Cutting the supply of vaccines

Most over 80s have been vaccinated in the North East of England and Yorkshire than other areas so I think distribution may be patchy.
Of course he dare if some areas have shortages and over 80s are not receiving the vaccine.

Try living in Wales with a lying Health Minister who claimed on Tuesday that 70% of over 80s had already been vaccinated.

He has been forced to admit that the figure is only 23% of over 80s in Wales.

Why should we in Yorkshire pay for the inadequacies of other distribution centres. We've been efficient and they haven't. What's the betting the vaccines will end up in London.

Hi, I understood that this is because Yorkshire and the NE in general have managed to vaccinate many more people (80% of the priority groups) than some other areas so therefore the vaccines they don't need urgently are being sent to areas that are behind in vaccinating the top few priority groups. I think it's more a case of logistically making sure things go according to plan. Unfortunately Hancock seems to possess the communication skills of a flatulating gibbon, so always gives the impression he's doing over someone, somewhere. As for what else can go wrong, everything and nothing. We just don't know. What we do know is that we will prevail and eventually things will be in balance again. It certainly feels massively overwhelming right now though.

GrannyRose you are yet again sadly misinformed.
The equitable distribution of the vaccine to each priority group is the aim - if one area has more over 80’s than another it is simple arithmetic to work out they need more and if one area has vaccinated more over-80’s and “got ahead” of another because of logistics or whatever other reason , it is only fair to help out another region.
But as you say elsewhere you have no faith in vaccines I shouldn’t imagine you care either way.

GrannyRose15

Why should we in Yorkshire pay for the inadequacies of other distribution centres. We've been efficient and they haven't. What's the betting the vaccines will end up in London.

If your vaccine ends up in my arm because you didn't want it, Grannyrose, rest assured I shall be very grateful.
?

ah, so this is a case of stirring, rather than genuine enquiry /discussion. figures.

In my opinion, supplies of the vaccines should be re distributed if one area has got more people in the highest category still to vaccinate - for whatever reason. There are lots of factors affecting this - number of people in the highest category, number of centres doing the injections, transport links, number of staff to run each centre etc etc. I doubt very much that any area is simply more efficient than others.

It’s not appropriate for one region to be moving on to reach under 70’s when another area is still getting through the over 80’s.

It’s more likely this is about rurality I suspect, as rural areas are struggling to get very elderly people to mass vaccination centres, and by the nature of their rurality are not blessed with high staffing levels. The shortage of the Astra Zeneca vaccine has meant that GP practices haven’t all been able to get up and running to help out either, so they need to divert some of that particular vaccine so GPS can deliver a higher percentage. It’s a short term measure until more vaccine is available. I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

Callistemon

GrannyRose15

Why should we in Yorkshire pay for the inadequacies of other distribution centres. We've been efficient and they haven't. What's the betting the vaccines will end up in London.

If your vaccine ends up in my arm because you didn't want it, Grannyrose, rest assured I shall be very grateful.
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Who said I didn't want the vaccine?

It was stated on this and other threads that you said you don't have faith in vaccines.
Perhaps that is not correct.

Mawbe

If you are so interested in what I have said in the past you will also know that I very much want lockdown to end. Vaccination seems to be the only road map out of this nightmare that is acceptable to government and gransnetters alike. That being the case - please get it done as quickly as possible.

GrannyRose15

Callistemon

GrannyRose15

Why should we in Yorkshire pay for the inadequacies of other distribution centres. We've been efficient and they haven't. What's the betting the vaccines will end up in London.

If your vaccine ends up in my arm because you didn't want it, Grannyrose, rest assured I shall be very grateful.
?

Who said I didn't want the vaccine?

And I don't have your faith in the efficacy of either lockdown or the vaccine

Your words GrannyRose
Why indeed have something you have no faith in? .

So I can't have yours, then.

Oh dear, it's all so slow here. I need to move to Yorkshire.

Callistemon

You will find a really warm welcome waiting for you. We're lovely people here up north.

MawBe

I'd much rather have one that is tested properly and that is administered according to the manufacturers' recommendations rather than any half measures.

If you are so interested in what I have said in the past you will also know that I very much want lockdown to end
Your post of 23.25 I believe -all of 45 minutes “in the past” !

As my dear MIL used to say though “I want doesn’t get” though, does it?
It has to be the right thing at the right time.
Now is neither.

It does make sense to redistribute, but I would completely understand if people in the North felt aggrieved. The North was locked down and denied extra funding for furlough and the like whilst London and the South were in a lower tier. As soon as London had to lock down, money was made available.

The decision to put parts of the North into lower tiers than London just before Christmas was so obviously a political one made knowing that it would only last a few days.

Northern hospitals have been taking overflow patients from the South, which makes one wonder where any local patients would go if they needed hospitalisation.

At the best of times, the amount of investment in the North is significantly lower than in the South, and there are far more opportunities in London, which also benefits from better transport, better Arts facilities and so much more.

Putting this all together into a bigger picture, Northerners could be forgiven for thinking that it is a one-way street, yet the minute the North get ahead of the South there is immediate levelling - down for the North and up for the South.

This government really couldn't divide people more if it tried. It came to power with a promise to the 'Red Wall' that things would 'level up', yet its record so far has been abysmal.

It would not make sense to keep sending vaccines to areas who are meeting targets faster, and the decision to share them out is the right one I think; but it does seem like a slap in the face to people in places like Yorkshire and Newcastle.

i don't think it's rurality. but that's just an impression. after all there are fewer people per square mile rurally.
maybe some places have more facilities/ premises/ GPs willing and able to administer it.
i am surprised by those tv shows of GP practices, how many have big purpose built premises. that is very rare in London, many are still in adapted private houses from when the NHS started. they are often cramped, with difficult access, no parking nearby, no lifts. this makes vast vaccination difficult.

There are still over 80s here who haven't had the vaccine yet, and i shouldn't be far behind, but had no notification yet,
Where i am there is a large population of elderly as it is a place people tend to retire to,
A gentleman i know of 89 still hasn't had his and daughters mil just had notification to get hers next week, she is 85,so maybe my area wont suffer too much, but my sister a few years younger than me in the north west had hers last week

It’s clearly very varied. I know of someone under 70 but vulnerable having a jab scheduled also someone 74 vulnerable. I’m 71 not vulnerable and not called yet obviously. That’s Yorkshire. Relatives aged 77 not vulnerable already done last week, in Durham.

Does anybody actually know how the allocation of doses to each region was decided? I know that CCGs and STPs in England were allocated a certain number of doses, but how was that decision made? It does seem that something went wrong somewhere.

The distribution of the vaccine initially was on the basis of population, which was publicised, I haven’t seen whether it’s continued on that basis or not.
The decision was made in Wales to vaccinate health and care staff first, which is why a lower percentage of over 80s have been vaccinated here. One of the main drivers was the storage requirements for the Pfizer vaccine, another was the reality of the geography, which meant that a mass vaccination centre like the ones in England wasn’t feasible, so smaller scale solutions are required. Even with more centres open now many people can’t get there.
There has been a shortfall in the expected supply of the Astra Zeneca vaccine to Wales, which has been reported in the press. This means that many GP practices haven’t been able to vaccinate anybody yet. That was the basis of my assumption that geography/rurality may be a factor.

Rather than simply redistributing the vaccine wouldn't it be better to also find out why Yorkshire's vaccination rate is higher? Are they doing something different to elsewhere? If so, wouldn't it help other areas to adopt Yorkshire practice?

In my local area they are vaccinating most people at the local rugby stadium (league of course lol) and the local race course. Whilst not everywhere has a race course most will have access to stadiums or other large spaces. Yes it means that some people may have to travel to the vaccination centre but the sites have excellent parking and bus services. Then the vaccine organisers only have to concentrate on taking the vaccine to those who are too weak, vulnerable etc to get to the centres.

85% of over 80's have been vaccinated in my area, I am mid 70's and will be having my vac next week.