Covid jab queues

[Mr Gus]

After "boris the liar" gave his shi-tastic speech last night the nhs booking system crashed "bigly"
When it sporadically came online I was directed to my nearest walk in centre some 27 miles away (no surprises there)
Tiny 2 jab room set up & queues in excess of 4 hours (contrary to the 10-15 mins regaled over the phone)

Think ahead, umbrella, shooting stick, plenty of liquid, warm rainproof clothes snacks, downloads, maybe some loperamide& a sense of humour, yup it could be as protracted as my afternoon.

Overall time Inc travel 5 1/2 hours ..long day for the small amount of staff there (no let up) wife volunteered to go in & be a vaccinator on Wednesday & take some strain off the queue.
Good, patient, friendly, spaced queuing though, very civilised which helped no end.
I don't think I've spoken to so many people since lockdown 1.
Be prepared, it might get messy.

[Oliver90owner]

Maybe should have had your booster before the inevitable rush?

[Mr Gus]

I was arranging it on the day before announcements unawares, lost my net connection, then thought ..do it tomorrow, (check my status) internet here crashing every 20 minutes since before black friday, often more frequently.

Also, wife & daughter only just recently got theirs so I wasn't allowed till things changed (which I was unaware of since no tv, no radio, no newspapers, I happened to turn on the tv for the 1st time in 2021 because I was loading "rainman" into the DVD player & caught the blathering Boris booster speech.
That & severe reaction to jab no 1 for 11+ weeks of my body hitting me with constant fever meant I had to seek out Pfizer availability in particular

It's easier to remember things when you don't have copious amounts of brain injury to deal with Oliver.

[marshman]

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[Stinsy]

I booked mine on Sunday, there was a short queue (maybe 10 mins) to get on the website. I'm having it in an hour so will let you know if there is a queue at the pharmacy.

I heard from an American doctor who was astonished that we get free lateral flow tests and that you can order online or pick up from any pharmacy. In America you have to pay, they're expensive, and very difficult to get.

I think we need to separate reality from media sensationalism. The average person doesn't mind waiting a few mins to get on a website and we live for queuing!

[Bugtownboy]

All I can say to everyone involved with the vaccination programme is ‘well done’. The centres I’ve used for my initial 2 and then booster (2 weeks ago) were efficient, well organised and friendly.

I know it’s easier to focus on the Covid deniers and anti-vaxxers, but I feel it is focusing on a minority - I’m sure the majority are not just having the vaccine for their own benefit but for the societal benefit it gives.

I know the focus is on Coronavirus, but don’t forget your flu vaccination.

[Mr Gus]

I booked mine on Sunday, there was a short queue (maybe 10 mins) to get on the website. I'm having it in an hour so will let you know if there is a queue at the pharmacy.

I think we need to separate reality from media sensationalism. The average person doesn't mind waiting a few mins to get on a website and we live for queuing!

All morning the website was crashing, that's why it took till the afternoon to get on before it crashed again, (sheer weight of bandwidth not dealing with demand)

& people need to differentiate the difference between WALK IN QUEUEING versus APPOINTMENTS ..big difference if demand is high (it is, "yay" ) then that is way different to a large queue of on the hoof folk wanting vaccines (for whatever reason, ..likely the crashed site or simple local proximity & changes in what age group warrants what priority access right now) but likely a photo in a nast(zi)y paper will not differentiate due to laziness or agenda.

But as I say, heads up, be prepared.

Wife, whilst she's been jabbing needles in folks for years came home (we were all stuck waiting for me y'see) she came home & immediately spent 4 hours on the online paperwork to go in & vaccinate to take the pressure off that particular area (not ours I hasten to add) because clearly they are swamped.

It doesn't help that the adverts I browsed, temporary contracts ran out in October so likely many previous vaccinators (paid or otherwise) have moved on which is stupid as feck bearing in mind this is winter no 3 with covid, so a clear pattern to follow (or ignore) ..then the govt puts out another appeal rather than seeking retention (it's not like we are all jabbed yet right) !?

& there are a lot of healthcare professionals who are burnt out, or so mistreated & threatened with their professional pin that they think the govt can go eff itself.

[Stinsy]

Back now!

They didn't seem to be differentiating between people with appointments and walk-ins, but the queue was only 5 mins, very efficient.

I'm not sure of the pros/cons of mix&match but I've had 3-doses of Moderna and am feeling confident of having decent immunity levels when Omicron peaks in a few weeks.

[nowty]

I'm not quite sure what to do myself.

I had my main two AZ's, then after I joined a Covid booster trial and had an (as yet) unapproved Sanofi adjuvanted recombinant protein-based vaccine just over 2 months ago. It is hoped to provide better protection than even the mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna) types.

I have been told by the trial that there is nothing stopping me having the official NHS booster but they medically don't advise it. I queried this with them again last week considering the Omicron news and they still don't advise it.

But today I am hearing talk of not being able to get into big events or holiday travel in the near future if your not officially boosted.

[Tinbum]

I'd booked mine on the 12th November (I became eligible for it on the 26th Nov) and had it on Friday last week in a local community hall. No queue at all but it was busy. I was surprised to see that they were also doing drop in and I was also asked if I wanted the flu jab as well.
Wife is having hers tomorrow having booked that 2 weeks ago. We both could have got them sooner but opted for local rather that speed.
I was hoping the GP practice was going to do it as the nurses there are excellent, I had to ask if they had done it after the first two doses as I didn't feel a thing. The invite came after I had booked and this time I didn't change the booking - I did feel it though.