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Since that's been withdrawn I feel so down.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?

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.

Presumably you just have a GP with a supply of vaccines that needs to be used, and the surgery has no other higher priority patients who want the vaccine/can come to surgery to be vaccinated.

@ssd "if you help care for aged parents you can get the vaccine as a carer?"

I don't think it's that simple. The vaccination booking website now says the person you care for has to be CEV for you to book through the national hubs. And GPs have been rationing who is deemed to qualify as a "carer" for ages, some surgeries requiring eg proof of receipt of carer's allowance which rules out anyone in work. Ad hoc shopping, transport and life admin, say, doesn't cut it, and people who deliver far more care than that to relatives aren't deemed to make it over the bar either. (Nor of course does caring for a totally dependent but healthy young child.)

That seems fair enough Ceara and I hope it will stop the queue jumpers.

As pp have said, it'd just be nice to have clearer messaging and an idea when we might get it. It feels as if we were forgotten at first, then we were told it would go down in age order and that was a relief. Now it's just been withdrawn again and for me I feel like nobody is looking out for our age group. If eg we could be given a date in May even, it would relieve a lot of stress. It feels like instead we're just at the back of the queue again while they do second doses.

I'm so glad that this thread has been a help to others, as it has to me

Also, massive sympathy to pp who is a teacher and all teachers in their late 40s. I feel like teachers were encouraged to get back to school and not protest because they were told don't worry we'll whizz down the age groups, and now that's changed. So frustrating.

I have found it really helpful to read through this post, I feel exactly the same at 48, everyone I know seems to have had the vaccine except me! I would just like to know when to expect it rather than a vague "by the end of July"!

As a parent I'd totally support any teachers who want to hand in section 44s. Schools aren't safe. No measures to stop airborne spread in primaries at all. I think it's ridiculous they're being asked to put themselves at risk - especially those in the 40-50 age bracket and any with underlying conditions. Why not just do rotas to allow for social distancing until all the teachers have been vaccinated?

[quote Ceara]@ssd "if you help care for aged parents you can get the vaccine as a carer?"

I don't think it's that simple. The vaccination booking website now says the person you care for has to be CEV for you to book through the national hubs. And GPs have been rationing who is deemed to qualify as a "carer" for ages, some surgeries requiring eg proof of receipt of carer's allowance which rules out anyone in work. Ad hoc shopping, transport and life admin, say, doesn't cut it, and people who deliver far more care than that to relatives aren't deemed to make it over the bar either. (Nor of course does caring for a totally dependent but healthy young child.)[/quote]
It's self-determining though. If you say you are an unpaid carer for an older person you don't have to bring anything to the vaccination for them to check on you.

I feel the same Daisies, I have been struggling for a long time and now feel like I am losing my last reserves of resilience.

I am 49, a lone parent, asthmatic and a teaching assistant in a secondary school , I worked full time in classrooms full of KS4 keyworker/vulnerable pupils during the lockdown. My asthma isn't bad enough for me to qualify for priority vaccination so I was hanging on for my age group to get to the front of the queue - it is so hard to adjust to this new delay.

My brother, 46, no health conditions, working from home throughout was vaccinated a couple of weeks ago.

It is very scary working in a school, moving around busy corridors, sitting in classrooms with limited ventilation and no realistic possibility of social distancing and the thought of continuing like this without being vaccinated whilst restrictions start easing so that pupils will be mingling even more than they are now is just crushing. I really feel broken by this.

farley123 that really sounds incredibly stressful

How is everyone doing now? Today the news does seem to be saying no first doses in April for under 50s. I wish we could be told properly thought- and given an idea of when first doses will start back up? It feels like they've tried to get this past us without anyone noticing.

I'm trying to just get over it and accept things but I still feel like we've been tricked a bit really and feel annoyed that nobody is talking to or about the under 50s at all now.

I'm finding it frustrating that a number of people I know in my region, younger than me, all seem to be getting the vaccine.

And there is a thread now about when under 40s might get it. Feels like my age group are being forgotten.

I heard one doctors surgery nearest me is doing 40s.
However mine in different area is not.
Unsure if a move would delay that so stick with doctors surgery less than 2miles down the Rd.

I'm not as outwardly angry as I was when it was first announced. But I still can't believe how little fuss is being made of it by the news, politicians, reporters, etc. I keep hoping that I'll wake up to the announcement that something has happened and now we're back on track to resume first vaccinations.

I'm 50 towards the end of April, kids in school and back to customer facing job after Easter. I really hoped I would get the vaccine before going back to work.
Other GPs in area are vaccinating mid 40s.
I'm gutted.

It is frustrating that it seems to be a bit of a postcode lottery with some 40s being done (even though the more vaccinated the better I know) but it does seem to have ground to a halt for 49s now.
I agree hennybeans

This is all the EU’s fault.

I agree, the postcode lottery is really frustrating. I know lots of younger people have been done (I'm 45), largely because of where they live it would seem.

I am feeling frustrated by the lottery too, it seems like some GPs have decided to do all asthmatics, but not mine, and some are down to age 40 or below, but not mine. I’ve also seen a couple of similar aged local friends posting they have been vaccinated on Facebook this week and really want to ask how but don’t dare! (I appreciate there could be medical conditions I wouldn’t know about, but locally group 6 was generally done a few weeks ago)

Another one feeling frustrated by the feeling of it being a lottery. If I lived in another area I would have been done because my health condition and/or my age.

I was overjoyed when my elderly relatives and friends with health conditions started getting their vaccines. But I'm finding it harder and harder to remain positive when I see endless chirpy posts from people saying how well the vaccine program must be going because they are 34 with no health conditions and just had theirs.

Yes, I think the vaccine postcode lottery is supremely frustrating. I could accept things a lot more easily if no healthy under 50s were vaccinated ( even though I understand logically that more vaccinations= more safety).

what birth year is the online booking system up to now? Was booking 1971s last time I heard.

Does more vaccinations definitely make everyone else safer though? Is there definitive data showing that the vaccine prevents transmission?

My worry is that more vaccines = society opening up, and the risk increasing for everyone who isn't vaccinated.

The older population have been vaccinated, the young aren't that bothered because they are unlikely to get ill, and those of us in the middle have been forgotten about.

Yes and it's people in their 30s and 40s who are the main age groups with kids in school so at greater risk

And we must make up a good chunk of the workforce, which means we are exposed again.

I think our age group are at a fairly low risk of dying, but my big worry is long covid, which seems to particularly effect m women in their 40s (and it is more common in people with my health condition too).