Had my invite, but how can I find out in advance which jab I'll be getting?

[PerspicaciousGreen]

I got one of the new shielding letters last week moving me into group six for vaccines, and had my invite today. I've been offered a choice of two centres: one place a short walk away, one absolutely miles and miles away. Plenty of appointments next week, but no information other than an appointment time to select and an address.

I will only accept certain vaccines due to religious reasons, so I would like to find out what vaccine they are distributing at each centre before I book an appointment. The close one is an ex youth centre and I googled their phone number but no one answered - presumably because the office is closed.

I don't want to waste an appointment by booking and then having to find out it's the wrong one when I get there. I suppose I could walk past it and drop in, but that seems like madness covid-wise.

WWYD?

Will it not depend what stocks they have on a particular day? They may not know in advance of your appointment date

I think it’s unlikely they will know this far in advance. So you might have to just book an appointment and see what the situation is on the day.

One other thing, I’ve heard from a HCP, that large vaccine hubs at major hospitals may be more likely to have both vaccines available.

With all the stuff in the news about how different vaccines are stored, I assumed that different centres would have different facilities and therefore be distributing different vaccines?

I don't think you have a choice & it might vary from day to day. As a matter of interest, what is the religious reason for choosing a particular one? Is it that the AZ one uses cells descended from foetus cells from 1973? I think it is widely held that this should not be an issue? I would say larger centres are more likely to use Pfizer than small ones but I don't think there's any guarantees (our local hub is using AZ).

I will only accept certain vaccines due to religious reasons,

What are the religious reasons?

Following as no idea of the answer but interested in what religious views on vaccines are as an RE and ethics teacher

I wasn't aware of any religious leaders advising one specific vaccine only?

Could there be some kind of pig related substance in one vaccine? I think in the flu nasal spray there is.

You can't find out in advance and you don't get to choose on the day. Please don't waste other people's valuable time on this. You need to go along to the appointment and if you don't want what you are offered then the only time you are wasting is your own.

Also interested what religious reasons someone could have for one vaccine over another. I thought the rumours of pig products had been debunked? Is there something else?

The Pope has said that all the vaccines are OK for Catholics to take, if this helps (although I expect you know this). www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55409693

I would say there's a moral duty to do one's best to try to keep vulnerable people safe which outweighs the very tenuous connection with termination of pregnancy. However, I'm an atheist and I believe in a woman's right to choose what happens to her body, so not best placed to understand this dilemma.

Haven't they confirmed there is no pig related substance in the vaccines. There are quite a few myths going round like they contain pork etc peddled by some unscrupulous religious leaders.

I think you should just take whichever one you are given and not over think what’s in it.

You can't

My neighbour is working in a big vaccine centre and what they have changes frequently, so they wouldn’t be able to tell you for certain ahead of time.

Oh fgs what religious reasons? 🤦 I'm struggling to imagine?

You mentioned in another thread that you are Catholic

The Vatican has approved all covid jabs, and indeed the rubella jab (full text of reasoning can be found on line, but boils down to 'we deplore this and continue to press for alternatives to be created. But until they are, it would cause greater harm to women and innocent children who should not be bearing the consequences of someone else's sin. Vaccines including foetal line calls are therefore permitted)

This BBC article from December reports on papal OK for all covid jabs:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55409693

Now, if you want to be more catholic than the Pope, that's fine, your call. But you need to accept that there is no institutional backing for your position, so like everyone else you are expected to have whatever is there on the day, unless medically contraindicated

@Deux

One other thing, I’ve heard from a HCP, that large vaccine hubs at major hospitals may be more likely to have both vaccines available.

That’s really wrong. They use AZ.

My mum went to a big centre in the middle of the city and she got AZ and the day before her friend was at the same big centre and got the Pfizer.

It will be the Church of some Conspiracy Theory...

Official Vatican position on vaccines using foetal cell lines

www.immunize.org/talking-about-vaccines/vaticandocument.htm

OverTheRainbow - might be good quarry for an ethics discussion?

I think you should take whichever one you are offered and be thankful you are getting it offered at all. I am a long way away from getting mine

It will depend on what deliveries they get that morning so impossible to answer. Book the appointment and go along but accept you may have to rebook if you can't have the one available on the day, and may have to shield for longer as a result. This is a gargantuan task and everyone is doing the best they can and accepting that this doesn't achieve what would be ideal in perfect circumstances. Providing a seamless equivalent service to all regardless of religious position wrt available medications is not something that can reasonably be achieved at this point.

The centres don’t know what vaccines they’ll have in advance. Just take what you’re given, why are you being a PITA?