Asking if there are any vaccine doses going spare...

[Titsywoo]

Is it ok to do? I have an appt at the end of the clinic tomorrow for my first jab and DH is driving me. Would it be rude for him to ask if there are any leftovers or is it cheeky/rude?

That's what our local GP hub told us too when we went to cancel the one they'd made for DH because he'd had his at the national place the day before - GP hubs have a list to contact with spares so you are v unlikely to get one there if not on the list. The national places, that you get if you book online, just do whoever books/turns up. You have to show your booking form to get in though so you'd only be able to ask, and maybe get one, if you were accompanying someone in the current group - at least that's how it was when they were only up to group 4 here. They have now finished group 6 at our local hub, group 7 started yesterday so the national NHS place must also be on at least grouo 6/7 so that might have changed the picture.

At the national place we had to wait 15 mins on chairs before leaving and DHs original letter inviting him to come said try not to come alone and bring someone in case you feel unwell after, but that might have been related to his medical condition? When we were there virtually everyone was in pairs.

This is in a church hall so not a GP hub

The GP hub in my town is in a church hall.

DH had his on Saturday. We asked but they had no spares apparently.

I’m either in the 40+ or group 6 due to my weight. Let’s see which rocks around first

I've volunteered at a GP led vaccination hub. If it's Pfizer being offered it would be worth asking - they would normally try to use a reserve list first, but if there had been a lot of no shows would consider requests from others. If it's AZ, there's no point asking - they'll just leave leftovers in the fridge and give them out the following day

Makes sense of course, although I was given AZ as an ask when turning up with DH at a national vaccine centre - he was in group 4 though so maybe different now.

@DinosaurDiana

At my hub you wouldn’t get it. They invite as many people as we have vaccines, if we have any DNA’s the admin ring the next people on the list. This is a GP hub though, so they have people to ring.

This is what we do too. Also a GP hub.

We have several people in every clinic we do asking if they can be vaccinated at the same time as their mum/dad/husband/wife etc because they help look after them. Unfortunately the answer is no, not today.

We book the right amount of appointments for the doses available & in the event someone doesn’t turn up or we can get an extra dose from a vial, we have a reserve list to call.

People don’t seem to realise most GP hubs are not at surgeries...surgeries need to deliver normal services. The GP hubs are mostly based at community centres, church halls, or other local buildings.

Some places will hold a reserve list of those who can get there at short notice. Others won’t. I don’t know if such lists would be held by the GP suregery themselves or by the local hub where the vaccinations actually happen. The local hub geographical location often doesn’t seem to have a phone number.

It’s doesn’t hurt to ask to be added to a list.

That said, the national booking system really will be whizzing down age groups and is already offering to group 7 and may well be open to group 8 next week and to have reached group 10 by the end of the month. So keep looking in the national site and every few days put your details in if you’re just a couple of years different to the lower age range in the front page as they often do take bookings a few days earlier than being shown for age groups. Yes, you’re more likely to have to travel to a mass centre, but for most, this will be the quickest way to get the vaccine.

People will be surprised how quickly it moves and how younger people than they expected are getting vaccinated vey soon.

@Firefliess not true about AZ- it still comes in 10 dose vials which must be used within 6 hours.

Please don't turn up with someone who DOES have an appointment "just in case", the hub I volunteer at are very clear that no family memders are to come in unless the person being vaccinated actually needs a carer with them at all times. Family wait in the car park please

I think I read there are several million doses of AZ in the EU going spare, thanks to their shambolic vaccine rollout.

@Dongdingdong

I think I read there are several million doses of AZ in the EU going spare, thanks to their shambolic vaccine rollout.

only 25% in Germany and around 20% in France have been used... they could clearly donate those unused to other EU members that would use them or send them to other countries as part of Covax... can you see EU telling them off?

only 25% in Germany and around 20% in France have been used... they could clearly donate those unused to other EU members that would use them or send them to other countries as part of Covax...

Precisely - or maybe even pop one in the post for the OP

@BruceAndNosh it really does depend on the hub/centre though - I'm at a mass vaccination centre and we can use our judgement to give to accompanying family.

Wait your turn like everyone else, I'm
group 4 cev and housebound and still not had mine!

Sakura, if you're housebound and can only have the jab by someone coming to your home, the fact someone goes on a reserve list will have zero impact on you.

CEV can book online using the national system now. That's the quickest way to get the jab. If that doesn't work for you because you can't go out, have you spoken to the GP to point out you are housebound? In your case, they will want to hear from you and you won't be a pest at all.

But assuming you need a visit, that will be a totally different thing to the mass centres giving spare doses to people on a reserve list rather than binning them. Those binned doses weren't going to go to you.

What's the situation as to why you are still waiting? Have you been in touch to move it on?

BruceandNosh, there is a difference to someone driving a relative, waiting in the car and finding there are spare vaccines which need using up, and trying to get into the centre.

Clearly there are spares and some centres are glad to give them to people.. Some sound like they would rather bin them.

[quote Duckyneedsaclean]@BruceAndNosh it really does depend on the hub/centre though - I'm at a mass vaccination centre and we can use our judgement to give to accompanying family.[/quote]
I'm also volunteering at a GP hub and we can't give out doses to family members until we know if there is any spare.
So far our missed appt rate is astoundingly low, so most doses are accounted for.

Accompanying family are asked to wait outside just to reduce numbers in the centre and help with social distancing

@Firefliess

I've volunteered at a GP led vaccination hub. If it's Pfizer being offered it would be worth asking - they would normally try to use a reserve list first, but if there had been a lot of no shows would consider requests from others. If it's AZ, there's no point asking - they'll just leave leftovers in the fridge and give them out the following day

This isn’t quite true. Both of them come in a multi-dose vial, and once the first dose has been removed the vial must be used within 6 hours, so there’s a chance of leftovers with either. The Pfizer one has only 5 days max in the fridge so there’s a chance of whole vials needing to be used before the end of the fifth day.

Any luck for your DH @Titsywoo ?

@Kinsters

Any luck for your DH *@Titsywoo* ?

No, they had a sign on the door saying don't ask! When I had mine the guy doing the jab said there was only enough left for 3 shots after me and there were 3 people waiting (although they said if anyone else showed up they would have to open another and they were closing in 30 mins so I hope nothing went to waste!).

The chemist in our High Rd will do people at the very end of the day if they have spares. The man explained it to me as if they have opened a pack of ten they will use it up.

But you have to ask at about 5.20.

Our centre had a sign for by appointment only and when dh asked on my behalf they were fully booked.

Our local centre has put out a plea to ask people to stop asking if there are spare.
Otoh I do know of people who have been done in that way, but they've all been people who are in the correct age bracket but haven't yet been called.

I read this thread and almost didn’t ask if they had a spare for my DH when I had mine today. I had mine at 10:20 and they took DH number and said they’d call at the end of the day if they had a spare. Shocked us both when his phone rang at 4:20 asking if he could be there in 20 minutes. He said he overheard them saying they had 5 shots left and were trying to find people to give them to so things may have changed now, it’s definately worth asking. I imagine some of those landed up in the bin.

Completely fine to ask and may well be lucky.