Booster vaccination

Alegrias, you do not know the experience of every person in Scotland, nor their circumstances., unless of course, you have either spoken to them or even more concerning, you have access to our medical records!

No of course not Marydoll. But it is my experience that everyone I know, and all their families, have had no problems whatsoever. Not all of them are in the first flush of youth, many of them have chronic health problems and at least one is immunocompromised. So I can only speak from experience, as you are doing.

The mistakes will get the airtime, the things that work fine will not.

I just think its unfair to say that the system is in a shambles when its not. I'll not say any more.

I will amend my comment. As long as you are reasonably healthy, it works.
Regarding the those who are immunocompromised, the system has been shambolic for those who are the most vulnerable in our society. I recently saw an interview with a Scottish GP, saying exactly what I am saying. His mother was in her nineties and still hadn't had a booster. After meeting brick wall after brick wall, he eventually was able to bypass the system and organise it. Many of us don't have that option.

There has been no information, nor advice, sent too the immunocompromised about the difference between a third primary vaccine and a booster.
Some people have already been given a booster in error, as they were unaware that at their appointment, they had to advise staff that they were immunocompromised.
My consultant has advised me that under no circumstances should I accept a booster.

Dare I say hysterically, they are hoping we will just go away and die quietly , without making a fuss, as we are a huge burden on the NHS.
I was told if I caught Covid, I would certainly die. It would be a waste of time, sending me to ICU and a DNR note would be put on file. Try living with that for eighteen months and seeing your younger reasonably healthy friends being vaccinated weeks before you.

Alegrias, you do not know the experience of every person in Scotland, nor their circumstances., unless of course, you have either spoken to them or even more concerning, you have access to our medical records!

I respectfully disagree.

A shambles is a place, situation, or other thing that's in complete disorder. When shambles refers to a place, it typically indicates that it's a mess or, more seriously, that it's a scene of destruction, wreckage, or even carnage. When it refers to a situation, it indicates that it has fallen into chaos.

Sorry,, but agree with Marydoll, it sounds shambolic.

I am not trying at all to downplay the problems encountered by people during this vaccine campaign. I'm not averse to complaining about medical treatment and have had long involvements with the Ombudsman in the past when my personal treatment was not acceptable. Nothing to do with Covid, this was years ago.

But I won't just sit here do nothing when I read how the system is a shambles, when it's patently not.

Shambles is I word I will not withdraw. I know lots of people in my situation, who have been left to sort things out. Thank goodness I am able to read the research and fight my corner, many aren't.

With all due respect, Alegrias, many of those who were shielding and immunocompromised into the bargain, have had to make numerous phone calls to various bodies and still get no help, having been passed from pillar to post and running round and round in circles and despairing of finding anyone to help us.

Your hackles may be rising, but I can assure you no-one's hackles are rising as much as mine. By the way, the practitioners, who look after me, have agreed we have been the treated badly.

Initially the JVC omitted to inform GPs that a third primary vaccination should have been done EIGHT weeks after the second for some patients.
It's now over six months since my secondary one.

Just count your blessings that you and your friends got their letter at the appropriate time. You have absolutely no conception of what is happening for some groups in the population.

There's something about the word "shambles" that makes my hackles rise. SueDonim's Mum's experience, and the people being sent to Port Glasgow, are undoubtedly examples of things going really wrong.

But with no exaggeration, nobody I know personally in any part of Scotland has had any problem at all with getting their boosters. My parents and all their friends, my friends, family and my DH. Expecting my letter in about 10 days, on target.

"Shambles" suggests chaos, no organisation at all. Honestly, it's not a shambles.

Easy booking for me. I went on the Booster website, had a choice of dates, times and venues. Booked for dh and myself for Saturday morning at 9 o’clock.

Sue, a few weeks ago, people, who are in their seventies, (some quite frail) in my suburban area of Glasgow, were offered their vaccination in Port Glasgow, twenty three miles away! Most of them don't drive and it involved a bus trip to Paisley, then a train journey.

We have both a sports centre and huge health centre, which have been doing vaccinations, seven days a week, throughout the pandemic. That's now stopped.

Many of the people are not computer literate and hadn't a clue how to find an alternative venue. One man I know, spent two days trying to get through on the phone.
As I have said, it's a shambles. Despite shielding, my healthy, younger friends were vaccinated before me!

I am appalled and hope you get it sorted.

Missedout

*MayBee70*, I used Testing for All www.testingforall.org/
for my last antibody test. It is important to select the right test - it is the Covid spike protein test that is required to check for antibodies. There are many companies offering this service. Ironically, a couple of weeks after paying £49.00 for my first test, I was tested as part of a trial - both tests showed that I hadn't produced any antibodies. Hence my interest in checking a few weeks after my 3rd primary dose of Pfizer.

I have my fingers crossed that I may have antibodies but am not hopeful.

My daughter was in a trial and did the test that showed that she’d had covid. But she’d messed up the test a bit and it was very faint. So she paid to have another test a few weeks later that didn’t show up any antibodies at all so she still doesn’t really know what her immune status is. She was quite poorly with a virus of some kind early in 2019 but no one else in the family caught it.Luckily for us we hadn’t visited her during that time. Also the first virus was less transmissible. She’s obviously had both vaccines and would like to have taken part in another clinical trial that was offered but didn’t want to have to travel to the next town to do it.

It’s crazy, Marydoll. Everyone in her town is having to travel to a centre 20 miles away for flu and boosters! It’s not a particularly wealthy area so many people don’t have cars and there are also lots of older people without transport. There are two modern surgeries, a new minor injures unit, a new school and community campus etc but they’re not using any of those facilities. ?‍♀️

I’m visiting my mum tomorrow so I may be able to find out more of what’s going on.

MayBee70, I used Testing for All www.testingforall.org/
for my last antibody test. It is important to select the right test - it is the Covid spike protein test that is required to check for antibodies. There are many companies offering this service. Ironically, a couple of weeks after paying £49.00 for my first test, I was tested as part of a trial - both tests showed that I hadn't produced any antibodies. Hence my interest in checking a few weeks after my 3rd primary dose of Pfizer.

I have my fingers crossed that I may have antibodies but am not hopeful.

YOU'RE, not your. Tut tut!

Maybee, I did ask my consultant about an antibody test and he confirmed that they were only done on the NHS in Scotland if your taking part in a trial. Nae luck there then!

Marydoll

Thanks for answering my question, Maybee. I'm like a sponge. I used to drive my doctors mad, because I always wanted to know Why?.

The pandemic soon put paid to that! I wasn't able to see anyone to ask!

I used to work for my doctor and always had an interest in all the drugs etc that I dispensed. I wish I could chat with them about what’s happening now.

I received an NHS text within the 190 days, and I followed the link to make a booking. I had the choice of several places nearby and am having my booster jab on Friday at a site and time convenient to me.

I had the Pfizer jab first/second time around and it would appear that I'm getting the same again as I've been advised that I'll have to wait for 15 minutes after the jab before leaving the site. DH had the AZ jab 1 & 2 and the Pfizer jab for his booster. Don't know whether 3 of the same or a bit of a mix is better, but just blooming grateful to be getting it!

Must apologise in that I didn’t read Missedouts post properly. How worrying. I didn’t realise you could pay to have an antibody test. Where do you have them done? I don’t think people who are immune suppressed should have to pay, they should be done routinely.

Thanks for answering my question, Maybee. I'm like a sponge. I used to drive my doctors mad, because I always wanted to know Why?.

The pandemic soon put paid to that! I wasn't able to see anyone to ask!

Sue, you must be at your wits end. That is shocking to hear of such incompetence.

Marydoll

I read that if you had two AZ vaccines, it is more efficacious to have a different one for the third. However, I cannot remember where I found the article.
Maybee, why do you think all three should be the same? Have you evidence for it, I would be genually interested to read it. The more info I have the better.

I’m just thinking out loud to be honest. My train of thought was that if two shots of the AZ vaccine hadn’t given enough of an immune response then another shot might make it kick in. Was thinking back to how, at the beginning they said it worked better with a half dose followed by a full dose but weren’t allowed to do that. Totally unscientific.

I’m defeated in how to get my mum a booster. She was called to a centre 20 miles away for her booster, despite being housebound with no transport. She rang them to say she needed a home visit so they took all her details and said they’d alert her GP surgery.

She called the surgery after a couple of weeks and they not only had no knowledge of the info from the vaccine centre, they had no record of her even being registered with them. She’s been on their books for over thirty years!

Jaxjacky Marydoll
Oh yes. Thank You both! Think I have it right now.

I just turned up at the walk in centre exactly six months (182 days) after my second vaccination.

you need to be six months and one week (190 days) past your second vac to be able to book on the national website. Its silly but you can't book for an appointment for after six months and one week before the six months and one week are up. GP's ARE sending invitattions to folk who had their first vacs via the national scheme, at least mine is. I could book before my six months were up but only for a dated after my six months are up

Brilliant, thanks.