No Pfizer vaccine available for 2nd dose.

[MrsWhites]

Hi, just wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

A member of my family have attended their pre-booked appointment at a large vaccination centre this morning for their 2nd Pfizer vaccine. On arrival they were asked to show their card from the first dose and were told the centre do not have any Pfizer doses available and haven’t had any all week. The nurse was apologetic and said she has had to send lots of people away for the same reason. Family member has been told to contact GP tomorrow to try to arrange another appointment at another centre.

Why would they not cancel these people, the nurse was very frustrated saying they have plenty of Astra Zeneca but can only invite so many people per day so these people turning up for the Pfizer are taking appointments away from those would can have the AZ one. Very frustrating!!

Seems odd. Not heard of that happening.

Agree, seems odd. All Pfizer is being channelled through GPs and GP hubs now, so was this is a large GP hub?

Otherwise they would not have had Pfizer anyway.

Hope your family member can get a second dose. I was meant to have my second dose of Pfizer over a week ago but appointment was cancelled - I presume due to stock issues, due to have it this week after rescheduling it. Which will then be at 12 weeks so I'm praying they have some in stock when I go.

I have heard of this, my dad had his second Pfizer appointment cancelled and rebooked for a week later. He was nervous as he was given a 7pm appointment and earlier in the week a friend of his turned up for their jab at an evening appointment only to be turned away as they had run out. Anyway luckily my dad got his jab at the second attempt. His partner had Astra Zeneca and she also got rebooked for her second jab, so it doesn't seem only an issue with Pfizer.

Though I am a little relieved to hear they are just turning people away and not giving them a different vaccine, as I was worried that might happen.

Having a different second vaccine might turn out to be advantageous.
They are researching it now.

It must vary depending on where you are in the country. Yesterday, I got a phone call out of the blue - asking me to go down and get my second dose because they had a lot of spare doses.

Not a problem for dparents or pils although dm appointment was delayed a week.

No everyone I know who’s turned up for 2nd Pfizer vaccine have been vaccinated without a problem. Where are you in the UK?

The UK aren’t thinking about mixing vaccine doses anytime soon though as it hasn’t been fully trialled yet.

Lots of areas are pulling 2nd doses forward. Where there is more than enough for 2nd doses they are using it to bring other 2nd doses sooner rather than expanding the rollout of 1st jab to next age group at moment.

I think this is to ensure the issues mentioned on this thread don’t happen further down the line. They would rather ‘get ahead’ with 2nd doses where supply allows, so if there are later supply problems, it doesn’t impact 2nd doses, but instead 1st doses. Obviously 1st doses are very much wanted, but the date of them is flexible, whereas once someone has had that, the 2nd does need to happen and involves a commitment to give it.

I think the UK are doing ok for 2nd jabs at the moment. OP where in the UK are you?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56709870

There is enough Pfizer stock in the UK for the second doses. The primary challenge is logistics - most centres have got either AZ or Pfizer on any given day and you may be sent to a different vaccination hub (not the one where you got the first dose 11-12 weeks ago).

Are you in London OP? Something similar happened to a family friend. They were called the night before to cancel due to supply issues. They finally had the second dose but at 13 weeks. They're a little worried as they're in their 80s and vulnerable.

This sort of thing really highlights just why there's something seriously wrong with the postcode lottery of distribution. It's very wrong that some areas have so much surplus they can call in people early whilst others (often in higher risk areas like London) are cancelling on vulnerable elderly at last minute.

A friend had 30 minutes notice (call or text, I can't remember) that 2nd vaccine appointment had been cancelled. This was week 10 and it was rearranged for the following week, which went ahead no problem.

My parents had to wait for quite a time outside their centre for their second jabs as the delivery lorry had only just arrived (late) and was being unloaded and supplies unpacked and fridged (or whatever they do with them). I guess sometimes some things don't go absolutely according to plan!

DH’s bookings kept being cancelled. I made one booking and had mine. He then managed a couple of days later. I think supplies are variable.

My PIL turned up for their second doses today and the vaccination centre was completely shut up with a sign saying to contact their GP. Not sure which vaccine they had first time around but its exactly 12 weeks since their first so they're really worried.

Unfortunately, now that we’re doing the younger age group, we’re getting more DNA’s and more people changing their mind at the actual appointment.

I wonder if distribution has been based on population percentage rather than actual numbers? So somewhere with a total of 5,000 people and a percentage of 50% elderly will have way less elderly in total than a large city of 1 million with a percents of elderly of 25%.

@Bexily
That's terrible. Really awful way to treat vulnerable people. They should at the very least have been told in advance. This shouldn't be happening. Areas with excess supply urgently need to redistribute to those in need. I hope they can get a new appointment arranged asap with their GP.

In the US you can't book your first Pfizer jab until there's a second one in stock for you. We're doing them 21 days apart so they don't have to track it for that long. Its the same for Moderna, except the interval is 28 days.

This is why we should have stuck to vaccinating the upper age groups and vulnerable only until all had two doses. All in the name of the vaccine race game.

The 2 people I know who have had 2nd doses, got them early (1-3 weeks early). One in Norfolk, one in central London.

Oh wow so many messages...

It’s a main vaccination hub in north west, both first and second vaccine were booked at the same time using the online booking system. A friend of mine went for vaccine the same day as my family member went for their first one and they were given AZ so at that time the centre were using both. Seems strange now that even though they presumably have lots of people booked in for second appointments that they haven’t ensured that they have the appropriate supplies. I can only assume that it’s a distribution/logistics issue.

Family member is vulnerable so is worried about not receiving second dose on time, it’s been just over 12 weeks since first dose. Hoping the GP can sort it out quite quickly!

@MissConductUS

In the US you can't book your first Pfizer jab until there's a second one in stock for you. We're doing them 21 days apart so they don't have to track it for that long. Its the same for Moderna, except the interval is 28 days.

Where are you?

I'm in NYC and my second Moderna shot was booked at my first appointment for 24 days later. Wife had hers at a different place, hers was 28 days, also Moderna and booked at first appointment.