No Pfizer in the UK (?)

[motherrunner]

First of all let me start off by saying the only evidence I have is from a conversation with a Doctor yesterday when I had my AZ vaccine.

At the weekend I was lucky enough to be placed on a waiting list for cancelled appointments. Myself and around 15 colleagues had an appointment yesterday (all teachers). We asked why so many slots had become available. Doctor replied people have cancelled due to AZ fears but then said ‘if they’re waiting for the Pfizer they’ll have a long wait as there’s none in the UK at the moment’.

For me it was an easy to decision to make to have the AZ, I’m surrounded by hundred of people daily in unventilated small spaces. Just yesterday a whole year group was sent home after being back 4 days.

I guess why I’m posting if if you are considering delaying the vaccine in the hopes to opt for Pfizer, it maybe a while and weigh up whether you can keep trying to keep yourself safe before having the vaccine if your choice.

@herecomesthsun

Maybe "possible Pfizer supply issues in some parts of the UK" would be more accurate?

No this isn’t true either. There are supplies of Pfizer. They are being prioritised for second doses and people who can only have Pfizer.

This OP is just plain misleading and scaremongering. One GP making a throwaway comment that the OP has thrown out there with a click bait and misleading headline.

I wish people would stop being so daft, both jabs have very similar rates of clotting and and the link is tenuous

I have a category 6 17 year old who is immunocompromised waiting for vaccination and currently this age group can only have the Phizer jab which is difficult to access and is going to be more so if people get to pick and choose

I and DH have had the Astra Zeneca and will happily vaccinate DD 18 also category 6 with this and I have a 4 generation family history of blood clots

We've got a delivery of Pfizer next week and the week after, but are only using it for second jabs (GP hub). Because if we do any first jabs, we'll then have to be sure that we have a further supply in 10 to 12 weeks time. And it is a pain because of the cold chain storage issue, the fact it's complicated in drawing up, and that everyone has to sit down for 15 minutes afterwards (which limits the number of people you can do in a specific time slot).

@ClearMountain

I’m worried sick that I won’t get my second dose of Pfizer. I’m not mixing and matching, it’s too dangerous and untested. I’m fucked if there’s no Pfizer available for my second dose, if I’d known this would happen I wouldn’t have accepted the first dose.

Literally nothing in the scientific literature suggests that mixing vaccines is dangerous. If anything, it’s hypothesised that it could strengthen the immune response. Trials are underway. Until these are concluded, how about we reduce the hyperbole?

@ClearMountain

We aren't allowed to mix and match between manufacturers, it's media scaremongering Exactly. So if there’s no Pfizer I won’t get my second dose.

There is Pfizer, can you imagine the shit storm if they don't have any for the second jabs?! Calm down.

@Pomegranatespompom

We are giving Pfizer at the moment - no supply problem in my London trust.

Do you mind saying which London trust? My aunt had her first Pfizer 10 weeks ago. She's still waiting to hear when she can have her second.

@Pomegranatespompom

We are giving Pfizer at the moment - no supply problem in my London trust.

@Pomegranatespompom Do you mind saying which trust? My aunt's still waiting to hear about her second jab. She had her first (Pfizer) ten weeks ago.

@HolmeH

There are doses *@ClearMountain* - they are reserved for second vaccines & not those having their first shot who would prefer it over AZ. One doctor saying there is none in the UK is a complete lie. As I said in an earlier post, my GP are running clinics all week for second dose Pfizer, so clearly there is plenty here. There is not none. There is no point worrying when there’s a 99% chance it’ll all go ahead as planned. If when your second dose is due, it gets cancelled, then you can be annoyed. I just can’t understand worrying or being annoyed about something that has not yet happened & probably won’t happen. Chances are you’ll get your jab as planned!

Not plenty, as the second Pfizer injections for me and my colleagues which were due this week have all been cancelled due to not enough being available. So there are shortages in parts of the country. There's some, but not enough to go around.

@LemonTT but it is true for some of us. Hundreds of vaccinations cancelled this week for me and my colleagues due to issues with supplies. There's isn't 'none' but it's also not accurate to say there isn't a problem

Hello all. Haven’t been back to the thread as been teaching all day and then had a meeting.

I did ask for thread to be pulled in case of causing anxiety but MNHQ said I hadn’t broken any talk guidelines.

Just to clear up a few points:

1. Had the vaccine in a surgery. GP and nurse in the room with me. GP at computer and nurse gave me the vaccine.

1. I haven’t ‘queue jumped’. Local PHE contacted my Head to ask if any school staff would like to go on a spare vaccine list. I have my personal details, NHS number etc. I didn’t lie about my age, health or occupation.

What happens if people, particularly the vulnerable, get to 12 weeks and no 2nd Pfizer jab? Will they have to start over? Be left insufficiently protected? If there's any supply issue, all Pfizer doses currently in the UK should be held back for 2nd dose until more deliveries come.

It's good to discuss any potential supply issue @motherrunner
My aunt's starting to worry about her 2nd Pfizer jab. Her GP still doesn't know when she can have it. It's already 10 weeks since her 1st. She's elderly and clinically vulnerable.

At my local hospital they’ve stopped even health staff having their first Pfizer vaccines as they don’t have enough. They are focusing on the second Pfizer vaccines. Now they are dishing out AZ for first vaccines.

I had my second Pfizer last week luckily.
I know our local hub (AZ) had over 70 no-shows in one day last week.

@cptartapp our local hub had a load of no-shows last week too! However in our case it was mainly down to people booking via the national site and not cancelling their local appointment

I've had my second Pfizer vaccine cancelled.

My second Pfizer still going ahead this week

We have 2.5 days of Pfizer second -jab clinics at our GP centre next week.

@Lemons1571 sadly professions are not meant to be prioritised under the current jcvi guidance (save for a few but doesn’t extend to teachers etc)

Nonsense! I had my Pfizer vaccine on Monday

The JCVI guidance does allow for mix and max shots where there is no alternative (eg if there was a catastrophic failure at the Pfizer factory and a complete breakdown in supply or if a patient’s records got lost and they didn’t know what their first jab had been). But that is meant to be only in extraordinary circumstances. However the best guess from the experts is that if we did have to take that route it would not present a serious safety or efficacy problem. They’re currently carrying out Pfizer/AZ mix and match testing to test the hypothesis that it may improve efficacy.

This isn’t correct, one of my friends is a consultant and is giving the vaccinations in England at a local vaccination hub, my other friend, a dentist, vaccinating at the local hub here in Scotland.

Just had Pfizer on Friday!

There must be some as a friend is having a dose of Pzifer tomorrow. She’s in the trial to see how mixing vaccines works, had AZ for the first and now Pzifer for the second.

@usercruiser

This isn’t correct, one of my friends is a consultant and is giving the vaccinations in England at a local vaccination hub, my other friend, a dentist, vaccinating at the local hub here in Scotland.

Yes but you've resurrected a thread from March. It's May now so of course circumstances will be different.