COVID Vaccine !

[winjim]

Sit tight is right. It's frustrating but until you're offered it, the thing to do is just forget the vaccine for now, keep doing what we've all been doing. Stay at home, keep your distance, wear a mask, wash your hands. And FFS whatever you do, don't have a massive five day Christmas party. Just because you (legally) can, doesn't mean you should.

The vaccine is coming and we're in a tremendous position compared to where we were in March, let's just hang on a bit longer.

 

[dodgy]

My Dad got vaccinated yesterday, a complete surprise but happy to hear it! Mum still waiting as she's <80.

 

[mjr]

Many have tried to explain that sound clinical and logistics issues are driving this.

Those clinical and logistical issues are far from sound. They look an awful lot like consequences of having spent primarily in cities for 10+ years.

Vaccine programs don't work like that and public health doesn't fit into nice little boxers.

Public health has been gutted, centralised and fed to the cronies.

Not having a hub may well turn out to be an advantage as the need for more GP's hubs will be bigger. Which GP's become hubs will be down to CCG's.

I don't know if this is national, but CCGs around here have been merged into county ones run from - you guessed it - the cities. Norfolk, Cambs and Lincs all like that. We will wait and see where GP hubs are put.

It could also turn out to be an advantage if one of the later vaccines is deployed GP-first and turns out to be better, for some definition of better.

This vaccine program is not time limited everyone who want's this can have one.

Sure but there are time pressures and this uneven deployment means that probably some of my neighbours will die unnecessarily. Wouldn't that make you angry too?

I know I'm almost back of the list and will have to wait and probably by then there will be a wide rollout and no rural divide. I do wonder if I will be expected to drive, though.

Also I know we can't fix years of starving bits of the NHS in time for these vaccines. But that does not mean anyone has to pretend that the allocations of the first vaccine has been solely for "sound clinical reasons" and nothing to do with the legacy of city-first funding.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Sure but there are time pressures and this uneven deployment means that probably some of my neighbours will die unnecessarily. Wouldn't that make you angry too?

Sorry, but thus is just ridiculous. Vaccine rollout is limited by supply. There is an entirely reasonable prioritisation by clinical need in place. To expect absolutely perfect geographically agnostic, clinically prioritised rollout for a medicine in short supply, difficult logistics and only approved last week is wholly unrealistic. I'm suburban, but if I found out the local GPs/hospitals weren't part of the immediate rollout wouldn't make me even mildly irritated, let alone angry.

The key to avoiding our neighbours dieing unnecessarily is probably more improving and maintaining social distancing over the coming months rather than optimising vaccine rollout.

 

[mjr]

Sorry, but thus is just ridiculous.

No, what's ridiculous is posting that vaccine is prioritised by clinical need:

Vaccine rollout is limited by supply. There is an entirely reasonable prioritisation by clinical need in place.

And then immediately implying it's also effectively prioritised by geography:

To expect absolutely perfect geographically agnostic, clinically prioritised rollout for a medicine in short supply, difficult logistics and only approved last week is wholly unrealistic.

I'm suburban,

Urbansplaining.

but if I found out the local GPs/hospitals weren't part of the immediate rollout wouldn't make me even mildly irritated, let alone angry.

It's not that the local venues aren't part of the rollout as much as the local supposedly-prioritised people aren't being called forwards, according to reports. Basically, if you're not near a hub, you're not as high a priority and that effectively means on average if you're not near a city, you're down the list, regardless of clinical need.

The key to avoiding our neighbours dieing unnecessarily is probably more improving and maintaining social distancing over the coming months rather than optimising vaccine rollout.

In the coming months, sure. I've posted several times that I realise this can't be fixed for this vaccine. But we should also push for a more just plan for the next health crisis response because this one stinks, not dismiss the concerns, decry pointing it out as "ridiculous" or insult our representatives as "clowns" for making this valid point (warning: they may be clowns for other reasons...)

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

We are getting the vaccine as soon as we can
My wife was in the shielding group so she can;t really afford to take risks

Hopefully she will get an invite as part of the first group other than care home and NHS staff (and similar)

I will probably not get one for a while because I am less vulnerable - probably

People who are going on about how it isn't important annoy me - maybe they are right - but if the scientists and government are right but other's are wrong the my wife might die

so basically we will go with the wife not dying option as the odds are that it may be critical - and the risks are pretty low and the risks are only of minor problems (as reported so far)
not getting the vaccine includes risk of DEATH for my wife - and at better odds

 

[lane]

Yesterday you implied that Truro didn't deserve a vaccination hub - your preference was Boston.

The Boston hospitals are already in a trust that runs a vaccination hub, just 36 miles up the road at Lincoln.
Meanwhile, if you "moved" the Truro hub to Boston, that would leave the entire country of Cornwall without any hub.

The nearest hub to Cornwall would probably then be Plymouth , so if a care worker lived near Lands End, they could face a round trip of well over 150 miles and a Tamar bridge toll to receive their first vaccination. And the same for the booster in 3 weeks.

I'm not trying to criticise; more a case of recognising that each hub location will have different pros & cons, so some areas will not be served as well as others.
As others have said, patience is needed by all. Local vaccination will come.

As I said up thread Boston had way way more over 60s with Covid than anywhere else in the country. Probably should be a priority if some sort at some time but probably not a massive issue right now.

 

[kingrollo]

I think there should be a special group for baldies ! We don't get anything !

 

[vickster]

I think there should be a special group for baldies ! We don't get anything !

Yes you do...cheap hairdressing

 

[mjr]

Yesterday you implied that Truro didn't deserve a vaccination hub - your preference was Boston.

Not "didn't deserve" so much as "shouldn't be a higher priority than".

The Boston hospitals are already in a trust that runs a vaccination hub, just 36 miles up the road at Lincoln.

Yes, because rural/semirural hospitals have been encouraged to link up with "better" (better-funded!) city hospitals to get by... and then resources needed for things like this went to the city hospitals. Some others tried to get by without doing that, but then they've been overlooked for this, possibly because they've not had the past investment to be able to handle the logistics. Non-city-size hospitals basically can't qualify either way.

I'm not trying to criticise; more a case of recognising that each hub location will have different pros & cons, so some areas will not be served as well as others.

Yes, pros and cons, but one of those factors seems to be whether it is in a city or rural borough (because a city location means they can better handle the logistics like freezers and transport because they've had more investment over recent years).

As others have said, patience is needed by all. Local vaccination will come.

I understand corpses are very good at waiting patiently in this cold weather.

 

[mjr]

As I said up thread Boston had way way more over 60s with Covid than anywhere else in the country. Probably should be a priority if some sort at some time but probably not a massive issue right now.

Not a massive issue if some bumpkins die avoidably. Not enough to be worth moving a vaccination hub 35 miles east in future. Can you hear how this sounds?

 

[lane]

Not a massive issue if some bumpkins die avoidably. Not enough to be worth moving a vaccination hub 35 miles east in future. Can you hear how this sounds?

You have misunderstood my point. Vaccine is so limited at the moment that it won't make much practical difference if we vacanate the over 80s in Lincoln or Boston. When there is more available it would make sense to target hotspot s like Boston. Think that's a reasoned argument personally how do you think it sounds?

 

[tom73]

Just because a full blow by blow account for every tiny bit of the roll out is not around for the media and unqualified masses to pick to bits.
It must some how be a pilot well it's not stop reading into things and see things from the other side. They know who need's this and when using the guidelines already agreed. Health Care Professional do this every day of week they know how to do it. They can't magic supply out of thin air you can't share round what you don't have. We have what we have and we don't have room for error or waste. They have to work with what they have and the what services they have left to use what ever state they have been allowed to get in. You can't share round what you don't have So like I said keep pushing and wait to see what mess you will end up with. Or support the service and staff who are going flat out to get this thing done as clinically safe as possible and continue with the current measures to keep everyone safe.

 

[Rocky]

Just because a full blow by blow account for every tiny bit of the roll out is not around for the media and unqualified masses to pick to bits.
It must some how be a pilot well it's not stop reading into things and see things from the other side. They know who need's this and when using the guidelines already agreed. Health Care Professional do this every day of week they know how to do it. They can't magic supply out of thin air you can't share round what you don't have. We have what we have and we don't have room for error or waste. They have to work with what they have and the what services they have left to use what ever state they have been allowed to get in. You can't share round what you don't have So like I said keep pushing and wait to see what mess you will end up with. Or support the service and staff who are going flat out to get this thing done as clinically safe as possible and continue with the current measures to keep everyone safe.

Spot on!!

We have a good GP system in our town. I know that I'll get a text when its my turn to get the vaccine. I've just had my 'flu jab this morning - very impressed with the organisation. They must have vaccinated nearly 200 people in an hour.

I think we need to (i) trust the research and regulatory processes (ii) the infrastructure and planning for the delivery. As you say, it won't all happen at once but it will be rolled out in an orderly/systematic way. I hope that Government and the DoH are kept as far away from the planning as possible. This is something that should be implemented locally.

Meanwhile, let's be sensible and keep socially distancing & wearing masks in enclosed/poorly ventilated places.

 

[mjr]

Health Care Professional [...] have to work with what they have and the what services they have left to use what ever state they have been allowed to get in. You can't share round what you don't have

I absolutely agree with that. I do not criticise the health care professionals. By and large, they're not the ones who were choosing to fund the cities to higher levels.

So like I said keep pushing and wait to see what mess you will end up with. Or support the service and staff who are going flat out to get this thing done as clinically safe as possible and continue with the current measures to keep everyone safe.

No. We can support the efforts of HCPs while opposing the unjust distribution. If people keep on supporting and defending this shoot, the politicians won't improve it in future.