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)

@merrymouse

Presumably the rate of vaccination will either slow down or resources will need to increase dramatically in March/April because people will also be being called for 2nd vaccines?

Or maybe it will speed up

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9311703/Coronavirus-UK-Nadhim-Zahawi-says-NHS-vaccine-speed-double-March.html

They have said there will be a surge in capacity with figures increasing a lot in March so both the 2nd jab people and new ones can get done at the same time. It has been in the news today.

It would help if there were lots of TV ads to tell people they can book online as soon as they are in the age group being done and no need to wait for letter. And then to say which age they need to be above at this point.

Far too many people are on these threads saying ‘my Aunt is 62 and hasn’t been invited’ rather than realising their aunt can book and the ‘invite’ is there in the national website and isn’t just in the form of a letter which can be 2 weeks delayed.

I know someone who is 64 and a carer. Had not been called so phoned and asked and is now booked in. Shortly after that it was announced that their group was being done next.

I'm so frustrated! I'm a couple of months short of 60, so can't book online. Yet I'm due to work in a bubble of 90 children when schools re-open fully on Monday. Finding it hard hearing that so many of my younger, WFH friends (where I used to live in Enfield) have already had the vaccine. I am happy for them, but it does seem a bit unfair. I've worked with Keyworker children at school throughout the pandemic and just got on with it, but I'm feeling really panicky now I'm so near (yet so far!) to getting the vaccine. Sorry for the rant!

MoirasRoses not doable in Scotland, I’m afraid.

@FreakinFrankNFurter

Maybe I’ll get my over 40s invitations to book for vaccine centre sooner than I will get my group 6 invitation through GP!

I think you have a good point. The roll out through the GPs has been a fucking disaster.

I am sceptical, I thought it was only about 20 million have been done across the country (I may be out of date!) and we are now coming up to needing to do 2nd vaccinations. Some parts of the country it’s probably the case but I’m not sure overall

The maths works out quite nicely if they really can do double the vaccines they've been doing up to now.

Mine is due between 9-19th April according to my health board.

FrameByFrame, it’s pretty likely you will be able to book on the national site by the end of the week/start of next. It really won’t be far off.

Keep looking at the site every few days and out your details in and you’ll find it will allow those under 60 on a couple of days before the front page updates. Really it will be very close now.

@tinytemper66

Mine is due between 9-19th April according to my health board.

I am in Wales so it will be different. I am also 54.

I think you have a good point. The roll out through the GPs has been a fucking disaster.

That depends on the GP surgery. Like in normal times, some are better/worse than others and there's no standardisation/consistency as it's all so fragmented.

Our GP surgery started late (first jabs mid January), but since then have really impressed. Lots of information on their website and local facebook pages, and they're now ahead of other areas, currently calling the over 50's. We had ours yesterday (mid 50's), the GP surgery texted us a link to their booking site a couple of weeks ago. Straight in and out, no queues, no waiting around, lots of marshals and our jabs were given by one of their normal GPs who we know. They've joined forces with the other GP surgery in our town and are working together. The rest of my family, living in the next town are still waiting - their GPs aren't participating, so their town has one of these mass vaccination centres in a football stadium and by all accounts it's an administrative nightmare.

JCVI plan to plough on by strict age criteria rather than complicating things with additional risk factors that require GP intervention is looking fairly smart now.

Random; has anyone tried to book online with a double barrelled or hyphenated surname?

Trying for dh but it won’t accept the space between the last names; removing the space it tells us there is no record of him

@OhYouBadBadKitten

The maths works out quite nicely if they really can do double the vaccines they've been doing up to now.

And my GP surgery said they're geared up to do that as they're currently only doing 2 days per week. They're doubling the days to 4 to do the second jabs, so as long as they get the supplies of vaccine, they have the staff and space to double up and are ready to go.

Little, you can call 119 and book that way.

Some places with younger demographics, and fewer vulnerable people, are already vaccinating this age group. Dh's colleague and his wife have been vaccinated last week,

@LittleMy77

Random; has anyone tried to book online with a double barrelled or hyphenated surname?

Trying for dh but it won’t accept the space between the last names; removing the space it tells us there is no record of him

It will have to be exactly how it's been put on the NHS/GP database. Have you tried other options, such as a hyphen between the names or a full stop? If he has prescriptions or any other NHS letter, have a look on the paperwork to see how they've got it on their database.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

It only opened for over 60’s a day or so ago. It still said 65 on Saturday in my area, so people won’t know it’s open.

They only changed the wording yesterday but over 60s have been able to book for the past week. I know several who have used the booking site and successful had vaccines as a result, spanning several areas. It was tweeted about by several nhs sites though not the main one I don't think.

@yearinyearout

P.S. I'm pretty sure group six can book online via 119, as I rang with a query last week and he said "if you're vulnerable I can book you in"

Sadly only CEV (group 4) and not CV (group 6)

I'm 52 &, in group 6. Got invite today to book at a vaccine centre
Boyfriend is 57 & in group 6, he hasn't heard yet - but we are presuming it will be soon.

A few months ago (just before the EU/Astra Zeneca spat) the Scottish government (population about 1/10th of England) published a spreadsheet showing their expected weekly deliveries of vaccine from each manufacturer. Before they took it down, a few journalists thought to take a copy.

The Daily Mail published it a while ago: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9294749/What-Britains-Covid-vaccine-slowdown.html

The UK has now managed to do 20 million 1st jabs and over 60s were supposed to be getting invites this week. There are only estimated to be 1.6million in that cohort (so I am wondering if DH and I will be able to get a vaccine the following week as 55+). I live a couple of minutes' walk away from a GP-led centre, but I think we'll decide to drive to a mega vaccine centre to get it done ASAP.

There are 4.3million in the underlying health conditions category so I think that will take a while to work through.

I am band 6 and had my vaccine on Saturday after receiving a letter from my GP for appointment at the local vaccine centre. There was a very mixed bunch of ages there, so I presume mostly band 6.

Our GP's have been excellent and have called people at short notice to go to the vaccine centre to ensure that no vaccines are wasted at the end of the day

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 confused

Also Group 6 and still waiting. But I think it's probably because they want our bookings to take place via our GP, as the health problems that put us in this group may in some cases influence which vaccine we should have, and where we should have it (e.g.. a GP surgery or pharmacy rather than a sports stadium).

@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

Because they are trying to avoid calling for the same Groups as the GPs. It was causing chaos