Who are the 15000 getting second doses?

[Thimbleberries]

I understood that some of the first people to be vaccinated in December were able to get their second doses within three weeks, but that from about the start of January, second doses were postponed for everyone until 12 weeks (give or take a couple of weeks). So none of those people would be eligible yet, and even the mid-December ones wouldn't really be. And yet the daily stats show that second doses have been going up quite a bit this week - there were always a thousand or so (not quite sure who those were, errors, special cases, etc?) but in recent days it's been 12 thousand, 15 thousand etc a day, which seems a huge ramping up. So does that mean late Dec/ early January people are getting their now, 7-9 weeks later?

Locally the second doses are all being booked for nine weeks onwards. I think 12 weeks is the longest duration in between and not necessarily what the wait will be.

Potentially it also makes sense to give second doses of Pfizer whilst we still have the stock to do so.

Yes, I agree it makes sense. I hope that is what will happen here too. So far the surgeries have notices on their website emphasing that they are not allowed to give second doses under orders from government, so don't ask - you'll be contacted closer to the 12 week time.

But if some places are given them at 9 weeks, that would probably fit with the mid-December people starting around now.

Nhs staff

My in laws had the Pfizer jab three weeks ago and don't have a second jab scheduled but are now on a reserve list to be called if people don't show for appointments or if there is left over vaccine. It could be that?

Those are still tiny numbers as a proportion of all jags/jabs though. 12 weeks is supposed to be the maximum, so also probably erring on the side of caution and doing at 9/10/11 weeks in case of supply delays, illness or any other potential issues...

I have my second vaccination booked for mid March which will be ten weeks after the first. They booked the appointment at the first visit. Most nhs staff were vaccinated in hospital hubs before the big vaccination sites were rolled out so they secured the second dose accordingly.

Sorry posted too soon. The hospital hubs will likely shut down and the larger hubs take over as we come out of lockdown and NHS services return to normal. The hospital hubs will need to have a definite end date so they can repurpose the vaccination clinics.

Yes from mid-March I'd expect the numbers to be going up.

I was just surprised to see how many already. And yes, 15,000 a day isn't a lot compared to the half a million first doses, but it's still a surprisingly number for something that we are told is not allowed to be done!

Then again, we are also told that healthy under 50s are not supposed to be done either, and there are reports of that happening too (though I suspect in nowhere near the numbers people think).

However I thought that the penalties for giving second doses were quite substantial for the vaccinators - i.e., losing their license to vaccinate, so I was surprised to see so many. But maybe it does add up with 9 week gaps and enough early/mid dec HCPs having been done.

This shows actual doses given (first and second) by date:

Via: mobile.twitter.com/UKCovid19Stats/status/1362797903400607746

NHS staff working face to face and CEV over 90

oh are those allowed then? That would be enough to explain it. Small numbers, yes, but there aren't any reports of vaccine centres losing licenses for doing it, so it must be allowed for some people at the moment! I remember someone quoted in the news saying that they were simply not allowed to give even spare vaccines that would otherwise be binned as second doses if they didn't want to lose their license, so the government seemed far more worried about that than they did about random healthy younger people accidentally getting it!

They changed the policy about second jabs at the beginning of January. At that point, most of those who were due their second jabs were deferred for 9-11 weeks. They tend not to defer for a full 12 weeks in order to leave a buffer for emergency rescheduling, eg missing appointment because unwell.

So there are plenty of people who were given their first jabs in December who are now due their second jabs. Those figures are perfectly correct.

I had my second dose today. Just shy of nine weeks since my first. Mass vaccunation centre and all second doses today. NHS.

A lot of healthcare workers (myself included) have had second jabs. They have a vaccination centre on the hospital grounds and we quite frequently get calls from them at the end of the day saying they have left over doses which need using. I felt extremely privileged to get mine exactly 21 days apart, wasn't expecting it until April

Just checked with a friend (NHS) who had first jab on 17/12 (?) and who just missed the 3 week cut off. They were told this week that they could book their second, and are having it next week. So 9 weeks to booking reopening, and 10 weeks actual jab spacing.

It makes sense - 12 weeks is an absolute cut off, isn't it? Not just a target.

That's good. I'm glad people are managing to get them, and not having to wait the full 12 weeks. It sounded like the government had been intending to come down very harshly on those who were offering second doses (according the notice on the GP sites etc), presumably because they wanted all resources directed at meeting their Groups 1-4 targets. Maybe now that's done, they won't be as strict anyway, plus it's now time for the earliest groups anyway.

I know of over 90s that had their first dose in December, due next dose in Jan but are still waiting.

Several health care professional friends have had both, Pfizer.

I'm rather cross about this. NHS working in Primary Care so we all got leftover doses as our area began doing the over 80s late December. Our local CCG have decreed that no second doses can be given until week 11, so mid-March. All it is going to take is one missed vaccine delivery and there will be a considerable number of professionals who see patients face to face every day and elderly vulnerable patients out of the 12 week window.
Friends who work for the hospital trusts are all booked in for 9 weeks which seems far more sensible

The ones I know having second doses are NHS and care workers - some care workers already had second dose

Im applauding this

I had mine the second week of January and have had a message this week with an appointment for my second vaccine next week. It will be six weeks (and a day) after the first. I work in frontline healthcare in Wales and there is a huge vaccination centre locally.

I had mine once the rules started to be relaxed, handy to be a shoulder waiting for a second when you work somewhere they go to the ends of the earth to make sure not one dose is wasted! The rules were relaxed recently so we are doing more peoples second doses now if they are mobile and easily called in from the local area, ie health care centres, so we don't lose any as they 'time out'. Looks like we will be ahead of schedule calling other people back in too which is so heartening.

Really wanted to take a photo last week to show the 'they should have a list of people to call in' commenters, it was like one of those accidental renaissance images with a group of nurses around the phone desk all different levels looking at their phones desperately making lists of people so nothing was wasted. And not one jab was wasted so it was a good feeling.