Scrutable

Yeah, 2 cases is enough to count as an outbreak/cluster. But clusters/outbreaks only get reported on if they go over a threshold of 5 cases or 10%. I think.

(The definitions are on pg22 of this document.)

Anyhoo, this week's data is out early and predictably there's now more clusters:

The government’s vaccination rollout for 12- to 15-year-olds is fraught with problems.

Take-up among Cornish pupils is higher than the national average, said Barton, “but capacity to roll out the immunisation at pace simply isn’t there so less than half our schools have so far had any immunisations.”

Vaccinations here (NW Shropshire) are a shambles today. Booking system in place but they're also allowing walk-ups. So, half term and the place is filled with teenagers who couldn't be arsed to book. Finally got my booster an hour after the booked time.

Aaaaarrrggghh.

shpalman wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 18, 2021 7:25 pm

"shambolic"

It really does seem to be massively variable depending where you are in the country. My mum in Warwickshire, father in law in Devon and us in Bucks have all had everything go completely smoothly. Mum was jabbed pretty quickly after the boosters started (she's 86, although no specific Covid-relevant health conditions), father in law in his late 70s done not long after that - with flu in the other arm at the same time, Mr Bagpuss has his in about half an hour (174 days post jab 2) and I'm getting mine next week (182 days post jab 2). All done at the same GP-led vaccination centre locations as the first 2. But mum was telling me about a friend of hers of similar age who lives, I think, in Sussex - south coast somewhere anyway - and she's still not been able to get hers as there are no locations anywhere near her and she just can't get to any of the available places. There was someone on R4 the other day who was somewhere near the Welsh border and couldn't get any slots closer than 40 miles away which just wasn't do-able for him and his wife, both quite elderly.


ETA: Sorry, I'm a numpty, just read the article properly (I only skimmed the first couple of paras the first time) and realised it's about the 3rd jab vs booster situation, not just boosters.

There do seem to be 2 problems happening though - the 3rd jab vs booster issue* and just general availability of boosters in some areas**.


*particularly serious as it's affecting immunocompromised people
**also potentially quite serious for those not immunocompromised but elderly and with underlying health conditions

I suppose I was lucky with my GP surgery. I had a text (24/10/21) saying as I have a significantly weakened immune system I should have a 3rd dose. I booked an appt. I was told I was 3 days too early as it hadn't been 6 months and to book again. By the time of my next appt, 1 week later, I had had a letter from my GP, stating I needed a 3rd dose. Glad I had the letter with me. I now realise I could have had the jab at my 1st appt. Still consider myself lucky, having read the Guardian article.

My sister got the text a couple of weeks back, checked for appointments online, all at least half an hour's drive away, two towns over kind of thing. She works/has the kids with her, so that wasn't really feasible. She tried calling her GPs. They had a vaccine option on the automated phone menu, which gave her a hotline number for the local vaccine centre in the town where she lives. She called that, got straight through, and they squeezed her in last Saturday. Job done.

GPs here is only doing over 80s & the vulnerable, so we're going to the nearest mass vaccination centre. In the football stadium. On Sunday at 6 pm, 'cos there were no Saturday appointments. (This, I discovered today, is because there's a home game on Saturday, so we can't even chance a walk-in appointment. MrRaven will just have to risk a reaction impacting his work week. )

The COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report: 25 November 2021 (week 47) is possibly where the Guardian is getting its information from regarding the Covid vaccination being safe for pregnant women.

One million doses!

So many people are trying to book a booster that the website is putting people in a queue.

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 12, 2021 9:35 pm

So many people are trying to book a booster that the website is putting people in a queue.

So that beats the swear filter. Hah!

Gfamily wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 12, 2021 9:46 pm

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 12, 2021 9:35 pm

So many people are trying to book a booster that the website is putting people in a queue.

over the f.cking nose.png

So that beats the swear filter. Hah!

My impression so far is that non-compliance with masks is roughly 99% teenage girls.

Is it so we can see their pretty faces or what?

In what way has "vaccinating younger, non-vulnerable people" led to there being something like 2% of the over-60s still not vaccinated?

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:34 pm

In what way has "vaccinating younger, non-vulnerable people" led to there being something like 2% of the over-60s still not vaccinated?

That's a dim take.

NOBODY GETS VACCINATED UNLESS 100% of the older age group gets vaccinated.

jimbob wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 17, 2022 2:45 pm

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:34 pm

In what way has "vaccinating younger, non-vulnerable people" led to there being something like 2% of the over-60s still not vaccinated?

That's a dim take.

NOBODY GETS VACCINATED UNLESS 100% of the older age group gets vaccinated.

Meanwhile you're about to throw away some boosters following only 63% takeup (although I'm not keeping track of whether all age ranges are eligible for boosters in England).

shpalman wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 17, 2022 3:49 pm

jimbob wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 17, 2022 2:45 pm

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:34 pm

In what way has "vaccinating younger, non-vulnerable people" led to there being something like 2% of the over-60s still not vaccinated?

That's a dim take.

NOBODY GETS VACCINATED UNLESS 100% of the older age group gets vaccinated.

Meanwhile you're about to throw away some boosters following only 63% takeup (although I'm not keeping track of whether all age ranges are eligible for boosters in England).

We have over boosted the young while under vaccinating and under boosting the old, at the same time ignoring developing countries.

Are the unvaccinated over 60s poorer, marginalized, BAME and POC people? I suspect they are.

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:34 pm

In what way has "vaccinating younger, non-vulnerable people" led to there being something like 2% of the over-60s still not vaccinated?

2% of over 60s having compromised immune systems and/or other underlying issues which prevents them from receiving vaccination doesn't sound too outlandish to me. Maybe slightly higher than I would expect, but not excessively so.

Martin_B wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 18, 2022 1:51 am

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:34 pm

In what way has "vaccinating younger, non-vulnerable people" led to there being something like 2% of the over-60s still not vaccinated?

2% of over 60s having compromised immune systems and/or other underlying issues which prevents them from receiving vaccination doesn't sound too outlandish to me. Maybe slightly higher than I would expect, but not excessively so.

Having a compromised immune system means you should get the vaccine, not that you shouldn't. About the only contraindication is allergy to one of the ingredients, or a couple of extremely unusual conditions.

Sciolus wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 18, 2022 9:23 am

Martin_B wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 18, 2022 1:51 am

shpalman wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:34 pm

In what way has "vaccinating younger, non-vulnerable people" led to there being something like 2% of the over-60s still not vaccinated?

2% of over 60s having compromised immune systems and/or other underlying issues which prevents them from receiving vaccination doesn't sound too outlandish to me. Maybe slightly higher than I would expect, but not excessively so.

Having a compromised immune system means you should get the vaccine, not that you shouldn't. About the only contraindication is allergy to one of the ingredients, or a couple of extremely unusual conditions.

Indeed, having a compromised immune system means you should get more of it, i.e. a "third dose" rather than a booster.

There are four different vaccines approved for use in the UK, although the Janssen one isn't available anymore, so there are options for people with allergies.

Not that the UK actually knows how many over 60s live in it, but I would expect that everyone is referring to the number of eligible people who haven't been vaccinated. 2% is actually pretty good; in Italy (which as of this morning is saying that 99.7% of the delivered doses have been given, before anyone trolls again about "Western countries hoarding doses" or whatever) it's something like 8%. Elsewhere I estimated how many of them would die.

Meanwhile in the UK some areas have shockingly low take up and it can't all be about not knowing the demography.

https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news ... th-6510349

shpalman wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 18, 2022 9:59 am

Indeed, having a compromised immune system means you should get more of it, i.e. a "third dose" rather than a booster.

In some cases having a compromised immune system means that having three primary doses still doesn't give immunity.

Banana wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:49 pm

shpalman wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 18, 2022 9:59 am

Indeed, having a compromised immune system means you should get more of it, i.e. a "third dose" rather than a booster.

In some cases having a compromised immune system means that having three primary doses still doesn't give immunity.

The Green Pass (or local equivalent) in based on getting the doses, not whether they work or not, though?

(if someone's immune system is this ineffective then they need to make their own decisions about what risks to take, their own Pass won't help them)

UK booking for Dose 4 officially opens tomorrow for over 50s.

But it can be done now. I've got an appointment on Sunday.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavir ... ccination/

I had my appointment on Sunday too, but they cancelled it this morning and I had to rebook it for a month's time. "Staff issues".