Covid Vaccination

[LizzieW]

It’s also perfectly true,  no vaccine has yet reached our gp hub, nor in other practices around the country where my relatives live.

It’s a postcode lottery and totally shambolic if you live outside a big city.


Mike

I live in a town of just under 26,000 residents (that includes children), yet our local health centre is now finishing vaccinating all the over 80s (there are about 3,500 of them) plus 20 local care homes - for elderly as well as physically and mentally handicapped plus the care home staff. 

I had my vaccine today and the health centre staff said they'd all been vaccinated.  Behind us in the queue today, where much younger people who I assume must be care workers or key workers as they all looked fit and healthy.  When all the over 80s have been vaccinated, probably by the end of this week or next, they will start on the over 70s.  (I don't mean a long queue as we'd all been given timed appointments.  The maximum number of people waiting was about 6.  The room I went into had 2 nurses giving vaccinations and on the other side of the health centre, through a different entrance there were 2 other nurses giving vaccinations).

So it's not true it's only large cities doing vaccines.  Unfortunately, the good news never reaches the media.

[Mike in Cumbria]

It’s also perfectly true,  no vaccine has yet reached our gp hub, nor in other practices around the country where my relatives live.

It’s a postcode lottery and totally shambolic if you live outside a big city.


Mike

I live in a town of just under 26,000 residents (that includes children), yet our local health centre is now finishing vaccinating all the over 80s (there are about 3,500 of them) plus 20 local care homes - for elderly as well as physically and mentally handicapped.  So it's not true it's only large cities doing vaccines.  Unfortunately, the good news never reaches the media.

I live in a remote rural area, and all of our 80+ residents have had their first jab now, and some have had their second. So yes, it may be a postcode lottery but I don't see that it's just the big cities getting the benefit.

[LizzieW]

Yes, in my area all the over 80s who had their vaccine in December (975 according to the health centre newsletter) had their 2nd vaccine too because it was too late to cancel the 975 appointments and re-book a new lot of people. 

[Maiden Stone]

Cuffie replies 70 & 71. Mea culpa. I missed out some zeros and got the wrong company! I should be ashamed of myself, and me a loyal listener to "More or Less". I heard an excerpt from the Select Committee hearing again on the late night Parliament programme. The Astra Zeneca director said production had been delayed because of a Covid outbreak among staff and suggested that they be vaccinated as priority workers. I'd vote for that if I was in government.   

[Top-of-the-hill]

  Vaccination also progressing rapidly in my mainly rural GP practice.

[Maiden Stone]

"How to Vaccinate the World", a series presented by Tim Hartford on Radio 4 on Mondays has reached episode 9. Hartford's long-running programme "More or Less" which digs into the facts underneath statistics, began a new run today.

Both of those are superb series.

I must listen to "More or Less" repeat tomorrow afternoon and pay attention to the list of important numbers at the start. It includes a comparison between hospital bed occupancy due to covid this winter and flu in previous winters. More evidence to counter the "it's only flu" brigade, except they'll claim it's more lies and propaganda.
 Those programmes fulfil the inform and educate requirements of the BBC Charter. I think "More or Less" programmes are made in collaboration with the Open University. "Inside Science", "Inside Medicine", "All in the Mind" and "The Life Scientific" are on my listening list. 

[LizzieW]

There was an analysis in my paper today from a medical virologist saying that there have been very few cases of flu this winter, possibly because people have had flu vaccines, are wearing masks and generally being careful, staying at home etc. but that when lockdown measures are lifted then flu will come back again.  They said that in Australia there has been an unseasonal rise of something called Respiratory Syncytial Virus, which causes bronchiolitis or croup in children but more severe pneumonia in transplant patients.  So now they're worrying that the paediatric wards will come under strain.  Also our natural immunity to illnesses might wain.  In addition, fewer infections one season can fuel a bigger outbreak the next by providing a larger susceptible population.  So loosening social distancing measures is likely to allow other viruses to re-establish themselves.

The good new is this is likely to be a blip and infection rates should return to pre-pandemic levels over the next couple of years. 

[Llwyd]

Despite whatever is happening occasionally here and there, the UK is amongst the best countries in the world with its vaccination programme so let's not decry the efforts being made, despite the odd hiccup. The roll out in Wales is poor but we are where we are. It will all work out in the end.

 

[Rena]

I live in an area of 80K people.  My pals had their innoculation in December and I have an appointment for tomorrow morning.

I was offered a flu jab at the local chemist last year but thanked them and declined their offer.