Vaccine queue jumping making me feel angry

[Snog]

SIL has been vaccinated already- she is a healthy 40 year old, works from home, no caring responsibilities.

It's made me feel surprisingly angry. I'm not clear how she managed it at this point. On a personal level I like SIL so am pleased for her but god I feel angry at the injustice.

I know some people have picked up "spare" doses but surely even the spare doses should be managed according to health priorities? Eg at least finding someone in groups 1-9 to vaccinate if not in groups 1-4.

AIBU to feel angry about this?

How do you know she's fit and healthy, OP? Maybe she's got something going on that she doesn't want to tell you about.

Or maybe she heard on local media that there was an open session of vaccination and anyone could go. They did that in Cornwall the other day and two friends of mine went expecting to be turned away because they're under 70 and don't have any major risk factors. They were vaccinated after waiting for 90 minutes.

The more people vaccinated the less covid in circulation. Jabbing the healthy will indirectly benefit the vulnerable.

Managing spare vaccine isn't as easy as people make it sound

Come on, mumsnetter would have all this fixed in a jiffy if matt hancock only thought to post here rather than ask his team of experts. Who know nothing compared to you average mumsnetter.

A poster on a similar thread actually thought sheltered housing occupants could get to a vaccine centre quicker than the police. Because the police would have to check who came in by car, phone them, find out if they’re working, and if they could get to a centre.

Not as if the police have some sort of system where they can get officers to a destination within minutes...

But I’m very glad they are finding a way of using up spares, rather than them getting chucked. I wonder how much wastage there is still though.

My own SIL has arranged to take her mother for her vaccination and has deliberately asked for the last appointment of the day so that she can have a vaccine if there are any left over.

what on earth is the problem with that?

I’m having mine at the weekend. Very surprised but it was offered to all the volunteers I work with.

@Snog

My point is it's not hard to find someone in groups 1-9 for a spare dose.

Yes it is often hard to find someone in those groups that can be contacted and get to the site in time. Often the elderly and vulnerable are not able to get there unaided.

Often the time limit is very short, not enough time to ring and get someone there before the vaccine needs to be discarded so grabbbig whoever is nearby is the best way to avoid wastage.

Surely it's the case that her vaccination may have some at the cost of someone else's life?

The majority of people don’t catch Covid and those that do the majority survive even in the oldest age groups. That is insane to say she may have cost some ones life.

@Snog

It was a "spare " dose at the end of the day

So what's the problem then? The sooner we all get the vaccine, the better. The spare doses would go in the bin otherwise. So they're going to give them to whoever they possibly can - as it's better than them being thrown away. There isn't always the time at the end of a long and tiring day to try and work out who is the next in line - plus you're better off asking someone who isn't even currently on the radar, as lots of people who are 'next' in the queue will already have appointments, so that confuses things, and the groups being offered the vaccine at the moment contain elderly and vulnerable people who might not be able to run out of the house at a moment's notice to get there before closing time.

@RaspberryCoulis it takes nothing to be gentle with your words, lest we forget there's a real person behind these posts?

My neighbour is volunteering at our local surgery/health centre with the vaccinations and they had spare vaccine at the end of the session. 3 people got it:

• my neighbour
• a cleaner who had just arrived for her evening shift
• someone who had just arrived at the attached pharmacy to pick up a prescription!

If you want the jab, hang around pharmacies at 5.40/ 6pm!!

@StephenBelafonte

My own SIL has arranged to take her mother for her vaccination and has deliberately asked for the last appointment of the day so that she can have a vaccine if there are any left over.

what on earth is the problem with that?

Pretty cheeky!

It's made me feel surprisingly angry.

I was the same last week, and will be again if all these vaccinated people get to go on a summer holiday with their vaccination certificates, and I get stuck on this bloody rainy grey island.

But then I got over it a bit and realise that it's best for more people to be vaccinated than not, even if they don't 'deserve' it (in my non-immunologist opinion).

The only reason I was angry was because of the holiday thing, and that's not even a THING yet. So, just another irrational lockdown emotion that should be dealt with.

This is a mammoth logistical and administrative challenge. Unless there is clear evidence of absolute corruption in the prioritisation process our only job is to turn up when asked with the minimum of fuss, avoiding cancellations or unnecessary phone calls, both of which slow the roll out down and potentially waste vaccines.

Every one person vaccinated is one more less to do. Any could have got covid.

At our gp surgery (it’s a vaccine hub) you can be put on a reserve list, I was told that one vial of vaccine has for example 6 doses in and has to be used within 6 hours of opening, if at the end of the day someone hasn’t shown up to their appointment (for whatever reason) they have to then throw away that dose of vaccine if it’s not used within the time frame, so I would rather it goes it ANYONE’S arm than in the bin. That’s one more person walking around in our society that has been vaccinated! They said before they used a reserve list sometimes 20 doses of vaccines at the end of the day were being put in the bin, so I don’t care who gets it I would prefer that, than it being chucked away!

@BabyBee93

*@RaspberryCoulis* it takes nothing to be gentle with your words, lest we forget there's a real person behind these posts?

Sorry mum.

When someone is being clearly ridiculous, they need to be told they are being clearly ridiculous. Which OP was.

If a GP’s surgery have a few extra doses I think they should vaccinate whoever is available. If there are lots of extra doses they should try to give them in priority list but not for a limited number with v short shelf life. It would be wrong to waste extras.

It was a "spare " dose at the end of the day

Then it would have gone in the bin. It wasn't at anyone elses expense.

If they aren't used by a certain time, they have to be binned. If you are half an hour away from binning it, its far far better to put it in someone, anyone. You don't have time to assess and find someone more needy.

@RaspberryCoulis bet you're a hoot at parties

The vaccine has to be used once prepared. Many GPS are making a list of those patients who live very close to the practise and can get there fast if there is leftover vaccine but some doses will end up eg in the arms of those that just happen to be in the pharmacy next door to the surgery. Better used than binned.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/great-canadian-gaming-ceo-yukon-covid-vaccines-1.5886734

If you want to be outraged, people like these ^ deserve your ire.

The whole population needs to be vaccinated.
The quicker we can get it all done, the better.
Who is to say that an older person will not survive it? (I've met plenty of them) and that a younger person with no underlying conditions will be fine? (Plently have not been, sadly.)
Do you not get that if more of the herd is immune it's better for all of us?
Be angry about something worthwhile, like those who will refuse the vaccine due to believing conspiracy theories.

it seems to be luck if youre there at the end of the day

they cant go round ringing people up waiting another hour to vaccinate someone when there are people already there/waiting for relatives

You don't necessarily know why someone is invited for the vaccine, though. On top of my main job I do a second job which I don't discuss with many people for confidentiality reasons, but through which I am being vaccinated next week. I am not telling anyone I am getting vaccinated, because on the surface it will look like I have queue jumped, but I can assure you I haven't. To be honest OP I understand how you feel, but in the end, the more people get vaccinated the safer we all are, and if there are vaccines going spare and they use them up on anyone they can easily contact, there's not really any harm done. My parents are 75 and are being vaccinated this weekend so they are clearly working their way very efficiently through the lists. I think you can't judge because you do not have all the information about anyone else's situation.

@Snog

Surely it's the case that her vaccination may have some at the cost of someone else's life?

No that's not the case at all.

You are behaving as if everyone who gets covid dies. We know 1/3 don't even have symptoms at all including some elderly.

So they have a spare dose at end of the day and you think they can just drag some 85 year old out of the house at 2mins notice ? Not going to happen is it ?

Best it gets used . I don’t see the problem.