Why havent they prioritised frontline workers over 60 year olds getting the vaccination?

[tumpymummy]

I totally understand that those with underlying health issues and the elderly needed to be vaccinated first. But what I dont understand is why over 60s are now being vaccinated and frontline workers are not? In less than 2 weeks time all children return to school. Nothing has changed in schools since September, and myself and colleagues will spend our days in small classrooms with 32 children just waiting for the infection and circles of self isolating bubbles to start again. Yet lots of my friends in their early 60s have now been vaccinated. They do not have health issues, a lot of them arent even working. Most of them spend all day at home, not really seeing anyone. Yet frontline workers have spent the last year working, risking their health, for no benefit whatsoever.

typo school staff get their vaccinations soon.

Thanks all. All your comments have given me some perspective. For the record, I dont think it should just be teachers that are prioritised now, but all 'people facing' keyworkers - Police, supermarket workers, firefighters, taxi and bus drivers etc. Is there a way I can turn off comments now?

@KnobJockey

Because a 60 year old is more likely to die or be seriously ill and need an ICU bed then someone younger but working in a school.

It's not about who's most likely to catch it, it's about who would use up more resources or be damaging to that system if they caught it.

This.

You know this surely. The point of the order of vaccination roll out is to reduce pressure on NHS so country can get back to normal.

The groups are based on the data indicating who is at most risk of becoming seriously ill, and overwhelming the NHS.
And also those professions at risk of infecting the most vulnerable groups eg care workers and HCP.
The data does not show teachers are at more risk at becoming seriously ill than other professions such as public transport workers and retail staff. If we focus first on vaccinating the most vulnerable groups by age and serious health condition this will protect those teachers who are most at risk.

There is an argument that by vaccinating teachers earlier than other professions we will be able to ensure less teachers are off sick and so reduce the risk of needing to close schools because of staff shortages. But until we get hospital numbers down to workable levels this sort of fine-tuning the vaccination program is not a priority.

I do have a lot of sympathy towards school staff though, they are working with the group which is driving infections, I do think we should have done more to listen to schools concerns and ideas for making schools safer.

[quote minniemoocher]@Soontobe60

Everyone over 60 can now book online[/quote]
I’m 62, not a teacher.
The online booking page states clearly you must be over 64, we should not book until we are invited to do so, however tempting it might be!

How the hell do people, in fact it seems to be mostly teachers, not get it yet. Vaccinations are given based on your risk of dying or being hospitalised, or potentially infecting those who might.

If you are young/healthy then your risk of dying or needing hospital is incredibly small. So wait your turn snd let those at actual greater risk of those things have it first.
That will obviously include some teachers but not all. My sister is a teacher who is 34 and heathy. I’m glad my mid 60s Mum got it before her. My sister is waiting, patiently

@FreakinFrankNFurter

How the hell do people, in fact it seems to be mostly teachers, not get it yet. Vaccinations are given based on your risk of dying or being hospitalised, or potentially infecting those who might.

If you are young/healthy then your risk of dying or needing hospital is incredibly small. So wait your turn snd let those at actual greater risk of those things have it first.
That will obviously include some teachers but not all. My sister is a teacher who is 34 and heathy. I’m glad my mid 60s Mum got it before her. My sister is waiting, patiently

I’m happy for older and unwell people to get it.

I am allowed to feel that it is unfair that young healthy people working from home have been vaccinated by virtue of their profession, when they are put at no risk at all of coming into contact with another person through said job.

the vaccine priority is based on your risk of serious illness or death and not on your risk of catching it

Well, it's not. Otherwise speech and language therapists and NHS accountants working from home wouldn't have vaccinated in December.

All real 'frontline' healthcare staff were vaccinated to prevent them being off ill, thereby stopping them being able to do their job. Any old Herbert can be drafted in to cover supermarket staff being off long term, or delivery drivers.. less so police officers, teachers and school staff. It's pure cuntery on the part of the gov not to vaccinate coppers, fire bods, school staff etc.

@palacegirl77 No benefit other than full pay and still having a job. The vaccine has to be given to those MOST LIKELY to be seriously ill from it and however you try and spin it there is no evidence that this includes teachers. Bus drivers, yes, ethnic minorities, yes, but not teachers. Of course someone over 60 should get it before a 25 year old teacher and a 50 year old teacher will get it before a 25 year old window cleaner. We cant vaccinate everyone at once and it must be based on facts and statistics to save the most lives, not to stop everyone from getting it

I remember feeling so sorry about the bus drivers from tfl who lost their lives early on in the first wave as they had no PPE. Their work situation improved once PPE was introduced, cashless buses and lockdown vastly reduced the number of people they were coming into contact with on buses.
Window cleaners work in a pretty Covid secure environment too, being outside, being able to wear PPE and can have very little contact with people.
The risk of a secondary school teacher sitting in a small room with 150 different children each day without masks is far higher. They might not die but they are far less able to contribute and teach remotely if they get a serious case of Covid. Since March last year DC2 has only been taught in school Sept-Dec, I'd really like to keep their teacher safe, well and able to teach.

@tumpymummy

Thanks all. All your comments have given me some perspective. For the record, I dont think it should just be teachers that are prioritised now, but all 'people facing' keyworkers - Police, supermarket workers, firefighters, taxi and bus drivers etc. Is there a way I can turn off comments now?

Unfortunately not, this ones going to go on and on! Same old arguments.

I work in a factory. I'm absolutely not arsed about when I get the vaccine. I'm 30. I don't need it before someone older.

I wouldn't mind teachers getting the vaccine so school isn't disrupted so much!

@SilverBirchWithout The front page of the NHS booking site is out of date - if you put your D.O.B in and you're over 60, you'll be able to book -and that doesn't mean you're queue-jumping..

Our rubbish collections are being disrupted at the moment because of Covid - and its because the teams that go out have to squeeze up together in cabs throughout the day. No-one is suggesting they get pushed up the queue. Or people in meat processing plants, or even poor bloody asylum seekers, being made to sleep in large communal dorms.

It's based on the science and there are lots of 60 plus people working because they have to.
But I don't blame you - I think in an ideal world instead of some areas going past group 10 and vaccinating healthy adults - these vaccines should have gone to areas trying to vaccinate Group 6 and the other groups.

I completely understand why teachers, police etc feel they should be prioritised, and although the current priorities are based on risk of death, I can also see the strong argument for making them group 10.
But looking at comments about the group 6 rollout, I can also see that anything beyond date of birth makes things so much more complicated and slows the process down with identifying who is in it, and arguments over definitions. It seems to move much faster when eligibility is defined in a way that allows online booking in waves as it is for the age based groups

I feel for you OP. I am in my early 40s and not at all CV and I received my first dose a number of weeks ago due to being called in to use up leftover vaccine. I’m emergency services but not in contact with the public directly. Teachers should be on this list.

@Howshouldibehave
I agree completely. I’ve got a few friends who work for the nhs in office jobs and have been working at home for months. They have all made it in to the office on vaccination day though! Our Local Authority also did some of the staff who do admin on for the education/early years Sector. Again, when you phone the office, you get a voicemail to say the call is being diverted as all staff are working from home.

It’s not fair! If they can vaccinate the office staff Who are working from home, they should be able to vaccinate those who are dealing with the Public each day!
I’ve had my vaccine, but I won’t stop being annoyed for those who work in early years and education with no protection at all!

@SilverBirchWithout
To test the booking system, I have just been on it. I have been able to book a test - not via my GP, at one of the Vaccination centres. I’m 61, a teacher and relieved that when the rest of my class return in 12 days I will be hopefully safe.

I think emergency services should be prioritised not due to risk but due to the risk of the service failing if large numbers must self isolate after 1 person catches it. For example 1 positive perso can wipe out a whole 999 police response section, a firefighting section etc etc

[quote MaudesMum]@SilverBirchWithout The front page of the NHS booking site is out of date - if you put your D.O.B in and you're over 60, you'll be able to book -and that doesn't mean you're queue-jumping..

Our rubbish collections are being disrupted at the moment because of Covid - and its because the teams that go out have to squeeze up together in cabs throughout the day. No-one is suggesting they get pushed up the queue. Or people in meat processing plants, or even poor bloody asylum seekers, being made to sleep in large communal dorms.[/quote]
Thanks for that MaudesMum, I’ve just now booked first and second appointments for myself and DH, first one Sunday morning. So chuffed, although I still feel a little guilty as we’re only 62 & 63...but we do have some health risks, just not on CEV lists.

Thanks again for encouraging me to go ahead. I do hope other people on this thread stay safe, and their turns come along quickly

@DianaT1969

Can I ask if your 60 year old + friends who stay at home generally do knitting and baking all day? A poster with a similar thread yesterday said that in her opinion 60+ do that all day. I need to find this place! I don't want to work to 67 and beyond. As others have said, a 63 year old has a statistically higher chance of taking up a hospital bed and resources than an under 50 year old teacher. As we've seen, people can catch it during out-patient appointments, in supermarkets and from carers. So generally staying at home isn't a guarantee of not catching it. That's if they even can stay home. Lots of 60+ work.

I'm 63. My work pattern varies a little but on two days a week I'm working from home and on three days I'm in an office - I work at a number of sites and although the numbers are restricted in the buildings with good distancing I still spend time in rooms with others. I am classed as a keyworker and not eligible for furlough.

Ignoring Covid, I'm not sure I'd want to stay home knitting and baking (or the male equivalents) because I quite enjoy the work, but even if I did I couldn't afford to before my state pension date. So I put myself at risk.

Fortunately I got my first vaccine on Monday.

Another thread where teachers think they are more important than anyone else working with the public

This just simply this

Everyone over 60 can now book!

If you cant book on google then ring 119

Totally agree, teachers and all school staff should have been prioritised.

There are still lots of people working in their 60s but there are also lots like my PIL that are retired and sitting safely at home who won't encounter as much risk as school staff.

For the millionth time, the point is not catching it, but needing hospitalisation if you do.