Those of you who know about the vaccine rollout.

[Crakeandoryx]

Why are people who are in work taking time off work to help with this when so many are furloughed? I'm talking about stewarding roles that can be done by most people. Surely the country needs people who can work to be working rather than working reduced hours to volunteer (this does not apply to those giving up there own time to volunteer). Furloughed staff could be doing these roles.

Why are people who are not at high risk, not exposed to high viral load, not frontline but back office staff being vaccinated at the moment to use up vaccine doses. Some of these people have recently been infected, survived unaffected and currently have antibodies. While others at serious risk of dying are still waiting, isolated in their homes? Could these doses be given to more appropriate people at very short term notice? Teachers, police etc.

Why are people who live with clinically extremely vulnerable, allowed to volunteer in hospitals if they are generic volunteers without specific skills. This shouldn't be allowed at the moment. Especially with trying to reduce Hospital patients. They are placing their families at risk.

Why are vaccine centres in the north more efficient than the south? I thought this rollout was well planned in advance across the country? Are vaccinations not distributed per head of population of age groups being targeted? If not why not?

I don't understand why these things are happening. I genuinely would like proper answers to these questions.

Oblov thank goodness I'm not alone. I know it's happening. I know it's not right and willy nilly just isn't good enough when so many are suffering and dying. The numbers in Hospital are only going to reduce if the vaccine rollout is aimed at the right groups. One death because of willy nilly distribution just isn't ok. If it was my friend or relative I'd want to know how and why.

The vaccine rollout is huge and people are working so hard. I'm a key worker (back office, critical safeguarding) and utterly I'm exhausted even with the luxury of children with school places (when not isolating) etc. I don't blame anyone for accepting a dose of it offered BUT some of it is not being distributed as advertised and awareness of this needs raising!

Big woolly I didn't realise the plasma trial is inaffective. Can you link it, I'm interested to learn more. Why are people still giving plasma if it's ineffective 🤔. Could staff in these areas not be released into vacation and other healthcare roles?

Whilst it may not be fair to the vulnerable groups it’s a complicated process. Nhs trusts may have got enough doses for all their staff and so those doses need to be used. They may not have access to lists of the general population in each priority group as back ups for left over doses. Vaccinating back room staff still leads to a larger percentage of vaccinated people within the population which will contribute to lowering community spread and less pressure on the nhs (as I’m sure vaccination will reduce transmission and certainly lower viral load).
It’s not perfect but it just needs to be rolled out as quickly as possible in the simplest way.

OP your posts here are really quite unpleasant. It was a very odd decision to decline your vaccine when you have CEV people at home. However that is your choice, I am all about personal choice. If you don't want it, fine, but please don't begrudge others having it.

I have had covid (caught from a patient), but eventually decided to get the vaccine too because if I didn't take it now, I would have to wait until my turn comes up within the general population. I am a midwife and so the women in my care are not being vaccinated routinely, so I feel it is my personal duty to do my bit to reduce the risk to them. So it seemed the right thing to do to get vaccinated. I didn't want to have it as I am still suffering from lingering effects from covid so I was really concerned about whether the vaccine would exasperate that.

I am doing extra shifts to vaccinate in our trust vaccination centre, it is on top of my working hours, so I cannot identify with your concerns around volunteers etc. We don't have any at our centre. It is staffed by redeployed staff and others doing extra bank shifts to help out as they are desperate for staff to keep moving at the fast pace they have been working at.

At this point, people need to stop quibbling over vaccines. The more people we vaccinate, the better for everyone. Remember, it is about creating herd immunity, not individual immunity. We don't get a magic pass letting us 'free' from lockdown just because we have the vaccine. It isn't a reward or a prize. It is everyone doing their bit to try and get life back to normal for us ALL. I often read people on here with views like yours and going on to say no one cares about their occupation etc, that isn't what it is about! People need to see the bigger picture.

Finally, our vaccination centre is for 'trust staff', the GP are currently vaccinating the over 80's in the community. We went into all the care homes and vaccinated all consenting staff and patients in there. So the GPs are left with all the over 80's who are at home and are nearly finished, so will soon be moving onto the over 75's. I think the eventual plan will be to offer appts in our hub for younger more mobile people (there are access issues), but at the moment that isn't happening due to the outcry in England when elderly were invited to the hubs. We can get through 600+ vaccinations every day in our hub, yet we are limited to 'trust staff'. We are getting the pfizer vaccine and GPs are getting the AZ one due to the logistical issues. So we are damn well making sure we use it all up. The trust staff and anyone who falls into care roles are eligible as per JCVI, so we are offering it to anyone who falls into that category. It makes sense because we can get through people really quickly and it will speed up the process of herd immunity in the community. We have been vaccinating all trust staff, dentists, community pharmacy staff, opticians, foster carers, domiciliary carers, staff and older teens in residential homes, staff in SEN schools etc. Everyone we can possibly justify under the heading of care workers.

You might begrudge this op, and most likely you would grumble whatever way we do it.

Personally, I am incredibly proud to be part of the vaccination roll out and feel it has been incredibly successful so far.

I am not in England so cannot comment on your north/south divide comments.

Exactly what @PrivateHall said. And sounds like your trust is operating the same way as ours (also not England).

It's not 'a concern' that health and care staff who you deem to be 'non-critical' are routinely being vaccinated along with their frontline colleagues. For many reasons that have been posted on this site many times.

If you or anyone else doesn't want it, fine, that's absolutely your choice but don't pretend it's an altruistic decision.

A lot of people who are furloughed are volunteering.

Private hall and neon you've taken this the wrong way entirely. It's not a personal begrudge at all. It's a logical overview that just doesn't make any sense to me. A huge gap in the system that needs managing better. I have no problems with the most vulnerable and the most exposed to be vaccinated at the current time. I encourage it, but like I've said time and time again what I have an issue with is people who are neither of these things being vaccinated while not all of group one and only just starting on group two are waiting for vaccinations and appointments. I know it's not free pass card to normality because vaccines only help reduce symptoms but this reduction saves lives. Is this not the whole reason we're all in lockdown? To protect the most vulnerable and give the NHS a fighting chance of helping them recover?

Replies indicate it seems to differ region by region. I don't live with anyone ECV, I have family members who are. I have already had covid (March, not tested but GP confirmed and again in November, positive test). I think I got it second time from my children at school. I work from home and that's not going to change anytime soon. I do not need a vaccine now! I'm not going to die from the current variants of covid. I am still required to isolate if I get it again as are all of us vaccinated or not incase we still spread it. I cannot justify to myself having the vaccine. I will take it with the general population in the summer.

Once again the only reason vaccines seem to be being given out "willy nilly" in some areas is because of DNA's not being backfilled with relevant groups. Thus could be improved!

@Crakeandoryx

Lemon TT who could I report it to? I didn't know this was even an option and it feels so wrong in light of the current climate I feel I must report it.

It depends who you are. You seem to be implying you are a HSC worker. If so then through your employer. If you are a member of the public then via Pals. Both are required to reply to your questions. But you are going to need to be specific about incidents where you know vaccines where offered to people not in cohorts 1-4. They can explain why it happened and how they will prevent it in the future.

Because there is now very clear direction, not even guidance. All sites to hold reserve lists. All people on reserve lists must be from priority cohorts or the next cohort down. No vaccines to be routinely offered to people not in a high cohort. Limited discretion to vaccinate where it would be unreasonable not to do so. For example doing all those in a priority group when doing the housebound or a care home.

Btw, when people don’t take up an offer of a vaccine, the NHS still has to follow them up. That’s at least 3 times and then targeted approaches. Deferring your place in the queue creates more work than taking it.

Thanks Lemon. I will look into it

It would be great if it all could be done in a systematic way going down each priority group in turn very cleanly and everyone booking in on time and turning up for appointments. Our local NHS trust had leftover appointments late one evening which were then offered to health and social care staff for the following morning. This might include back office staff too. If they had not done this there would have been staff waiting round ready to vaccinate but without any customers. They would not have had access to the details of other groups so had to focus on their targets area (health and social care staff) while GP surgeries focus on other groups.

The best thing you can do is get the vaccine when you are offered it. Saves people chasing you up. I have a few minor niggles myself but is now the time for me to raise concerns? Probably not. Let the NHS get on and do their job. There will be time for analysis later.