Guilt over getting vaccine

[PatsyKen]

DH and I are both teachers. We got a call an hour who from a doctor acquaintance who was doing covid jabs today and they had quite a few spare so they were all contacting teacher contacts to see if they get down to the vaccine centre ASAP. We live 10 minutes away so went immediately. I feel guilty! I feel bad I’ve jumped the queue when we’re in good health. We both are in daily contact with lots of children (I look after Y1/2 key worker kids rather than online teaching) but I feel almost embarrassed to have got it. Would you feel bad? Should I not have taken it?

‘The vaccine comes in 6 or 8 dose bottles. If all the doses are not used within a certain time the go to waste’

Also Astra Zeneca comes packed in 10 or 8 dose vials, the 10 dose vials always have an 11th dose of drawn up carefully using ‘dose sparing’ syringes to avoid wastage, they often have a 12th or occasionally even a 13th dose in them (and I’ve heard a report of a 14th).
It took a few vaccination sessions before we were confident to book patients based on there being 11 doses/vial but you don’t know if there is a 12th until you’ve given the 11th and try drawing it up, then to ensure the dose is used we need to look at the lists and try to contact the next people in line to see if they can come in at very short notice, repeated again for the 13th dose if there is one.
All needs to be done within 6 hours of the vial first being punctured and in time for staff to get home at the end of the day.
We have managed to get patients in the appropriate groups so far but I can completely see that it wouldn’t always be possible and it is definitely preferable for vaccine to go in anyones arm over going in the bin!

To those saying GPs had 'months to prepare' - you didn't notice that practices were focussing on how to safely roll out their flu vaccinations in the latter half of last year? They really didn't have time to sit and plan for what at that time, was only a possibility of a covid vaccination. This thing has moved at an incredible speed and the UK has done an incredible job of delivering the vaccination programme. Obviously there will always be people who want to criticise, as usual, but those of us involved will continue to work at pace to get it done - rather than sit moaning and complaining about everything

@pearpickingporky84 that’s interesting. Even more surprised that OP’s friend and his colleagues had sufficient time to go down their contacts identifying only teachers, contacting them and inviting them in within the time frame...

It’s only since the vaccines have been released that they realised they could get additional doses out of them so no, they didn’t have months to prepare.

And frankly, they’ve enough to be doing.

But certain people aren’t happy unless they’re moaning about something.

'you know if you ring up a couple of teachers you know that will answer their phones straight away, get to the surgery pronto '

Oh how lovely. I'd have thought those over 60 or in the CEV group were equally as able to answer their phones and get to a surgery 'pronto' though?

Practice managers, GPs, primary care networks etc etc etc should have forseen this and absolutely said that family and friends should not be rang until priority groups have been vaccinated. In the early days in the absence of the exact vaccine details they should have worked on having systems in place for contacting those at short notice as needed. Well, they have them in place just apparently teachers answer their phones and over 60s don't 🙄.

@TheKeatingFive I'm presuming some of the lockdown martyrs are now turning into vaccine martyrs.

But certain people aren’t happy unless they’re moaning about something.

Yep. As always.

Incidentally how is vaccination in the rest of Europe going?

Total shitshow in Austria right now, and very similar in Germany as well. Vaccination rate is just 2% with extreme shortages and constant conflicting information that changes by the day. The media are waging witch hunts against people who, like OP, ended up getting the vaccine earlier for whatever reason. Instead of blaming the government who orchestrated the shambles, they are turning citizens against each other and publicly naming and shaming individuals who have had the audacity to accept a spare vaccine ahead of their turn. Due to fear of repercussions, one nursing home actually binned 30 doses of Pfizer but that generated even more media hate frenzy.

Unfortunately it's currently turning in a situation where Pfizer/Biontech is running very low so the majority of the population are looking at AZ or Sputnik. There's a lot of resistance against AZ due to unproven effectiveness against mutant strains plus the whole licensing issue for under 65s. Sputnik of course was treated as a joke by the government when it first came out but due to the utter incompetence of the EU handling other vaccines, it's now become a realistic option. Neighbouring Serbia and Hungary are using Sputnik and getting much further ahead with their vaccine programs than Austria & Germany.

I have an acquaintance living in Luxembourg on FB who is very vocal about the situation there. Apparently it's even worse, which is mind-boggling considering their insane wealth and tiny population of 630K.

Frankly, I think the UK has done a fantastic job with their vaccine programs. The fact that people can book their appointments through GPs and actually got them speedily is amazing. Most of Europe is still stuck at 2% and were forbidden to negotiate their own contracts with the manufacturers. We know some people genuinely considering trips to Dubai or Israel since money doesn't play a role and they simply want to have the better vaccine within a reasonable time frame.

Please don't feel guilty OP It's not like you turned up and demanded the vaccine ahead of someone more "deserving".

If that dose would have gone to waste anyway because if a no-show or whatever reason then it's better in your arm than in a bin if you can get there quickly. I'm hoping to get my invitation soon as I'm in the next group - fingers crossed! 🌹

@rookiemere

I'm sure there could be a fairer system. Perhaps we should halt all vaccinations whilst a government task force comes up with what it should be and implements it nation wide, with the systems changes and training to support it.

Or perhaps we accept that the health professionals are already working long hours to get this rolled out amazingly fast and stop quibbling over fractional doses of the vaccine.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Don’t you just love Mumsnet?
We’ve now got vaccines that will save lives yet here we are still moaning and whinging.

Delivering temperature/time sensitive vaccines must be a logistical nightmare so I think we all need to shut the fuck up and wait for our call.

(I have a low tolerance for selfish/whiny crap today).

@WeLoseTheEdge absolutely and add to that vaccines that are being rolled out in UK at amazing speed as well.

As I said upthread I could understand the angst of there was a shortage of vaccines or plan to roll out to all the vulnerable groups was going to take many months, but neither of those things are the case. Also every dose of the vaccine given will reduce prevalence of covid-19 in general society.

Indeed. But then, on Mumsnet, a lot of posters appear to be never happy unless they're moaning about something.

Don't get me wrong. I'm incredibly impressed and grateful for the speedy rollout. However, there's a vast difference between offering the leftover vaccines to emergency services & vaccine volunteers, compared to some people who happen to be mates of a doctor. That's the crux of the problem.

The vaccine roll-out has been going so smoothly, compared to other initiatives where the government has just given the contract to their cronies. We've had enough of that nonsense. It's morally wrong. I know that. You know that. Let's not do it.

For those saying extra vaccines should be offered to the over 70s and ECV - it's these people that have failed to turn up to / haven’t booked their appointments leaving some spare doses!

Having been pilloried in some areas of the press in the beginning of vaccine programme for having elderly / vulnerable people queuing outside for long periods of time, it’s not been a good idea since to over book, in case they do all turn up and you end up with a queuing in the snow scenario again.

Therefore clinics will book the number available and if people fail to turn up, get hold of whoever is available soonest as it’s usually at the end of a session they know for sure they have left overs, and they can’t be hanging around waiting on people who can’t get there immediately as they need to go home and get some rest! (I’ve done 8+ hours as a volunteer, one clinic supervisor was doing min 14-16 hr days, so that extra half hour whilst someone elderly / vulnerable organises accessible transport etc just isn’t possible!)

As a result I’ve had my first dose, and I’m not in one of the first groups officially, but they were desperate for it not to go to waste, so volunteers are asked if they would please have it so it’s used sensibly and no one is left waiting into their 19th or 20th hour of work for those higher on the list to get to them.

They were also not allowed to proactively book those in the next 2 groups until earlier this week, despite lots of clinics asking to be allowed to as they’d finished doing as many in first 2 groups as they could get hold of, so giving it to random’s on short notice was the only way to ensure doses weren’t wasted.

Don't feel guilty at all. They would have to be binned if they were not used as they can't be refrozen. If it wasn't you it might have been 28 year old Wayne from the estate instead. Everyone will get a vaccine in the end,

@chocolateorangeinhaler

Don't feel guilty at all. They would have to be binned if they were not used as they can't be refrozen. If it wasn't you it might have been 28 year old Wayne from the estate instead. Everyone will get a vaccine in the end,

What an odd comment. What if dear Wayne from the estate happened to live on “the estate” with his group 6 problems ?!

@PatsyKen

DH and I are both teachers. We got a call an hour who from a doctor acquaintance who was doing covid jabs today and they had quite a few spare so they were all contacting teacher contacts to see if they get down to the vaccine centre ASAP. We live 10 minutes away so went immediately. I feel guilty! I feel bad I’ve jumped the queue when we’re in good health. We both are in daily contact with lots of children (I look after Y1/2 key worker kids rather than online teaching) but I feel almost embarrassed to have got it. Would you feel bad? Should I not have taken it?

Don't feel guilty - they were spare - no point wasting them. Local police are offered them at the end of the day here at the local hub. They want to use all the doses up so if people can get there by end of the day then why not.

There are always some who book a slot and then don't turn up. There are spaces that haven't been filled. The more that are vaccinated the more it protects everyone else.