Over 60s can now book online

[ittakes2]

Sorry if there is another thread already and I missed it.

Over 60s can now book online via the NHS website without having received a letter or text.

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

Yes, spread the word. Tell anyone who thinks they need to wait for a letter, that they don’t. Just being 60 or above means they can book.

Encourage them to do it sooner rather than later and to take an appointment that is available as soon as possible.

It’s people getting on and booking quickly which moves this along.

They were taking over 60s towards the end of last week, though the site stated over 64. If things keep going as they are, I'd expect people in their late 50s to get an appointment from Thursday onwards.

I’ve tried booking my 63 year old brother, but the appointments are some distance away, so he will wait a bit longer.

Have booked my 61 yr old mum this morning for later this week, my 64 yr old dad is getting his today, I'm delighted. Cannot wait for the three weeks to pass for it to be effective- we live with them (me and my primary DC) and I'm just hoping the kids avoid it when they go back, especially until my parents vaccines have taken effect.

This isn't good timing for older parents with kids going back to school next week, with not even the one dose yet, let alone time to develop an immune response.

Thank you for posting, I have just let my mum know, she is 61

@herecomesthsun this is my worry with my parents, I'm just trying to be positive that they're having the vaccine sooner than I expected in the end, although agree it's not ideal.

I personally think that all parents should have been given the option to keep children home without the threat of fines/losing a school place until all adults have had the chance to have the first dose of vaccine and for it to have taken effect- but that's another thread!

@herecomesthsun

This isn't good timing for older parents with kids going back to school next week, with not even the one dose yet, let alone time to develop an immune response.

Talk about glass half empty FFS, this is good news how can being able to have a vaccine be bad news?

Are you always such a Debbie downer?

Also worth flagging up that if you book online you should get the opportunity to book the second appointment at the same time, which is v. reassuring! I now know my second vaccination will be on 18th May!!

@MaudesMum that's good to mention, it feels very efficient doesn't it, and reassuring booking both appointments at the same time.

MindyMoMo, is their a reason why your brother cannot travel to the vaccines which are available to him now as he’s 63?

It seems quite a lot if people are doing this...being eligible and seeing appointments they can book, but choosing not to. This is partly why some older groups have not been vaccinated. Some people don’t want to accept the slots and locations offered to them. Wherever possible, it really helps if people do because it moves the system on.

Families can help to take people if it’s a bit of a distance or whatever. It means the person is vaccinated sooner and also other people can be done sooner.

There really are going to be parents dying because of the school return.

It was admitted at the daily briefings that there is a risk of infection being brought home. We aren't making masks or testing absolutely manadatory and there are clearly some families who can't wait to find the glint of a loophole over that.

All we can hope is that we are lucky and the numbers who are hospitalised or die are small. They will be collateral damage, the decision has been made that this is acceptable. It is what it is.

Debbie downer indeed. Count yourself lucky that your family isn't at risk.

The positive point, heresomesthesun, is that we are whizzing down the age groups.

Lots of reports today say we will be on over 40s by the end of the month in lots of areas. This might sound far-fetched, but actually the remaining 60s will mostly be offered this week and they will be offering the 50s it next week (and in some areas are already doing so) and they can all be offered it within 2 weeks.

People who are worried such as teachers returning to work in their 50s or 40s, or parents in their 40s really will be done very very soon.

Those in group 6 are being done every day and also will be completed soon.

Yes, Group 6-9 face higher risk than those of group 10 onwards, but as we go down the groups the risk diminishes and the risk particularly of dying is FAR lower for these groups than it was for groups 1-4. Positive cases are reducing. There is still risk but it getting less all the time. Anxiety can sometimes be out of proportion to risk if it fills us with so much fear that we cannot live our lives, when risks are declining.

I hope you get the jab soon and it makes you feel better. Things will be very different in another month...just wait and see.

What a great, positive, informative post.

There’s no way this can be derailed in to another school thread. Oh hang on..

Old news!
Over 60s could book from last Monday. We had our vaccination yesterday - letter arrived in post today.

Yes, but if we keep bumping it, people might see the title and click and read the info...and then at least something’s achieved. Hey ho!

I feel fine. And I have had the jab as CEV

(my husband hasn't).

But the fact remains that these decisions have been made about risk (and the potential numbers of acceptable deaths).

Even when vaccinated, there remains a risk (depending on which study you look at.) And very few of the most vulnerable people have yet had the second dose.

I will spare you an attempt to dissect out the results that are emerging, but there is a spectrum of evidence about how just much the risk is reduced.

I'm so very glad of the vaccines, but we are going to see numbers go up, potentially high and we are likely to see some more hospitalisations and more deaths too, especially if people give up being careful.

There have been suggestions that we could see a fourth wave that might be bigger than the third wave. I hope that doesn't happen, but I suspect we will regret not being more careful before completely opening schools.

(very happy to bump the info about getting vaccinated though )

Yes very easy as well . Got mine next week

Gave a friend these details today thanks to this website and he's booked in

@SilverBirchWithout

Old news! Over 60s could book from last Monday. We had our vaccination yesterday - letter arrived in post today.

It’s not old news for some. My mum is 61 and didn’t know she could book until I told her. No letter received

Wombat. Well done. Some people are refusing to travel and will ‘wait’ - probably the people that were screaming for the vaccine! I was going to do a 200 mile round trip to take DM to a mass hub until I spoke to the GP who said there was a closer centre but only for the very elderly. How would I have known that is another matter.

The point I am making is people should be making a real effort and thinking outside the box. Not just expecting it to be within walking distance or other such nonsense. There are volunteers taking people to centres, there are taxi’s, neighbours, friends, family.

I booked mine last Wednesday and had the vaccine on Saturday. I had a choice of 5 places within a 10 mile radius. I’m 61

It’s not old news for some.
My mum is 61 and didn’t know she could book until I told her. No letter received

Ok.
There were 2 or 3 threads on here last week discussing it, that’s how I knew to book.
It’s a shame that people aren’t aware you don’t need to have received the letter in order to book.

It's why people are starting these threads. LOADS of people don't know.

There are groups of people who track everything vaccine related and know all about what's going on and how it works and where they are up to with the priorities, but most people aren't obsessively interested and don't know.

The same message needs to go out multiple multiple times as anyone in Comms knows.

The next thing at the end of the month will be people being amazed they can book or not realising who are 40s because it really will move so fast, that it catches them unawares.