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?

Please don't feel guilty. I am so glad to read teachers x2 have been able to have the vaccine no1. Hoping you are offered vaccine x2 in a timely fashion.

I'm reminded of how some airlines used to deal with the issue of no shows... by deliberately overbooking flights on the assumption that not everyone would turn up. This reduced the number of empty seats, but every now and again everyone WOULD turn up for their booked flight... so some poor sods get bumped from a flight they had booked!
Do people think they should take a similar approach with vaccines? It would minimise the number of spares left at the end of the day. But would be awful for the elderly and cev turned away from their scheduled vaccination appointment!

So the much lesser evil is that we accept there will be spares at the end of the day, and that these should go in an arm not the bin.

Better than them wasting it. You're not taking one from someone more in need if the option was they offer it out quickly or it goes in the bin.

I don't begrudge your vaccination at all, honestly I'd have done the same!

But I think the system is wrong GP'S shouldn't be making judgement calls. They should have lists of patients in the same order that the government are prioritising vacinnations.

@PatsyKen

Yes *@Eccle80* apparently they’ve managed to do loads of police in last few weeks with extra doses. Thanks all - I just feel bad for those who won’t get it for so long.

My dn is a policemen in the met and these vaccines were refused for them from above as it was treated like a gratuity. They are not allowed to accept the vaccine if offered in this manner.

@Rillington

It shouldn't be up to doctors to call their mates in. There should be a list of people in the next groups they can call. There are plenty of people in Group 6 who need it more than those without health issues.

I can see your point but the time factor is important as well. Maybe the doctor rang OP because he knows that they live nearby, have transport and can be there in ten minutes, compared to the next official person on the list who might need to arrange lifts, might live further away etc.

That's why ours have gone for police, because one person can say "OK, we've got 6 doses- send 6 officers right now" and then the police comms can do the rest.

They should have lists of patients in the same order that the government are prioritising vacinnations.

There needs to be a degree of pragmatism here. Not much point in identifying the ‘most deserving’ if they can’t get there in time or take hours of people’s time to contact them.

Teachers have more of a need than other healthy adults under 40, so I’m supportive of them being called if it’s not that easy to get hold of the CV at short notice.

Do t feel guilty OP. I don't know anyone who if offered would turn it down. And I doubt very much those harping on at you here would either.

I had mine yesterday and feel like shit today but so glad that I'm another one to have had it done. Really hope my DH gets to have one soon - he's a primary school teacher and has been in school every day since half way through lock down one

You were offered one, the vaccinator obviously thought that you were the best chance of getting the vaccine in an arm instead of in the bin, so in that circumstance you absolutely should not refuse! It's not as if you were offered an appointment and booked in ahead of the priority groups, you were given it to avoid it going to waste. But regardless of priority, primary schools are by no means closed, primary teachers ARE on the front line dealing with potentially infectious children every day. They may well be more risky than dealing with adults due to the lack of symptoms and the fact kids don't socially distance. Anyone directly dealing with the public in a critical role should be amongst the first to be vaccinated imo, without them society can't function, so offering surplus doses that would otherwise go in the bin makes sense. Maybe the vaccination center will try the local police station next, or the local supermarket, but in a time critical situation it's what can be done which is important, which won't necessarily be the same as what ideally should be done. Yes, ideally it would be the most vulnerable, but in the absence of that possibility, to give the surplus doses to critical workers makes complete sense. If critical workers can't work because they're ill that helps no one. When the primary school bubble closes because the teacher has Covid, how does that help the doctor/nurse/police parents who rely on them?

Why are teachers being called and not the vulnerable who are next on the list? Why is it ok for NHS GPS to phone a friend??
You feel guilt for a reason and a good one imo.

Every vaccine that is given, is one step closer to us all being safer.

@doublethesarcasm

Why are teachers being called and not the vulnerable who are next on the list? Why is it ok for NHS GPS to phone a friend?? You feel guilt for a reason and a good one imo.

Cause these things are time sensitive. I'd rather a doctor call someone they know can get there in 10 minutes then risk wasting the vaccine. Yes, in an ideal world this would be an issue but it is so it is better to get a jab in the arm of someone the. Letting it go in the bin.

Unurprisingly There is nothing coming up on google search about those 50 teachers demanding vaccines from A&E.

OP I am really pleased for you and hope you are reassured by the overwhelmingly supportive posts that you have nothing to feel guilty for.

As a PP said, better spare vaccines in someone's arm than the bin and better than overbooking meaning elderly and cev travelling and waiting for a vaccine that may not be available.

I agree it would be better if there was an official wait list and policy, but there's not.

You and your partner will now be far less likely to transmit it to the children you teach and their families. That is an excellent result.

Not a fan of a system that means a GP has to call an acquaintance, that sounds disorganised. But I do think having a list of frontline workers (teachers, police, bus drivers) they can call for leftovers is a good idea. So same difference in the end!

Why are teachers being called and not the vulnerable who are next on the list?

How do you know they weren’t called?

This is not down to you. This is down to poor planning-they should have people in the current priority groups ready to go if there are spares at the end of the day.

Despite posters moaning about this, on the whole the roll out is a fantastic achievement. I speak as one of those who is next on the list and in theory that teacher stole my jab.

@doublethesarcasm

Why are teachers being called and not the vulnerable who are next on the list? Why is it ok for NHS GPS to phone a friend?? You feel guilt for a reason and a good one imo.

As stated, because presumably the Dr KNEW their circumstances and KNEW that they could get there very quickly.

I am also a teacher but wouldn't be a good person to ring in those circumstances because i have small children. My mum wouldn't be because she is recovering from an operation and can't drive. My parents in law wouldn't be because they live a thirty minute drive out of town along country lanes. My sister wouldn't be because she works shifts.

In the time it would have theoretically taken to ring all of us to no avail, someone else could have been in and vaccinated. I'm better off making an appointment when it is my turn.

@Bilgepumper

Despite posters moaning about this, on the whole the roll out is a fantastic achievement. I speak as one of those who is next on the list and in theory that teacher stole my jab.

I don’t think most people would disagree. It’s surprising that the emergency call list isn’t a bit more fairly done though. It shouldn’t be “ring your friends”.

@Gt345 I have tried the national link several times for both my mum and myself but maybe as we don’t have a large hub anywhere near us it won’t let either of us book an appointment.

Postcode lottery.

It shouldn’t be “ring your friends”.

They didn’t ring a 28 year old marketeer working from home since March, in fairness. So I don’t think that’s accurate.

If we're not relying on a "ring your friend" type scenario, we're looking at all vaccine centers having a up to date list of who's a priority AND who can definitely get there at very short notice. As has been said, the clinic can't really risk wasting time ringing loads of people. I imagine the number of people who fall into that category, and are known to the clinic, is quite small. We're over a month into this now, maybe those people have already been done in similar surplus vaccine circumstances before now?

@TheKeatingFive

It shouldn’t be “ring your friends”.

They didn’t ring a 28 year old marketeer working from home since March, in fairness. So I don’t think that’s accurate.

They rang teachers they knew.

Those doctors should never have been put in that position.

I wouldn't turn down a vaccine offered to me and I wouldn't begrudge someone else who did - but I do wish all those in charge of vaccine centres would agree to keep a waitlist of local people who are in the higher categories like over 65s or moderately vunerable and call them for last minute vaccines if they are available.

Don't feel guilty OP, the posters who say you should would obviously rather see vaccines been binned because some stupid principle.

I live 5 minutes drive from my GP surgery. If they called me and asked if I could get there as they had left over vaccines I'd be there like a shot, I wouldn't be quizzing them on who they'd asked first!

One question for anyone involved in vaccinating, if someone like the OP has a vaccine they aren't 'entitled' to, what happens about the second dose? Are they given the next appointment in the normal way?

My dn is a policemen in the met and these vaccines were refused for them from above as it was treated like a gratuity. They are not allowed to accept the vaccine if offered in this manner.

More poor management by the Met.