Can the 40-49 age group now book their vaccine?

[Summergirl76]

Sister’s boyfriend (43) was able today to book his vaccine by entering his details on the national booking site (he is Derby based). Sister late 30s tried too but it said she was not eligible. Her husband tried last week and was also not eligible. Just wondered if anyone else has tried in the 40s age group and been able to book?

@WombatChocolate I viewed similar stats last week and was surprised by the percentage of jabbed under 50s - it's more than you'd expect to fall into group 6, CEV or health and social care workers cohorts. 1 in 3 under 50s in my largely rural local authority and as you say, that's not an unusual figure. The GP rollout locally has def not got to 46 year olds by birth date! But anecdotally, they've been taking a broad and liberal view, case by case, of "unpaid carer" and have been jabbing teachers with their spare and leftover doses. Hence lots of extra under 50s already jabbed across all the age cohorts.

Poppy, I think you’re right. I think your GP practice is a bit ahead of curve. The BBC site is now saying that GP led services will soon start sending out invites to local vaccine centres to 48s and 49s.

It surprises me because the communication to GPs at the end of last week stated very clearly there would be no deliveries of vaccine for 1st jabs to GP led services for weeks of 12 and 19 April. So perhaps they have some supply to use up? I’d think the picture of GPs inviting people in 40S will continue to be pretty variable. But hopefully any restrictions on them doing so, if they have supply have been lifted.

For people wanting it ASAP, it seems the best thing is to book on national site rather than wait for a GP local invitation which could take ages to appear, unless they really aren’t bothered by it possibly taking longer to get.

Should help speed things up a bit now, if only 2 in 3 still need jabs.

There were lots of smaller sites available as options when I booked last night. Places like various branches of Boots, village halls and so on as well as a shopping centre in Chichester. I booked Crawley Hospital because I’d hoped maybe a chance of Moderna or Pfizer but I now wish I’d booked the Madjeski, which I nearly did! Oh well, I am still very pleased to have booked.

Archiduchesse, yes pharmacies are part of the national booking system rather than GP led booking system. Sorry, my mistake to suggest all the national centres are huge....many are, but pharmacies are part of that system too.

Can anyone point me towards the stats on vaccination % by age and local authority area, which have been cited above? Would love to take a look.
Yours,
StillWaitingGrumpily

PS. It has cheered me right up to see so many people getting their slots booked though. The delay really hit me hard. Glad it’s been ‘unpaused’ now.

@CallforHecate

Can anyone point me towards the stats on vaccination % by age and local authority area, which have been cited above? Would love to take a look. Yours, StillWaitingGrumpily

PS. It has cheered me right up to see so many people getting their slots booked though. The delay really hit me hard. Glad it’s been ‘unpaused’ now.

Link is upthread. I posted it yesterday.

Just booked and site running very slow and no confirmations yet but took screenshot of booking refs so confident it's all fine.

It would be really interesting if people could post which vaccine they received and what type of site they went to, particularly those who have bookings today or tomorrow. I will do so on Saturday when I have my first appointment. I booked into a major hub for a chance of getting Moderna (but will of course accept whatever I'm offered!). But it's not clear to me whether moderna is only being given to under-30s?

I think I've now booked though had lots of trouble with the site, took 2 hours to book it and said would send me an e-mail but nothing through. Asks for booking reference when go in so think booked. But it was wierd this morning it let me book first 10 miles away great said do you want 2nd vaccine there put yes it said well we are cancelling first appointment as you can't have a second one there. Then tried again you didn't turn up - its on end April and they cancelled - book both and just 2 hours of crashing site.

Finally on again and only things an hour away being offered so booked those but no idea where they are. Both on Saturdays but one an hour in one direction and one an hour in the other. And no idea what times I booked.

I just booked and it seemed to get to the end, but then it crashed before generating any booking reference. Tried to do it again but won't let me as it's asking for a booking ref to make changes. Not sure what to now! Anyone else has this?

*had

User, it seems GP local led services are not doing this first jab phase of rollout to over 45s but the mass hubs. That might well mean you either have to travel, or wait some considerable time for GPs to follow up those eligible who don’t book that way.

I have lots of closer mass hubs that haven't been offered. (Densely populated south east). I refuse to believe they are all booked already! (I did try last night and could book a first vaccine locally but not a second which consolidates this view).

@Legoninjago1 Yes we had this - I posted above, but if you call 119 they will be able to retrieve your booking ref for you. They said the email / text should come through but it might take several hours.

Had it today thanks to this thread - dp and I both booked after 7 pm yesterday and got jabbed at 9 am today.

Good luck to anyone still trying to get one

We had AZ as expected

@RedToothBrush yeah thanks there are 19 pages on this thread which have been posted since the start of yesterday. Can you narrow it down for me a bit ?!

[quote AdventureIsWaiting]@Legoninjago1 Yes we had this - I posted above, but if you call 119 they will be able to retrieve your booking ref for you. They said the email / text should come through but it might take several hours.[/quote]
Oh brilliant thanks so much. Will call them.

It might be there are still supply issues too and they won't be able to release lots of appointments? It makes sense to open up to the under 50s of course if those in groups 1-9 are not booking the available appointments but it may still take longer for everyone now eligible to find an appointment.

I know at least one of my local vaccination centres is bringing forward 2nd vaccine appts currently due to supply being limited. I think the recent NHS letter someone posted talked about limited supply at least this week and next (Moderna is only 500,000 doses initially and some have gone to Scotland and Wales).

Still it's brilliant news that those who have been waiting so desperately for their jabs in the 45-49 group can finally get it!

Oh and everyone not getting an email after booking - check your spam folder! I send a lot of emails for work and so many go to spam folders when they are sent by a public body/company/organisation etc.

Frustrating being 44 and 11m!! Dh is younger at 42. We’re in London so no hope of GP contacting us anytime soon as they’re still doing 55+. Down the road (we’re 5min walk from the border) in Surrey we have lots of family early 40s who’ve been called for theirs the last few weeks. Such a postcode lottery.

Oh well, I’m hoping for moderna anyway, can’t have Pfizer due to allergies with anaphylaxis and not keen on AZ as I have hemiplegic migraine with increased risk of blood clots / stokes (although that’s not a known link I’ve been hospitalised with TIA from migraine and would rather not take the risk if possible).

Will be checking on here to see when 40-44 opens up as mn definitely much quicker than news!

@Silkiescat Try calling 119 - we had this and they retrieved the booking ref and times for us over the phone. The email / text apparently may take several hours to come through.

Not in spam but would imagine it is the few hours delay. Just wish had taken note of it and also are they adding local ones later?

Just to add - I tried just over an hour ago and there were no appointments available vaguely near my house. Just tried again and there are now zillions of appointments at the hub a mile away.

So, if you're only being offered sites a long way away (and you know there are closer ones), it's definitely worth hanging on for a bit.

Silkies, but frustrating, but I guess the system has thousands booking and I imagine the co-ordinating 2 jabs that work together in periods of 12 weeks, whilst people are booking live and taking appointments that work with other appointments makes it a bit clunky.

At least you’re booked for pretty soon. In the last couple of weeks when 40s have been anxiously watching, some would have driven 200 Mike’s for the jab.

Glad you’ve got it.

Not sure if you have to cancel existing appointment to see alternatives available, or if closer ones pop up, you can see that and then cancel the further away one.

I've just tried to book and got appointments for Saturday but then couldn't finish the booking because there are no appointments available for the second dose