Will there be a plan for “spare vaccines”?

[Lemons1571]

I understand that vaccine hubs have been giving end-of-day spares to family and friends, if they can get there at short notice. But surely they’ll run out of these “add on” people very quickly? I know our hub had 100 no shows one day last week. Surely there should be something better in place than grabbing a few random passerby's? After all, the government message is “people will die”, so surely there should be some formal procedures to use up the spare doses.

Going from the line snaking around our surgery I can’t imagine there are that many no shows!

Bigwoollyjumpers I know that many places are using random passers by. It's a shambles.
5 of my friends work at hospitals and told me so. 40 of my friends were that passer by. I myself was called in and had the vaccine. Why are you do disbelieving that this is going on?

"I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but OP is insisting it is the norm.
It isn't."

It is in the 5 hospitals I know off. Would you like me to tell you which hospitals those are?

2 are 2 of the biggest hospitals in London. Kxxxx & stxxxxxx.
2 in the outskirts of London, near Wimbledon area.
1 in east London, on the m4.

They have hundreds and hundreds of no shows every single day. Say all the hospitals I know of.

And the nurse who gave me my vaccine.

Why people don't believe this, I have no idea.

Our local council is still working through healthcare staff, but alongside those bookings they asked us to register for a service that texts with short notice appointments if there's a unused vaccine near our postcode. It sort of moves us up the list faster where possible.

Very happy to read the leftovers are being used so well

Oblomov, maybe because you say things like "40 of my friends were that passer by."

I haven't even got 40 people I'd call a friend so the fact that 40 out of your however many friends were passers by to a vaccine hub sounds statistically improbable to me.

@Ch3rish

It might be complicated to administer but could they use the spares to start on the second jab for those who've had their first.

100 no shows sounds a lot, is there an option to say you aren't going to turn up when you get an appointment, that's got to be better than staff standing around not knowing who is going to go each day.

There was an option to decline my appointment when sent through on my phone.

Yes. Now they have more time, have got the routine in place and, in our immediate area, have had to stop because this weekends delivery was rerouted somewhere with higher covid levels who weren't as far through their lists as here is, there are admins working on call lists.

They will differ from place to place as they will work on the local logistics. But they won't willingly waste any!

If people are given them as passers by and so on then are the vaccines being registered on their medical records?

Just wondering as it may become necessary at some point, for some activities to prove that you are vaccinated, also to prevent people being invited who've already had it.

I know that many places are using random passers by.
40 of my friends were that passer by.

So do you mean 40 of your friends were just walking down the street, stood at a bus stop, whatever, and somebody came up to them and offered a covid vaccine? I assume this was at least 20 separate occasions as we're only allowed out in groups of two.

Plus, you're very popular having 40 friends.

I was called up to my GP surgery for a last minute appt. I assume they have a list for the next people they are going to vaccinate and draw from those. Hubs I don't know.

Yes I'm also wondering how it is recorded, both as a one off and also in terms of getting the second jab in the appropriate time scale, does anyone know?

To be clear, I wholeheartedly agree that it is better that anyone, 19 year old random or not, is jabbed than it being wasted, I'm just curious about the logistics of the record keeping.

I volunteered today they offer to key workers

I’ve been a marshal at six covid clinics now, over two weeks and with both vaccines and never seen anyone other than HCAs offered leftover vaccine.

If you get an extra your details are put on the system as you have to give GP details and address etc before you can have it.

You will then get an automatic letter for the second dose when it's time.

My DP is a paramedic and several of his colleagues have got their vaccine this way

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo

If people are given them as passers by and so on then are the vaccines being registered on their medical records?

Just wondering as it may become necessary at some point, for some activities to prove that you are vaccinated, also to prevent people being invited who've already had it.

Yes. Where I work it goes straight on your medical records and you are given a card to keep safe.

Our health board have a form you can fill in for spare vaccines. If you fall into the priority category they are vaccinating currently or maybe the next one down and can get to one of the centres quickly, they will call you if they have no shows. They are only just about to start doing vaccines at doc surgeries, so not sure what they'll do with those spares yet.

Oh dear Ken. Clearly hacked you off.

Does it bother you that I know more than 40 people. Would you prefer if I didn't classify them as friends?

Does it matter if they are people I know, refered to are actually acquaintances?
No. 6 of them are self employed, who all do maintenance in hospitals regularly and were approached. In one hospital. Late one day.

I do know more than 40 people who have been vaccinated this week. Are you disputing that? Why?

I also work for a company, who have 300 ambulance drivers. And deal with 6 hospitals. More actually. And speak to them most days I'm working.
I Do 'know' staff at these hospitals, and have heard direct from vaccination staff themselves.

It's clearly rattled Greenery aswell.
I take it back about the friends. More people I vaguely know.

I was referring to staff in 2 hospitals, who are vaccination staff themselves. They told me on many days it has been shambolic and chaos. It was very panicked. And they approached anyone. Any dept. Any staff around. To ask them to come to be vaccinated.

Plus me! I was phoned. And asked if I could re-return to my the hospital nearest to my work to be vaccinated in the next 20 minutes because they had had so many people not show, that was Monday this week. When I got there the nurse you did me told she told me she had many many non-shows that day as she had had many days that week.

Plus 6 people I vaguely know who are maintenance men and were approached and vaccinated together.

And 40 people I know who weed vaccinated this week. Phoned and asked to attend immediately.

Why do you all disbelieve this ?

*Musicaltheatremum

No shows could be people who have moved away, or are staying as a temporary resident at relatives who get a letter but aren't there to receive it so they don't know about the appointment.

You aren't "given" an appointment. You book it for yourself at a convenient time and location.*

I booked mine (HCP) but DM (over 70 and CV) got sent an appointment so different in different areas. I'm Kent, she's London.

Why do you all disbelieve this ?

I don't. What I didn't believe was that passers by were being stopped and vaccinated. Now you've clarified, it's clear they were neither friends of yours or passers by. I'm getting the feeling English isn't your first language and that might be were the misunderstanding is?

@lunar1

If you get an extra your details are put on the system as you have to give GP details and address etc before you can have it.

You will then get an automatic letter for the second dose when it's time.

Good news. Was a bit worried that we'd end up with a load of people half vaccinated with no proof or knowledge of who.

I don't much care who gets the spares if I'm honest. It would be best if a plan could exist to make sure that the next set of people on the list could be called up so the spares went to the next lot of priority groups. But in a short notice situation where the choice is use them on people available or Chuck them in a bin then they need to just go to whoever's available.

English not first language?🤣
I've been on MN for 20 years and no one has ever accused me of that before.
I'm originally from Devon, my lover!