How is your area getting through the vaccine program after those in age order?

Your GP can alter the grouping and bring forward for vaccine. Look on gov.uk clinically extremely vulnerable and it gives instructions as to how to do it. You have to have at least one of the conditions listed, you get allocated a serial number and then make an appointment with your GP to move to group 4 - if the GP is willing to do this, their IT team will do what’s necessary and you will get confirmation by post.

Here in N.Ireland 60-65 year olds are allowed to phone vaccination centres to book their jabs from Monday past. I'm 55, but heard they are hoping we will be into start of April. Obviously we have a smaller population so they are probably going quicker here.

I have read all comments here with great interest. Our son is 29 years old , has complex physical disabilities and health needs, requires 2 to 1 care 24 hours a day. I have made numerous calls to GP and sent emails. He is still waiting to be vaccinated - could one be ‘paranoid’ enough to suppose this is a deliberate strategy?Just asking !

My son with SLD received his shot last week as did his brother who helps care for him,they are both in their forties.In our area which is Cheshire East,they are doing extremely well keeping up with the jabs.

Where I live it all seems to be ‘strictly by the rules’, but it seems that they are ahead of other areas.

I live in Salford. I work as a volunteer at one of the centres. We are using three sports centres and are working 12 hours a day. We are romping through appointments here. Where I am we are seeing between 400 and 500 a day. There does seem to be some confusion about booking appointments though no one has complained that they have really struggled. I have lost track of which group we are up to. I suspect that now the government have decided to vaccinate those with serious learning disabilities straight away there will be a delay for those in younger age groups. I was lucky in that I got mine a few weeks ago as any vaccine left at the end of the day is offered to people working there.

Essex doing ok. Up to 60-64

I just had mine so did three of our friends outskirts of Liverpool. The system is working well and apparently most people are turning up on time so it’s very efficient.

Jam108

I have read all comments here with great interest. Our son is 29 years old , has complex physical disabilities and health needs, requires 2 to 1 care 24 hours a day. I have made numerous calls to GP and sent emails. He is still waiting to be vaccinated - could one be ‘paranoid’ enough to suppose this is a deliberate strategy?Just asking !

I hope not Jane, did you see my update? The coordinator at the GP surgery said they simply could not send out a letter as my daughter didn't have capacity, it had to be a 'sort of' best interests decision and we all had to agree, which we all did. She is having hers the end of the week. I hope this is the same for you, it is SUCH a worry. I completely understand how you feel xx

I've just booked mine for next week at a pharmacy 30 minutes' drive away. It will be worth the journey because the date brings me perfectly to 29th March when I can meet up with family and school aged kids. More than happy to freeze in their garden at Easter too now I know I won't still be waiting for the jab.

I do hope people will not rush out and start socialising as soon as they have their jabs, we need a lot more of our population to be vaccinated before restrictions are eased or else cases will rise again.

I am feeling quite anxious today as a good friend of mine died yesterday from Covid. She had no known underlying health conditions, was aged 64 and had been pretty much shielding since last March - as I have. She was admitted to hospital when her breathing became laboured and she needed oxygen then went into ICU for more drastic intervention - steroids and various new drugs. It was determined that she must have caught rage virus at the vaccination centre when she went for her jab when the authorities looked at the dates. How ironic!

It looked as if she was improving and I had an email from her in the morning saying how well she was being looked after and she was feeling a lot better. Then just an hour or so later she went into cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated. Lots of people in our local community are totally shocked and upset.

Please keep safe, follow the guidelines and stay on and socially distance when we are allowed to meet

Teacheranne, I am so sorry to hear about your friend and you make a very valid point. I was talking to a friend today (on the phone), she told me that her husband had gone to meet someone regarding a building job and the man my friend's husband had gone to meet went to shake hands saying " we can shake hands now, it's all over now we have a vaccine " !!!!. My friend's husband was horrified!

Lovely volunteers at my centre in Letchworth where we got our jabs as over 60s this week. What puzzled me though was that despite all of us being in our winter coats having had to walk a way to access the building all the windows were shut. Fresh air vital to stop spread so why don't they open up all the doors and windows?

So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend,Teacheranne .
We all still have to take great care even after vaccination .

Anneeba . Probably the staff working there for many hours weren't in their winter coats. They were probably freezing, especially if the building was large. The sports centre where I am based is really cold! We open the big doors for several minutes every hour, but the staff nearest the door beg us to close them again. You wouldn't want whoever is vaccinating you to be shivering with cold or have numb fingers.

Hi everyone! Nhs website now booking 56 and above.

The over 60's are being called now down here.

16 year old GS had his this week. DD said that there were a few children there. GS recognised someone from the year above.

Quite interesting as I didn’t think that children were receiving it yet?

Underlying health issues of course.

I’m 65 so group 5. A couple of weeks ago, I had an NHS letter inviting me to book online but when I went to book, I saw that the nearest vaccination centre is in a rural location quite a distance away and not on a bus route. The website said to keep checking back to see if other (more convenient) centres have opened.

My neighbours in groups 2-4 have had their jab at a medical centre two minutes away so I thought I’d hold out for that. The NHS letter said if not booking online I should wait to be called by my GP surgery.

I’ve now had a second NHS letter so thought I’d check to see if there was a more convenient place to go but there isn’t. However, after entering my NHS number, the NHS site says:

You need to book both of your appointments again.You were unable to go to/missed your 1st appointment to get the coronavirus vaccination.This means you need to book both of your appointments again. Click continue to book both of your appointments again.

… which is odd as I as know I never booked them in the first place.The nearest vaccination centre is still the same one that’s hard to get to. Now, I have a feeling that the reason I haven’t been called by my GP surgery is that the IT system said I was booked at the vaccination centre.

I did have to call my surgery last week on another matter. I mentioned the absence of vaccination call up but the doctor just said to wait.

BBC stats checker, using estimates from the National Immunisation Management Service, says that 92% of people over 65 in my area have been vaccinated so I’m thinking I’ve been missed.

Wondering if anyone else has had this issue?

StatenIsland, delete the cookies off your history and try again?

My DD, 50 last December had hers last Friday. However her DHwho is 53 and at the same surgery is still waiting! Hopefully he will have his soon. We are in SW London.

I'm in East Herts and had mine today. I'm 63.

Our area, S Hants, calling over 55’s in for the last week, DH booked for 20th, they’re also doing younger ones with complex needs and some second jabs. I’m older and had mine two weeks ago.

Over 55s being called here now. That's in the Black Country.

Casdon

I just looked it up for Wales for you, 16.4% in the clinical risk group have been vaccinated so far, so there’s a long way to go here.
There’s been a vaccine shortage UK wide for the last two weeks, but they are ramping it up again from this week as there are now more stocks apparently. I hope your daughter gets her vaccine soon.

It's very odd here, Casdon.
DH went to GP before me for his 1st vaccine as he was in one of the first groups. I went later to a large centre.
I have been invited for a 2nd vaccine but he has heard nothing.

Quite interesting as I didn’t think that children were receiving it yet?
I don't think there are plans for under 18s to receive the vaccine routinely, whitewave.