Possible to jump the queue at vaccination center ?

[lmao88]

Hello, please advise me.

I am 32 weeks pregnant and due to take my COVID vaccine on next week Friday morning. My sister who took the vaccine on Thursday afternoon said there were approx 30 people standing in-front of her outside before entering the building, and waited around 30-40 mins. I am going to the same vaccine center, is it possible for pregnant women to jump the queue?

not sure why you think you'd have the right to queue jump over old people etc.

If you're that bothered take a stool to sit on.

Both times I’ve been (different centres) there’s been queue marshalls/volunteers hanging around. You can ask them to find you a chair if you really can’t stand but the queue has been 15 mins max for me.

You need to have a word with yourself a bit. You sound grossly entitled. I worked right up to 38.5 weeks pregnant and took public transport.. London underground trains with packed commuters every single day twice a day. You don't deserve to jump a queue just because you're pregnant. If someone offers you to jump the queue then that's different but to expect it is extremely entitled.

I think you will get more sympathy if you explain why you actually need to queue jump. As others have said, if you are having problems standing it’s a good idea to bring a lightweight chair or if necessary, ring in advance and see if they can make a wheelchair available. No one will want you to suffer unnecessarily but there are probably alternatives to waltzing to the front of the queue.

I went yesterday and there was a massive queue of about 80 people. There were a couple of people with chairs waiting by the head of the queue, I guess the stewards knew where they were in the queue as I saw one person sitting get waved in by them. I would ask when you get there if there is a chair you can have if unable to stand. The queue did move fast though it took about 10/15 minutes to get.

All pregnancies are different one I was on crutches for half the pregnancy whereas another one I was walking miles the week of the birth so it doesn't make much sense to compare with others. I wouldn't necessarily expect to jump the queue but I would bring a chair to sit on.

I used to feel faint in 5 minute shop checkout queues throughout most of my pregnancies. I certainly couldn't have stood in a queue for 30-40 minutes. There’s a difference between moving about at work and standing still for that length of time.

If you’re the same, I would either go with the camping chair idea or explain to the staff managing the queue when you get there.

You're being a bit precious. I'm physically disabled and would either take my wheelchair or ask for a seat. No need to queue jump.

Why would you need to jump the queue?

I was in a queue of about 20 people on Wednesday for mine, we were only queuing for about 15 mins.

Take a camping chair if you don't want to stand up?

Definately take a camping chair. I took one for DS in the early days of walk through test sites when the queues were long. He was very poorly with a cough/cold.

What on earth?

Why would you have the right to jump the queue just because you’re pregnant? Disabled people have to stand and queue, elderly people. Why should you be given special treatment?

I’m flabbergasted to be honest.

Camping chair as above is a good solution.

@Mousetown

You do realise most women who are 32 weeks pregnant are on their feet all day working? Unless you have mobility issues preventing you from standing I don’t see why you can’t stand in a queue.

"Most" women who are 32 weeks pregnant are on their feet all day working? I doubt that's true. A substantial proportion will be office workers for starters.

I can think of lots of reasons why it might be particularly difficult for pregnant women to deal with the idea of being in a queue for 40 minutes:

• Extreme nausea
• Physical pain eg lower back pain, SPD
• General anxiety, given the guidance had been to take additional care in terms of social distancing in third trimester, and pregnant women therefore may not have been out of the house much at all so far.
• Anxiety specific to the vaccine, given the guidance on the vaccine during pregnancy has only just changed and a number of pregnant women are still choosing not to have it.

Would be great if people could be kind - not sure where else OP is supposed to ask this sort of question given they may well not know others of the same gestation in real life and it's nigh impossible to actually speak to anyone on the phone r.e. the vaccine.

Nope. I’m 36 weeks and use a crutch and I waited politely when I got done the other day.

I went to a clinic in Manchester on Saturday. There were hundreds in the queue. Pregnant women had a separate entrance and were taken to the front of the queue.

"Most" women who are 32 weeks pregnant are on their feet all day working? I doubt that's true. A substantial proportion will be office workers for starters

Well, I work in an office and I’m certainly not sat on my arse all day. I doubt office workers do not walk around, walk to work, take public transport or are glued to chairs all day.

The OP did not mention any kind of medical issue in her post. She asked a question and people have answered. Eye rolling at “be kind”

@BertiesMangos I agree with this. Some of the comments come off not very kind. Given that we hope people to offer their seat on a tube or bus for pregnant women (which would usually be less than 40 mins standing) i don’t think it’s unreasonable for OP to ask this question.

@Mousetown

"Most" women who are 32 weeks pregnant are on their feet all day working? I doubt that's true. A substantial proportion will be office workers for starters

Well, I work in an office and I’m certainly not sat on my arse all day. I doubt office workers do not walk around, walk to work, take public transport or are glued to chairs all day.

The OP did not mention any kind of medical issue in her post. She asked a question and people have answered. Eye rolling at “be kind”

At the moment the government advice is that people should still be working from home if they can - so on that basis the majority of office-workers should still be home working. Which is very unlikely to mean 'on their feet all day'. Even for those in the office, adjustments should be made available to those who need it.

Whilst some people may be very capable of staying active right until delivery, that's not the case for everyone. People are right to point out that others with mobility issues have also had to queue, but I really don't think it's fair to brand the OP as precious because she is asking the question - I'm pretty sure the majority of pregnant women would take up the offer of a queue jump if it did exist, so why is it a problem to ask?

My advice would be to wait until you are offered an appointment at your GP instead, rather than booking at one of the big centres, as it feels less likely there will be a queue.

I worked full time on a hospital ward at 32 weeks pregnant. I was on my feet 12 hours a day.

I would be absolutely affronted if someone thought they could jump the vaccine queue just because they were pregnant. Really poor attitude to have.

I guess I made a very different assumption to everyone else and assumed it was to do with bathroom access/needing to wee.

I'm 25 weeks and there are times during the day where I need to wee multiple times per hour. I've found myself purposefully dehydrating myself if I know I'm going to need to wait for an hour or more for some reason.

I'd dread having to wait in a 30-40minute queue at 32 weeks when I'm already struggling this much. Plus it's 30-40minutes + travel time on either side. Admittedly I would just make sure I was relatively dehydrated prior to setting off like I have been doing but if there was a way to jump the queue (or if toilets were available and I could rejoin the queue at the same point) that would be really helpful.

Where are you?

I had my second jab, with appointment, just last week. Bowled up 5 minutes early, ushered straight in, out again in about 3 minutes.

If you’re in one of the high demand areas (Bolton, Blackburn, Rochdale, Bedford etc) where there are no-appointment vaccines for all ages, I can well imagine that there is a queue. Which is a plus.

In your circumstances, I would go straight to the front, explain and ask security. There are several pressing reasons why I wouldn’t have wanted to queue, particularly in late pregnancy and I certainly wouldn’t complain if you went ahead of me. I can’t imagine many people would (speaking as someone who had to commandeer the supermarket cashier’s seat when I had a funny spell at the checkout expecting our second 😁).
Anyone who does object, disability notwithstanding, obviously, is just not very nice and will be ignored by security and the rest of the queue (I would hope).

I had to wait the best part of an hour for my first jab. 45 or so minutes in, I was offered a chair. I'm 70, relatively frail, unsteady on my feet ( linked to my hearing loss) and I would have waited another hour if I had to.

What you are getting has been achieved by many,many people. Scientists, logistic experts, local authorities, volunteers, etc,etc.

And you want to know how to jump the queue? Get a grip.

Oh my goodness you’re pregnant not disabled.

I wonder if everyone feels the same then about standing 40 min on a train/bus etc?

What’s the point of the baby on board badges etc?

It’s a queue. Not a bus.