JCVI. When these elderly, vulnerable get a letter about vaccines at a centre that will be difficult for them to get to they have the cheek to worry that it will mean they won't get a vaccination if they don't make that journey. God forbid that someone couldn't have thought of that and made it clear or at the very least acknowledge it is an understandable concern.

they’ve had to pull this together out of a contingency plan that was planned years ago for an imaginary virus without specifics (like unstable vaccines that need -70).
If this is the worst cock up there is with the vaccine roll out, we’ve done fucking well.

Yes they've only had 10 months to plan for it.

We've got a vaccine hub on our estate but people who live here are expected to travel 3 miles away instead. It doesn't make sense for people who at 80+, lots have decided to not bother because of this & the fact there isn't a direct bus service.

So people are not willing to travel 3 miles to get the vaccine or is that a typo and its 30?

I agree it’s a concern, and a problem that needs ironing out....but disagree that amounts to the ‘throwing under the bus’ hyperbole.

Perhaps working in a care home and having a close relative in another care home gives me a different perspective BolloxtoGender. I think you will find many people working in care feel they have been thrown under the bus. It is only a concern to you which must be nice.

We re not even discussing the same things.

I think we should all be very greatfull to be here in the U.K. as the vaccine is rolling out. I know I am as I are my elderly parents too.

Don't assume all 80+ are immobile or shielding. In normal times Thousands still drive themselves to golf every other day, or to Clubs, or lunches etc etc and are well capable of getting themselves to a vaccination centre. Roth catching these people and getting them done asap, allowing for more vulnerable non-mobile oldies to get theirs done closer to home.

@ancientgran

Yes they've only had 10 months to plan for it.

This is so glass half empty it’s all bare.

We’ve rolled out a vaccine to millions already in under a year. Do people skip over the remarkable to get to the tiny criticism?