The vaccine delay has really knocked me

[daisiesinmay]

For background I'm 49 and a lone parent. of course it's good about the amount of vaccines done. But right now, the sudden announcement of the delay last week felt like the final straw somehow for me.

I had already been worried about dcs back at school, but was following the news closely, looking on the vaccine calculator regularly, and -stupidly- told myself it would be in April. Feels like I was hanging on by my fingertips for that.

Since that's been withdrawn I feel so down. Most people I know seem to have got the vaccine now. I'm wondering if for 49s it will even get here in May - if there's a shortage they'll have to prioritise second doses.

I'm surprised how much it's knocked me down. Just totally lacking in hope now, thoroughly fed up, feel depressed. Anyone else get this?

Please post on here if anyone phones a covid vaccine hub. I’ve googled but can’t find a way. Happy to drive to one at the end of the day

It’s not a delay we have reverted back to the original timeline of all adults by end of July. We had a brief belief that we would be able to do it earlier but now we might not be able to. People really need to stop letting things like this impact their day to day lives and mood it’s not healthy!

Don't be silly. How could a pandemic that has killed many and put us into lockdown not impact people's day to day lives or mood?

What now worries me is that our age group will be the collateral damage when everyone else ie the vaccinated over-50s and the young (who feel the invulnerability of youth) all collectively go, yaaaaaay, paaaaaaarty!!!, precautions go out the window and infection rates rise a bit. We'll be few enough in absolute numbers not to overwhelm the NHS ( hopefully) so no reason to delay the roadmap out of lockdown while we wait for our vaccines. But on the other hand we are an age group with caring responsibilities for DCs and ageing parents so our families will bear the brunt if we get sick or worse.

Yes, this. Although infections won't rise a bit, with schools open and society opening up they'll be back in exponential territory quite quickly and we'll be lucky if none of the even newer variants takes off. I think children will be asking some really hard questions about what the fuck the adults in charge were doing when they're older. We have the worst death rate for any comparable country, we probably have the worst morbidity too. In terms of morbidity, a lot of people affected will be parents. This will have lifelong impacts for so many children.

If you help care for ageing parents can't you get the vaccine as a carer?

That's not an option in my case ssd

I don't think they have phone numbers NaturalBlondeYeahRight - well mine doesn't and it wouldn't be great if they got phone calls all day long so it's understandable. GPs not doing under 50s any more.

The PM saying we're going to get a third wave not helping either. I'm finding some of the messaging very out of kilter with how people seem to be feeling. Maybe because he's always visiting vaccination centres and things he doesn't realise about how the under 50s are doing.

Are people still regularly trying the online site?

It seems some areas are still sending out invitations to under 50s; I know that must be the local booking services not the national one, but if there are still enough doses going, sooner or later they will end up dropping the ages like before. It depends what the take up of the 'mopping up' process is - if people don't want it or can't get there or whatever, they aren't going to let those first doses go to waste, even if they've been told not to start booking 40-50s. I'm pretty sure GPs in my area have done over 50s now, so if they get extra supply for the mopping up of those who haven't, or extras from second doses that aren't booked, they'll have to move on to under 50s.

Online site saying I'm not eligible CappuccinoCounter - would be very interested to hear if anyone manages it

yeah probably a bit soon for the national site, given that it opened to 50s and up only some time last week, but maybe over the next few days/week it might drop - it always seems to drop ages in terms of who can book, before it actually says so on the front page

@CappuccinoCounter

Are people still regularly trying the online site?

It seems some areas are still sending out invitations to under 50s; I know that must be the local booking services not the national one, but if there are still enough doses going, sooner or later they will end up dropping the ages like before. It depends what the take up of the 'mopping up' process is - if people don't want it or can't get there or whatever, they aren't going to let those first doses go to waste, even if they've been told not to start booking 40-50s. I'm pretty sure GPs in my area have done over 50s now, so if they get extra supply for the mopping up of those who haven't, or extras from second doses that aren't booked, they'll have to move on to under 50s.

I got an invite from my GP and am getting mine tomorrow. I am 49 and in SE London. I have no idea what I did to deserve this, and almost thought it was a fake phishing scam, but it appears genuine.

I feel like this too , 47, lone parent.

Been feeling v down last few days

This thread has really helped me I have been feeling so down about the vaccinations- initially expected to be group 6 for asthma, got booted out as didn’t fit the narrow criteria even tho I was hospitalised for pneumonia previously and being investigated for a second lung condition. Then got some hope up due to speed of programme (40s) only to have that rug pulled away too.

Just feel like everyone in the country will come before me and as others have said hate reading that young healthy people could be jumping the queue. Spent so long being told I was vulnerable and to be careful, kids back in school now, pretty much convinced myself that I will catch it prior to being jabbed and develop long Covid just at the point everyone else is returning to normal.

Not usually fatalistic at all my MH is pretty shot now it just all feels so hopeless.

Am 48 and have just been called up for jab next week

Am in Hampshire

So looks like it’s still full steam ahead?!

Good news, hope you all get called up soon too

Hang in there

(Not a risk group and healthy bmi fwiw)

I know there has to be a line somewhere but its frustrating that a 50 year old is vulnerable and is being chased to get vaccinated but someone a year younger isnt.

This thread has made me feel a bit better that there are plenty of others feeling the same as me (49). I was caught off guard at how keenly I felt the disappointment when the delay was announced. Really knocked me for six feeling so close yet so far. I've been stoic and patient for the while year now and have loads of anxiety over previous history of bronchitis and chest issues, high BMI and being a single parent. I know I won't feel able to socialise with 6 in garden or park when that starts and just feel extra fed up now. It's hard not to feel less joy for others than I did a few weeks ago - specially when I see loads younger than me getting left over doses from GP. Obv not proud of this. I find the lack of clear information hard to deal with.

This thread has made me feel so much better. I'm 49 (and a half) too and it really knocked me for six - especially as those around me have been vaccinated. Like others have said hard to talk about to others without seeming ungrateful. Fingers crossed

I’m glad it’s not just me, anyway!

I feel exactly the same. I want the govt to tell us honestly when we will get our jabs. I also think single parents should be prioritised for the jab

I have not been in any rush to get the vaccine, as I’m not worried about getting covid, but I turned 49 two weeks ago, and got my vaccine text today. So hopefully others will also hear something soon. It’s much earlier than I’d thought.

@Katie517

It’s not a delay we have reverted back to the original timeline of all adults by end of July. We had a brief belief that we would be able to do it earlier but now we might not be able to. People really need to stop letting things like this impact their day to day lives and mood it’s not healthy!

Hardly a helpful post

I'm bloody gutted. 48 and a secondary school teacher with180 close contacts a week. Watching all my home working friends 18 months older than me gets theirs. Was sure I'd be done by the time theEaster break was over... Now? Who knows.

@IloveJKRowling

And just to be clear - it's the being forced to send kids into unsafe schools that is the real killer for me.

If the school was doing small class sizes social distanced (as they did last summer when rates were much lower) or masks or ANYTHING at ALL to stop covid spread then I'd feel happier. (don't get me wrong, they're handwashing as much as they can and doing all they can with the money they have - but it amounts to bugger all to stop a respiratory virus with 30 crammed in a tiny classroom)

Knowing so many have been vaccinated - including people like my WFH NHS admin friends two decade younger than me - is really hard when there is literally nothing being done to protect my kids from infecting us - if they do the lifelong mental health consequences will be dire for them. Yet a big fat fucking nothing to stop covid spread in their schools.

If I didn't have kids I wouldn't mind waiting at all. But I do, and it's the impact on them that worries me. I know enough 40something women with long covid and the terrible impact it's had on their kids.

Yes me too. I am so angry with what has happened with schools, young people are being treated like shit and families put at risk.

Vaccine disaster makes a better headline than there possibly might be a slight delay but maybe not after all.

It was always likely that 1st vaccinations would slow down in April and May because 2nd vaccinations would be due.

Maybe the government didn’t sufficiently control expectations and allowed people to believe that vaccination rates would keep getting faster and faster to the point where they had doubled by Easter, but that was never realistic.

I’m not trying to undermine anyone’s concerns about getting Covid, just trying to reassure that it hasn’t all gone wrong.