45-49s jabs news, 40-44s watching and waiting thread

[MRex]

Follow-on to the happy thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4210673-Can-the-40-49-age-group-now-book-their-vaccine.

(I'm jabbed, but just here to read happy news of jabs and try to book DH when it's his time.)

@whatswithtodaytoday

I meant to ask - how do people find out about drop-in sessions, spare doses etc? I've never seen anything in any local news or groups.

In my area its the local Facebook group. Our MP will let people know of open says and residents swop information too.

@SilverGlitterBaubles

Also are all vaccines given 12 weeks apart regardless?

Mine is 10 weeks apart. I booked for Tuesday just gone and the first second appointment I could book was end of June.

What are the predictions for when the system will open up to 40-45? Next week, 2 weeks, next month?

Love a perdition @user34254356 I think 2 weeks and 2 days from today

Prediction even 🤦‍♀️

@whatswithtodaytoday

I meant to ask - how do people find out about drop-in sessions, spare doses etc? I've never seen anything in any local news or groups.

It seems to be very area dependent. In our greater London borough there's never been any; no waiting lists as they used a GP list for end of day spares, no walk-in centres, slow to move between groups, not even a pharmacy just a few bigger sites. 2 boroughs over there's a place that would jab anyone when they had spares, so a few have called to book on they're waiting list and gone there, until they said borough residents only. Another few boroughs have drop-ins but again mostly within the borough, as well as a raft of different locations. It might be dependent on take-up and availability, or just organisation - as I say, they seem to have been running the spares list tightly from day 1 around here. It's good to be fair (even if those of us more keen would have liked to jump in early, say while I waited a month to get a group 6 invite before they opened it on national booking).

My DH has just had the moderna vaccine at Manchester sport city this morning. Just in case anyone else is going there.

Thanks everyone for the info. I still can't find anything - the NHS Twitter is just 'official' information. I'm mid-Essex. Local paper online just posts about traffic accidents and tries to goad people into arguing in the comments.

We have the highest rate of vaccinations in the area so I guess they're just getting used up!

I have just got invited for a jab by my GP. Early 40s, London.

My borough has been following the official NHS advice to the letter of the law. They only opened bookings to 45+ early this week after the formal go ahead from PHE (despite average vaccination rates). If I got invited, it means health trusts have been additional flexibility in moving down the age groups.

That's great! When are you going @wintertravel1980?

Glad I'm not the only one struggling to book....centre in my town has spaces for next week but no slots for 2nd dose so won't let you book the 1st.

Another question if you are done at GP as I was do they notify you near the time of your second appointment? My partner did his via the nhs link and he booked both at same time as he knows his dates...do I jus have to wait for a GP text/call? Thanks x

Wednesday next week, first thing in the morning:).

DH just had his vaccination - he had the Moderna one. We’re in York (is my turn tomorrow).

@Remmy123

Why is a 40 year okd so desperate to get this vaccine I don't really get it

From family and colleagues the age, the reasons have been:

• seen others of similar age be ill with covid and don't want it
• seen a couple of friends with long covid and would rather do something to prevent it
• extra protection for vulnerable clients/customers and of older family members
• work with a lot of people so perceive risk of catching covid to be higher, due to how many people they see
• concerns about access to holidays, travel, concerts, etc

Dd is 18y and wants hers when eligible. She saw how poorly I was with covid and is seeing how long covid is affecting me. She also has a nasty time of having flu 3 or4 years back and didn't want to have that again, so,she always has a paid for flu vaccine as well for similar reasons. Also, She is sociable and enjoys travel, concerts, festivals and wants to experience clubbing, etc and doesn't want to risk anything getting in her way.

@whatswithtodaytoday I'm mid Essex too! Patiently waiting for my husband's turn, checking daily, he's 43. Fortunately I'm done already through work despite being 10 years younger!

Our GP is a vaccination hub and the local FB page does post updates on the progress of their roll out, not sure whether it's best to wait to hear from the GP (which is so close and they also do Pfizer) or go straight through to the NHS website and have to travel!

Which borough in London, if you don’t mind me asking, wintertravel1980. Or if you don’t want to say, can you say yes or no if it’s Greenwich? I always live in hope!

Cardiff and the Vale health board have been vaccinating 40-49 year olds since last Thursday so had mine last Saturday (I'm 40). Had Pfizer, no side effects.

I have been to my GP-led clinic today where I had the AZ vaccine. Will report back if I have any side effects.

@user34254356

What are the predictions for when the system will open up to 40-45? Next week, 2 weeks, next month?

The I newspaper was speculating this

That would put the latter half of the 40 - 49s starting in two to three weeks time. I think that the suggestion is that GPs are being told to just crack on at their own pace for the 49 - 40 age group so we may see some areas starting on the under 45s much earlier than others and before the onlone booking system starts. This was in theory happening already when GPs were running out of patients in the 'correct' age group but its now been authoritised formerly.

My guess would be online booking is likely to start the last week of April or the following week - the first week in May if the I's prediction of scheduling is accurate.

TBH it has to be fairly close to correct if the government believe they will still hit the target of everyone vaccinated by the end of July. They simply have to get x number of over 45s through the doors by X date to have a chance to achieve it.

Bit of an unlikely one for anyone being able to answer, but thought would throw it out there. I’ve booked a jab for early May at a venue that has been doing AZ and Moderna jabs(only local one doing Moderna at moment according to reports) - just to keep options open in case things change with stats around side effects etc. Online I couldn’t book a 2nd appointment but was able to do both over the phone. But 2nd appointment had to be at different venue.

Does anyone know if that means I would have no chance of getting Moderna as 2nd appointment is somewhere at the moment not doing them? Or is that not how we think it works? Or just completely unknowable!

Thanks

Or if you don’t want to say, can you say yes or no if it’s Greenwich? I always live in hope!

My GP surgery is in Lewisham which is part of Lewisham & Greenwich health trust. Lewisham normally does things before Greenwich with Greenwich eventually following.

@SilverGlitterBaubles

Also are all vaccines given 12 weeks apart regardless?

The recommendation for AZ is between 4 and 12 weeks apart. The NHS are going for within 12 weeks. I think I have seen it said that it can be up to around 16 weeks (I think I saw that 10 - 16 weeks was coming up as the optimum period) and I think they are probably going for within 12 weeks to ensure that if people cancel appointments theres time to chase up / reschedule etc.

The recommendation for Pfizer is 21 days but the NHS is going for between 3 and 12 weeks instead. Pfizer didn't do any research into delayed second jabs so its something of a live experiment thats based on the fact that AZ seemed to actually be better with a slightly longer gap.

I know that a friend of mine who had Pfizer through a GP has been told that her second jab is likely to be somewhat sooner than 12 weeks simply due to the schedule of when the GP is getting deliveries.

So no it doesn't have to be exactly 12 weeks but I don't think you can actively book two doses further apart than that either (unless you've already had one) because the computer won't allow it.

I know someone who got a spare dose and they were told the clinically was fully booked for second jabs for the full 12 weeks but if they checked back the following day when the system was updated and the recond of them having had their first was added then new slots should appear for that clinoc but they could book an alternative venue if they wished.

So I think its slightly nuanced and dependent on how you got your first jab as to when you can get your second.

Anyone who can't book their jab because it won't give them a second slot, should just keep checking as they are being updated and added on a daily basis.

[quote ILookAtTheFloor]@whatswithtodaytoday I'm mid Essex too! Patiently waiting for my husband's turn, checking daily, he's 43. Fortunately I'm done already through work despite being 10 years younger!

Our GP is a vaccination hub and the local FB page does post updates on the progress of their roll out, not sure whether it's best to wait to hear from the GP (which is so close and they also do Pfizer) or go straight through to the NHS website and have to travel![/quote]
My local GP is a hub too, I've even tried walking past at the end of the day but no sign of spares so far. The GP itself doesn't have a Facebook or any mechanism to tell people how they're doing, and their website is out of date (still says 50+ and don't call us). Oh well, I guess it isn't too far away now.

Personally I'd want to be jabbed asap, I don't think we're expecting much Pfizer for first doses for a while now?

My GP has just put up a note yesterday that they will soon be inviting adults 18+; this is new as they went through a hub before. They can't have that many in their 40s, so hopefully that means they will call DH.