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Vaccine Progress, Approval, and Deployment

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Bantamzen

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Yes and no.

Yes, where we've got >85% 1st dose take-up there's little point getting a few percentage points more with the vaccine.

However there's areas (not many) where first dose uptake is low. Where you've got 1:2 or even 1:1 ratios (and there's at least an area in Reading where there's fewer than 50% first doses) going for to door makes sense.

Not that it'll make much difference at a national level. However for those areas or could make a large difference in the local hospitals if they can get it up above 75%.
But again, some random stranger banging on the door asking about vaccines isn't likely to get such people into getting a vaccine. That is my point.
 
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DelayRepay

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But again, some random stranger banging on the door asking about vaccines isn't likely to get such people into getting a vaccine. That is my point.

It says they're volunteers so probably worth a shot, especially if they're from the same communities as the people they're targeting. Anyway I would rather people were door knocking to promote vaccination, than door knocking to ask people to do Covid tests, which we've seen in the past.
 

dm1

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I think while it's true, that sending people round door to door will not persuade everyone, I do think that it's possible that it can work for a certain proportion of people - at the very least it can give them some more information, allow them to ask questions directly, and motivate them to do some more research of their own, hopefully with some reliable sources of information.

It's not an absolute. Just because it won't work for everyone, doesn't mean it won't work with some - and at this stage, where basically everyone who actively wants to be vaccinated already is, it's one of the few tools available to reach those who have not been reached by the information campaigns up to now, particularly where that is down to local factors.

I do think that the real level of vaccination is likely higher in certain regions than the headline figures, since the UK doesn't really have a reliable measure of the population of a given area at a given time and there will be people who have a GP in one region, but have been vaccinated in another - or perhaps have even moved abroad and so are not seen by the system, even if they have been vaccinated. For similar reasons, it could also be lower elsewhere.
 

DelayRepay

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It's not an absolute. Just because it won't work for everyone, doesn't mean it won't work with some - and at this stage, where basically everyone who actively wants to be vaccinated already is, it's one of the few tools available to reach those who have not been reached by the information campaigns up to now, particularly where that is down to local factors.

I realise one person does not make a trend, but when our GP posted on Facebook that they were doing a walk in session (a couple of weeks ago), one of the replies was from an older person (over 60 I recall) who said they were still waiting for their first appointment. They had been waiting for a letter and for some reason it hadn't arrived. They didn't really understand that anyone can book an appointment now, and they were of the mindset that people should be patient and not 'bother' the NHS by calling when they're very busy.

The vicar also 'found' a couple of older people who'd not been jabbed because they had no way to get to the vaccine centre. They'd not wanted to bother anyone by asking for help.

In our area, we have about 5% of over 70s, and 10% of people aged 60 - 70 who remain unvaccinated. If the door to door people can help some of these to get a jab, that's a good thing I think.

For me it's less about persuading people who've decided they don't want a vaccine to change their minds, and more about checking that people who've not been jabbed have made a conscious decision not to, rather than having fallen between the cracks.
 

35B

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I realise one person does not make a trend, but when our GP posted on Facebook that they were doing a walk in session (a couple of weeks ago), one of the replies was from an older person (over 60 I recall) who said they were still waiting for their first appointment. They had been waiting for a letter and for some reason it hadn't arrived. They didn't really understand that anyone can book an appointment now, and they were of the mindset that people should be patient and not 'bother' the NHS by calling when they're very busy.

The vicar also 'found' a couple of older people who'd not been jabbed because they had no way to get to the vaccine centre. They'd not wanted to bother anyone by asking for help.

In our area, we have about 5% of over 70s, and 10% of people aged 60 - 70 who remain unvaccinated. If the door to door people can help some of these to get a jab, that's a good thing I think.

For me it's less about persuading people who've decided they don't want a vaccine to change their minds, and more about checking that people who've not been jabbed have made a conscious decision not to, rather than having fallen between the cracks.
Absolutely. And in Bolton during the surge there a month or two back, one of the findings was that vaccination uptake was significantly affected by how easy the programme made it for people to access vaccinations. Taking a vaccination bus to the areas worst affected made a significant difference rather than expecting people to travel.
 

DelayRepay

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Absolutely. And in Bolton during the surge there a month or two back, one of the findings was that vaccination uptake was significantly affected by how easy the programme made it for people to access vaccinations. Taking a vaccination bus to the areas worst affected made a significant difference rather than expecting people to travel.
I think that's part of the problem here. I live in a village and although we have a local GP surgery, their vaccination clinics have been held at another surgery. There is no bus between this village and the surgery doing vaccines. There were volunteers giving lifts, but some people don't like to ask. And some would have been nervous getting into a stranger's car or a taxi due to the risk of infection.

Most people have been sorted out, but it's clear there are pockets who haven't, despite wanting a vaccine. I am not sure how the vicar found out about the two, but he posted on facebook that anyone else in the same situation should contact the church (whether a church goer or not) and they will help. He also asked people with elderly neighbours to speak to them because they might not see the posts on Facebook.

For this group, every unvaccinated person (who wants a jab) is worth finding. Because they are vulnerable, these jabs could save lives - they have a significant benefit to the recipient rather than being done for the wider benefit of society.
 

danm14

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Ireland 7 days post 2nd Pfizer or 1st AZ.
That is not correct.

For the purposes of skipping quarantine, you must either have proof of a positive test between 11 and 180 days ago or be fully vaccinated (2nd Pfizer 7+ days ago, 2nd Moderna 14+ days ago, 2nd AstraZeneca 15+ days ago, or Janssen single dose 14+ days ago). I believe the rules for indoor dining are to be the same, with the possibility of allowing positive tests up to 270 days old.

There was previous guidance (which was repeatedly wrongly referred to as law) that people could meet indoors in larger groups 4 weeks (not 7 days) after the 1st AstraZeneca dose but this doesn't apply to international travel/indoor dining and was only introduced to discourage AstraZeneca refusal based on the longer wait between doses.
 

Pete_uk

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Had my second jab today. This time I did feel the skin being pierced but still not as bad as the flu vaccines I've had.

My appointment was 9:20 and I left after 20 minutes, which was 9:20..!
 

102 fan

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They're bribing us in NI!


BBC News - High Street voucher scheme: Robin Swann to consider vaccination link


'Health Minister Robin Swann has said he would consider supporting linking the high street voucher scheme to people being fully vaccinated.'
 
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Darandio

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This whole program is an utter farce.

Got my first AZ jab on 5th June when my GP was running a clinic, was told at the time that they would run another clinic 8 weeks later which would be this Saturday. After receiving no communication about it I went in today and they said there now won't be a second clinic but I could go into the town centre today where a mobile vaccination centre has been set up for both AZ and Pfizer vaccines and I could have it a couple of days early.

Went down the town and queued up for the vaccination only to be told they aren't doing AZ at all and the only way would be to go back to booking online at another centre. Tried that and just as before i'm being offered locations upwards of 30 miles away and all appointments are midweek which I couldn't attend anyway, never mind the fact I ain't travelling that far for it.

They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.
 

westv

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Had my second jab today. This time I did feel the skin being pierced but still not as bad as the flu vaccines I've had.

My appointment was 9:20 and I left after 20 minutes, which was 9:20..!
I felt both but maybe the second a little less than then first.
How bad were your flu vaccines?
 

ainsworth74

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This whole program is an utter farce.

Got my first AZ jab on 5th June when my GP was running a clinic, was told at the time that they would run another clinic 8 weeks later which would be this Saturday. After receiving no communication about it I went in today and they said there now won't be a second clinic but I could go into the town centre today where a mobile vaccination centre has been set up for both AZ and Pfizer vaccines and I could have it a couple of days early.

Went down the town and queued up for the vaccination only to be told they aren't doing AZ at all and the only way would be to go back to booking online at another centre. Tried that and just as before i'm being offered locations upwards of 30 miles away and all appointments are midweek which I couldn't attend anyway, never mind the fact I ain't travelling that far for it.

They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

Well our MP was out and about singing its praises (and to be fair he got it right that it was Pfizer only) might be worth having a word see if he's actually able of doing anything other than point scoring online and trying to impress the Tory leadership with his unstinting loyalty to Boris and his commitment to the culture war.


VACCINE BUS IN REDCAR TODAY…

No appointment needed for Pfizer Vaccines from now until 7PM tonight.

For over 18s (or within 3 months of your 18th birthday).

Get your 1st or your 2nd jab here (as long as your original was Phizer and there’s been an 8 week gap).

 

island

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This whole program is an utter farce.

Got my first AZ jab on 5th June when my GP was running a clinic, was told at the time that they would run another clinic 8 weeks later which would be this Saturday. After receiving no communication about it I went in today and they said there now won't be a second clinic but I could go into the town centre today where a mobile vaccination centre has been set up for both AZ and Pfizer vaccines and I could have it a couple of days early.

Went down the town and queued up for the vaccination only to be told they aren't doing AZ at all and the only way would be to go back to booking online at another centre. Tried that and just as before i'm being offered locations upwards of 30 miles away and all appointments are midweek which I couldn't attend anyway, never mind the fact I ain't travelling that far for it.

They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.
I beg to suggest that the programme as a whole has operated very well and experiences like yours, whilst unfortunate, are isolated.
 

Darandio

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I beg to suggest that the programme as a whole has operated very well and experiences like yours, whilst unfortunate, are isolated.

Possibly, although such a situation is par for the course with my practice and local trust. Given how pro-active they seemed to have suddenly become for the first round of jabs I held out hope that they had upped their game, evidently not.
 

yorkie

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This whole program is an utter farce.

Got my first AZ jab on 5th June when my GP was running a clinic, was told at the time that they would run another clinic 8 weeks later which would be this Saturday. After receiving no communication about it I went in today and they said there now won't be a second clinic but I could go into the town centre today where a mobile vaccination centre has been set up for both AZ and Pfizer vaccines and I could have it a couple of days early.

Went down the town and queued up for the vaccination only to be told they aren't doing AZ at all and the only way would be to go back to booking online at another centre. Tried that and just as before i'm being offered locations upwards of 30 miles away and all appointments are midweek which I couldn't attend anyway, never mind the fact I ain't travelling that far for it.

They couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

Would they let you have a different vaccine, or was that not an option?

It's likely that a heterologous prime-boost approach is more effective (it often is for other vaccines and the early data for Sars-CoV-2 suggest that is indeed the case) however it may be the case that they are not allowing it yet. I think they should be allowing people to take whatever vaccine is available to be honest, but that's another story I suppose.

As for the vaccine bus, I don't think we have one of those in York (we do have a Ghost Bus though, which I see quite often :lol:)


I beg to suggest that the programme as a whole has operated very well and experiences like yours, whilst unfortunate, are isolated.
It was great for me. I booked mine through the NHS site and I was out for about 45 minutes including time to get to/from the vaccination centre. It was a little longer for my 2nd dose, as they were running at reduced capacity.

I re-booked my 2nd dose, as it was originally for 11 weeks and I re-booked it for 9 weeks (which is a long enough gap to be optimal) and that process was painless and efficient too.

So, for me, it couldn't have been easier.

I've just seen this:

NEW: A large real world study (over one million people) of AstraZeneca & Pfizer vaccines looking at blood clotting disorders Confirms safety profiles of both vaccines are similar You can read the study (Lancet preprint) here:https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3886421
For the very rare blood clotting disorders (TTS) - these were observed but were in line with what would be expected in the general population - and crucially lower than in those with Covid-19
It's not been peer reviewed yet, but it sounds promising.

I've always doubted the claims made against the Oxford AZ vaccine; this disinformation and smear campaign against the vaccine has almost certainly cost lives in some countries (though probably not in the UK).
 
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XAM2175

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Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, told BBC News a few minutes ago that new research suggests that vaccines have prevented 22 million coronavirus infections and 60,000 deaths in England.

He was speaking shortly before the publication of Public Health England’s latest vaccine surveillance report (pdf), which contains the figures. It says:

Estimates suggest that 60,000 deaths and 22,057,000 infections have been prevented as a result of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, up to 9 July.

This calculation is based on how many people would have got infected, or died, without the vaccines assuming no other interventions. But of course if the vaccines were not available, then it is almost certain that much tougher lockdown measures would have remained in force.
 

greyman42

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There was a very large queue for GPs surgery today in York for vaccinations. The vast majority were younger people, so the governments threats of a vaccine passport may be bearing fruit.
 

ainsworth74

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Just had my second shot of Moderna at the Nightingale in Washington (like @Darandio online my only options are far from home and my GP surgery had washed their hands of vaccination since groups 1 - 9 were done).

Much quieter this time. There was basically no queue so arrived, reception, straight into a vaccinator and on to 15 minute wait. Last time I probably queued for about as long as it took to be jabbed and wait for any immediate side effects.

Toughest part was getting here. Someone decided to put this Nightingale at a junction of the A19 which is undergoing massive reconstruction so I ended up getting briefly lost :lol:
 

Mojo

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(like @Darandio online my only options are far from home and my GP surgery had washed their hands of vaccination since groups 1 - 9 were done).
My partner is having the same problem too.

The first appointment was booked by a text message from the surgery, for a local vaccine hub run by the local GP confederation. At the time it was said that they would text you when the second dose was due, so you can book a second appointment. A text was received the other week advising that there will be no second appointment, and it's basically up to you to turn up, but no sooner than 8 weeks (which will be later this week).

The only way seemingly to book an appointment is on the NHS website, but the local centre isn't available, and all the available places are nowhere nearby.

Not sure why there has been a big drive toward "walk in" centres as opposed to appointments, because sometimes you don't want to just turn up and risk having to wait in a long queue, or even worse find out that they aren't offering it.
 

yorkie

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A number of tomorrow's front pages are reporting that 16-17 year olds will now be offered jabs.
This is now on the BBC news website:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58080232
UK experts are set to recommend all 16 and 17-year-olds should be offered a Covid vaccination, the BBC understands.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation stopped short of making the move last month, saying it was still assessing the benefits and risks.
An announcement is expected on Wednesday but it is not clear when the roll-out of the programme will begin....
...Whitehall sources say ministers in England are expected to accept the advice of the JCVI...

I think this is a good move as it will contribute to increasing levels of population immunity.

Meanwhile, we're now up to 88.7% of adults with one dose of the vaccine and 73% with two doses, which is much better than many countries will reach, but it looks like we might not reach 90% as the rate of those getting their first dose continues to plummet. I think we may stall at just over 89%.
 

johncrossley

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Meanwhile, we're now up to 88.7% of adults with one dose of the vaccine and 73% with two doses, which is much better than many countries will reach, but it looks like we might not reach 90% as the rate of those getting their first dose continues to plummet. I think we may stall at just over 89%.

Those percentages will probably go down when they use the revised population estimates.
 

Simon11

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Those percentages will probably go down when they use the revised population estimates.
Agreed. I also wonder with many European people who headed home during Covid, how on earth do you ensure they are not counted in the latest population stats? Surely a good several %age of people are no longer in the country?
 

Crossover

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Just had my second shot of Moderna at the Nightingale in Washington (like @Darandio online my only options are far from home and my GP surgery had washed their hands of vaccination since groups 1 - 9 were done).

Much quieter this time. There was basically no queue so arrived, reception, straight into a vaccinator and on to 15 minute wait. Last time I probably queued for about as long as it took to be jabbed and wait for any immediate side effects.

Toughest part was getting here. Someone decided to put this Nightingale at a junction of the A19 which is undergoing massive reconstruction so I ended up getting briefly lost :lol:
I had my second Pfizer at the end of last week. This time I was at a football ground (first had been at a GP surgery, albeit not mine) and it was fairly devoid of life. I know people who went to the same ground for their first dose and had to walk round the ground such was the scale, but there can't have been more than 8 booths set up this time and the queue when I arrived was only 3 deep.

It sounds like I was fortunate though, as the aforementioned ground was only 5 mins drive from home and I was only out for about an hour from leaving home, having the jab, waiting the 15 minutes and then getting home again
 
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