Experiences of Teh Plague

[Ham]

I would like to add that in the flow through the vaccination centre I interacted with several people, each of whom asked me a range of broadly similar questions, including without exception "Have you been abroad in the last two weeks?" Bastards.

[mrcharly-YHT]

vaccinations booked for Fri.

Hoping no reaction. Don't want weekend's paddling to be borked.

[hellymedic]

D had his A-Z jab yesterday.
He is Not Well.

I suppose this is a disadvantage of having a Toy Boy...

[Hot Flatus]

Wife booked her jabs last night.  First one is 26th March.  Both at surgery about 1.3 miles away.  Reasonable selection of local options from what I could see.  Now just need it to open up to lower 50 age groups so I can book mine. This is Hertfordshire.

Local options? Not in Gloucestershire. Nearest I was offered was Bath.

Ended up arranging the jab in Reading, which may be further away, but I have work-related reasons for going there.

Indeed. I'm going to Bath, and Mrs J is off to Bristol, which is easier, work-wise. Considering this part of Gloucs was top in the country for 80year olds getting jabbed (or something like that), I found that lack of any places in the whole of Gloucestershire to be odd. I didn't want to go to Bromsgrove, or Basingstoke...

AIUI there are two systems operating in parallel. A national system and a local system. I phoned up my GP and was offered a nursing home 6 minutes away, or my GP surgery also 6 minutes away.  I'm guessing I got in on the local system 

National system is operating the mass vaccination centres that are quite distant. Here, the local system seems to be ahead of the national system.

If you are vaccinated under the National system it takes 2-3 days for records to be updated at your local GP.

You have to have your 2nd dose done by the same provider.

[JonBuoy]

I was hoping to be able to cycle a couple of miles to get jabbed in the local centre but: Covid vaccine centre closed for 11 days is still 'thousands of doses short'

I ended up driving 20 miles to one of the mass vaccination centres and it was a pretty slick operation.

[hatler]

Sorry, this probably isn't what you want to hear.

Mrs h had AZ a couple of weeks and had a day of feeling pretty shitty. She also passed out when she finally got up the day after, but this was probably more a case of not having eaten or drunk anything and lying down for too long.

Second jab not due for a while but the doc suggested that the reaction might indicate that the jab "was working" and that she should prepare for a worse reaction with jab 2.

[hellymedic]

I too have heard people have more adverse reactions to a second dose than to a first.

It does seem to be an age thing. Mum say my sister had a very rough time. She was born in 1964, as was D.

I've been fine (born 1958) as have my Aged Parents for both doses.

Seems my vaccine was 'national' and D's was 'local'.

[ian]

Sometimes again, though, that's perception. Once you tell people the second jab might be worse, they're primed for just that (there's a fair amount of research where they'd demonstrated just that).

[Cudzoziemiec]

Wife booked her jabs last night.  First one is 26th March.  Both at surgery about 1.3 miles away.  Reasonable selection of local options from what I could see.  Now just need it to open up to lower 50 age groups so I can book mine. This is Hertfordshire.

Local options? Not in Gloucestershire. Nearest I was offered was Bath.

Ended up arranging the jab in Reading, which may be further away, but I have work-related reasons for going there.

Indeed. I'm going to Bath, and Mrs J is off to Bristol, which is easier, work-wise. Considering this part of Gloucs was top in the country for 80year olds getting jabbed (or something like that), I found that lack of any places in the whole of Gloucestershire to be odd. I didn't want to go to Bromsgrove, or Basingstoke...

That would be Ashton Gate?

My sister-in-law in Poland, in her 40s, has been vaccinated as part of a priority group: she's a teacher. Seems sensible...

[Jaded]

Yes, Ashton Gate.

[campagman]

Up thread I mention being booked in for my vaccine jab next Wed. Today I got a text from the NHS vaccine booking service telling me that because of an underlying health condition I can book a free covid jab. Really, that's an unknown underlying health condition. I would like to phone and see what this health condition is but I doubt they would tell me over the phone. I wonder if this is because I booked on 119 and not the GP's system although they are now asking me to book on 119. Confused.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Jabbed on Fri.

Sat; exhausted, nauseous, aching joints, headache. Stabbed shoulder sore, like a bad bruise (it is still sore). Much better by Sun, but still a bit knackered.
MrsC was not too bad on Sat. Her Sun was like my Sat.

[ian]

Up thread I mention being booked in for my vaccine jab next Wed. Today I got a text from the NHS vaccine booking service telling me that because of an underlying health condition I can book a free covid jab. Really, that's an unknown underlying health condition. I would like to phone and see what this health condition is but I doubt they would tell me over the phone. I wonder if this is because I booked on 119 and not the GP's system although they are now asking me to book on 119. Confused.

I think it's a glitch. My wife got this at the weekend and she doesn't have underlying health conditions that she knows of.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I got the AZ jab on Saturday and spent a fair chunk of Sunday in bed just feeling all round crap. Today I am a bit below par but good enough to function.

[Bledlow]

Wife booked her jabs last night.  First one is 26th March.  Both at surgery about 1.3 miles away.  Reasonable selection of local options from what I could see.  Now just need it to open up to lower 50 age groups so I can book mine. This is Hertfordshire.

Local options? Not in Gloucestershire. Nearest I was offered was Bath.

Ended up arranging the jab in Reading, which may be further away, but I have work-related reasons for going there.

Indeed. I'm going to Bath, and Mrs J is off to Bristol, which is easier, work-wise. Considering this part of Gloucs was top in the country for 80year olds getting jabbed (or something like that), I found that lack of any places in the whole of Gloucestershire to be odd. I didn't want to go to Bromsgrove, or Basingstoke...

AIUI there are two systems operating in parallel. A national system and a local system. I phoned up my GP and was offered a nursing home 6 minutes away, or my GP surgery also 6 minutes away.  I'm guessing I got in on the local system 

National system is operating the mass vaccination centres that are quite distant. Here, the local system seems to be ahead of the national system.

If you are vaccinated under the National system it takes 2-3 days for records to be updated at your local GP.

You have to have your 2nd dose done by the same provider.

Mrs B & I both got the first dose early for our ages.

Mrs B was told by her employers "You will be vaccinated at such & such a place & time". She was a bit miffed because it was miles from home. It's one of the places she works - for the NHS. She's having regular & frequent tests. 2nd dose of vaccine now scheduled.

I got a phone call on a Saturday afternoon from my GP's head nurse saying "Do you want to be vaccinated now? We've had some cancellations". Pfizer vaccine - use it or lose it once defrosted, so they were rounding up victimslucky buggers for the unexpectedly spare doses.

[hatler]

AZ jab Saturday midday. Was feeling very trembly by 9pm. Paracetamol and to bed. Spent most of Sunday in bed feeling sorry for myself. Achey joints. Woke up at about 4am this morning covered in sweat, but feeling fine.

Now completely back up to speed.

[Lightning Phil]

I got a text invite last Thu from my PCN to book via a link in the text. I was out on the bike when it came through. By time I sat down to try and book, all the available slots had gone.  So I’m trying the link each day till more slots appear.  Either that or the national programme drops down to the 50-54 age group.

Like airlines, they are sending more invites out than available slots. Good for take up and them not so brilliant from a patient perspective.

[Bledlow]

Sorry, this probably isn't what you want to hear ... she should prepare for a worse reaction with jab 2.

I would prefer to hear it straight. Thank you for being honest.

Having just read the news about AstraZeneca, blood clots, one dead in Italy and other countries stopping using the AstraZeneca vaccine I have a clue what might have increased the fear.

WHO, EMA, German national medical authorities etc. all say there's no evidence of a link with the vaccine.

Millions of people have had it. Most have been old or had underlying health problems. That's why they've been vaccinated. It would be extraordinary if none had died, vaccine or no vaccine.

There have been scares over the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine in Norway & the USA. 41 dead in care homes! 270 dead after vaccinations! In both cases, no more than one would expect in those groups if they had not been vaccinated. Indeed, in the USA the death rate in the first few weeks after vaccination was significantly lower than in their unvaccinated contemporaries. Didn't stop screams of "Vaccine deaths!".

Oxford/AstraZeneca - same same.

Remember, everyone dies after having a vaccination. The only thing in doubt is when.

P.S. Mrs B & I both had what felt like mild flu for a couple of days after ours - both BioNTech/Pfizer.

[nicknack]

Mr Spiegelhalter has something to say about the blood clot thing.

[ian]

Mr Spiegelhalter has something to say about the blood clot thing.

He more cleverly what I said elsewhere (his recent book The Art of Statistics is very good and, fortunately for me, mostly free of maths).

It's the same issue that the anti-vaxxers mine with autism, babies have jabs, get diagnosed with autism. Vaccines cause autism. Of course, they get the jabs around the time that the symptoms of autism are likely to be noticed and investigated.

ETA: and I just got my invite to be jabbed at the weekend, and I'm young enough that I don't get the dad-rock topics elsewhere.

[Lightning Phil]

And I have my jabs booked. First Jab this Thursday. The national booking page still shows over 55 but got a tip that it was now accepting all over 50s. Centre is just 1.3 miles away so it’ll make for a suitable morning walk.

[Chris S]

He more cleverly what I said elsewhere (his recent book The Art of Statistics is very good and, fortunately for me, mostly free of maths).

The human brain is an amazing thing. You missed a word out there - but it doesn't matter because my brain just inserts it automagically when I read it.

[ian]

He more cleverly what I said elsewhere (his recent book The Art of Statistics is very good and, fortunately for me, mostly free of maths).

The human brain is an amazing thing. You missed a word out there - but it doesn't matter because my brain just inserts it automagically when I read it.

I do that all the time, thinking I've typed something, but my brain has moved on. It's my bane. I also mentally fill in the missing word when I read it. The only way I can get around it is to have my computer read things back to me, whereupon the omission becomes obvious.

[Chris S]

He more cleverly what I said elsewhere (his recent book The Art of Statistics is very good and, fortunately for me, mostly free of maths).

The human brain is an amazing thing. You missed a word out there - but it doesn't matter because my brain just inserts it automagically when I read it.

I do that all the time, thinking I've typed something, but my brain has moved on. It's my bane. I also mentally fill in the missing word when I read it. The only way I can get around it is to have my computer read things back to me, whereupon the omission becomes obvious.

When my daughter learned to read, she would (when reading out loud to us) often miss a line. "You missed a line" I'd say. "No I didn't, I read that one to myself". She wasn't kidding - when tested, she was able to tell us exactly what the other line was; so she'd simultaneously read one line out loud to us, silently read the other line, and comprehended both.

Weirdo kids.

[Kim]

Makes sense, reading aloud is boring and tedious and generally gets between you and a good book.