Over 40s will be called for vaccines this month

[LacyEdge]

Reasons to be cheerful, March edition: According to the Telegraph, aka the Tory intranet, 40s vaccination is a couple of weeks away, and right on target: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/03/01/over-40s-covid-vaccines-rollout-track-begin-month/ (paywall, but the headline says it all)

Good news for those of us in our prime (cough ahem)

My DW is over 60 and hasn't heard anything about getting called for the vaccine. I am in a vulnerable group and had my vaccine on Saturday.

@TheFiend

Dh and I are 41 and have been called already. We live in a high BAME area and a lot of people are refusing the jab, so we’re a bit ahead of some places.

Wow. We’re 42 and getting excited now.

@WombatChocolate *The key is to realise if you’re not in Group 6 that when your age group is eligible you DONT need a letter and should get on the national booking website as soon as your age is eligible and book an appointment that is offered. That is the fastest way for you to be vaccinated and the best way to keep the queue moving.

Stop waiting to be contacted. Apart from Group 6, the system doesn’t work like that now and age groups can book before they get letters.*

This is not what the website says.

Still saying over 60s only and wait to be contacted

@edwinbear

I'm Group 6 and not been called, but I can see Group 7 are now eligible to book via the national booking link. I can't understand why they wouldn't open Group 6 up first

Group 6 are definitely being vaccinated. I had mine on Thursday. However, as its being done through the GPs rather than the national system, it may take them a bit longer to get to you.

Sadly group 6 seems to be a bit of a lottery dependent on the efficiency of your surgery. Ours have grouped together with half a dozen others and taken over a big chunk of a large health centre to do it - they're churning through approximately 500 people a day on that site alone.

Hopefully it won't be much longer for you.

@edwinbear

I'm Group 6 and not been called, but I can see Group 7 are now eligible to book via the national booking link. I can't understand why they wouldn't open Group 6 up first

I think there's a bit of confusion going on in the first few pages here.

I was in the over 65 group and vaccinated just before the roll out on the 15 Feb. My area was ahead of the game.

I was contacted by the GP and invited to attend a local vaccine centre which was another GP practice being used exclusively for vaccinations.

A few days later, I received the NHS letter say 'If you have already ben vaccinated by your GP contacting you, ignore this, but otherwise go online / phone and book your own appt.'

It is very area dependent.

The nurse who did my jab said in the adjoining county ( 2 miles away) they were behind mine.

It's important to understand this is area dependent.

My sister has had hers in another part of the UK, and she is 56. No underlying conditions.

I'm in group 6 as I receive Carers Allowance. I booked mine via the NHS appointment system online, had it done the following day at the local hospital (Pfizer 👍) then a few days later I received my letter with my invite.
DH is almost 60 and still waiting.

I really do hope so, but I know over 60s still waiting to be called and don’t know anyone who’s even had their second jab. How are they going to get through them all?!

Group 6 is so large we are still working our way through them, then it's 50-54 before we even think about 40+. Could be a while.

@NoBetterthanSheShouldBe

61 not called yet, nobody under 64 and not vulnerable done here yet.

I know this keeps being posted but if you are in England and over 60 you don't need to wait to be called, just book yourself in

@Howshouldibehave I have my second jab booked but 1st May (as it's 12 weeks apart) and I'm group 4

Thanks, OP! I've just booked my two vaccinations.

I know this keeps being posted but if you are in England and over 60 you don't need to wait to be called, just book yourself in

@FlyingBurrito You sure? None of my 60 -64 friends have or know that.

Link?

which is group 7 im in my 40s-my dh is 52 and hasnt been contacted yet

IF you have your first vaccine via the GP system, you wait to be called within 12 weeks for Jab 2.

IF you book via the NHS online system you can sometimes book the 2nd jab BUT it may not be local; I've heard of people being only offered jabs 400 miles away when they tried to book Jab 2 that way!

@GabsAlot

which is group 7 im in my 40s-my dh is 52 and hasnt been contacted yet

It's all online.

Look for vaccine priority groups.

@WombatChocolate The things slowing it now are people not going on and booking and people deciding they don't want the locations offered by the national site. These age groups really just need to get on with it now and there should be less delay as we move down through age groups as less complications about things like travel.

I totally agree with this. People are choosing to wait for more local appointments and that slows things down. I think they should open up the big hubs to a wider cohort so those that are mobile or really keen to get it, can access it sooner.

I was called ahead of the start of my group, unless they based it on my medical records.
Was unable to go until last week and I noticed that other people there were looking younger than I expected, although could have been carers/at risk.
Was told that over 40 group would be in a couple of weeks (by my GP).

The problem with the (very significantly slower) roll out of group 6 is that next week loads of people in group 6 are going to be sending their kids to school, massively increasing their risk of exposure. If a way had been found to allow group 6 to use the mass vaccination hubs, this exposure of more vulnerable people could have been avoided. Too late now of course. But there will almost certainly be people in group 6 who become seriously ill, get long Covid or even die because of their kids bringing home Covid before they have been vaccinated.

[quote QueenPaw]@Howshouldibehave I have my second jab booked but 1st May (as it's 12 weeks apart) and I'm group 4[/quote]
Yes, all of the people I know who have had their first jab, have a date for their second one. My point was, none of them have actually had both yet.

In my 50s and no call yet! Know several in their 60s and nothing yet either!

@LoveYourUsername the link has already been posted. It’s very clear that anyone over 60 can book themselves in.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

My mum is 57 and CV due to rheumatoid arthritis and she hasn’t had a letter or anything yet. It annoys me that CV can’t book in online as she’d be happy to travel to get it. We’re in Hampshire - I’ve no idea how they’re doing but clearly not very well!

@Violet9 Have you looked up your conditions to see if any of them make you clinically vulnerable? Carers are entitled to a vaccination regardless of whether the person they care for is clinically vulnerable or not, so the two things aren’t necessarily linked.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 can book using the link. If you are in group 6 because you receive carers allowance you can also book using the link. If you are group 6 for another reason you need to book via your GP (including unpaid carers not receiving CA).

They generally open the booking for eligible groups via the website before they change the blurb on the front page so it is worth checking regularly with your NHS number/dob. If you are not yet eligible to book via the website nothing bad happens you just check back in a few days.