Booster vaccination

Our booster jabs are due after 28th October but our GPs have decided they will not be administering it. Their advice is do not contact them. NHS England will contact us informing us of where and when we can get the booster jab. What happens if we haven’t heard by next week I don’t know.

Lol tizliz! If memory serves me you’re fairly rural with no large population centres nearby. Perhaps the contract with Highland health board is set up differently given the remoteness of some of the population.
wheniwasyourage - hope you get your letter soon, Dh is same time scale as you and hasn’t received anything either. Only difference I can see is that I was on shielded list-maybe doing those first?? It’s a mystery!

We've just had ours at a local church hall. It was very efficient. A man in front of us didn't have an appointment. They did him anyway.

Baggs

My GP surgery is not giving boosters, which I think was a decision by our health authority (Highland). Perhaps other health authorities have made this decision as well?

We are Highland NHS and my OH is getting his today - over 70s only at the moment. It is almost exactly 6 months since 2nd jag. This is via local GP’s surgery. Drive up, roll up sleeve and stick your arm out!

Lucky you, Katek! We had our second doses in late April too, but no word from NHS Grampian about our boosters or flu vaccines yet. I'm not worried at the moment, but it would be nice to get them done!

*and

Coincidentally I am having my flu abd Covid vaccines later today. GPs in Scotland no longer administer flu vaccine following a change in their contract in 2017/18. This now falls within the remit of local health boards and social care partnerships. GPs have a very small allocation of vaccines for care home residents/housebound but other than that they will no longer provide this service. System seems to be working here (NHS Grampian), I had my 2nd vaccine late April and received notification of booster date two weeks ago.

Lucca

wildswan16

I had an appointment for the booster - but at a drive-through venue so far away it is impossible for a non-car owner to get to. Phoned to change the venue and they cancelled that appointment but there are NO appointments anywhere in my health board area (Lothian, Scotland).

So now left phoning every few days to be told the same thing. It's frustrating.

Why phone ? Why not try the nhs website a few times ?

Why phone? Because it is not possible to book online. You can reschedule if you have an appointment. Which I don't, because it was cancelled.

I would not spend frustrating time on the phone if there was another option !

wildswan16

I had an appointment for the booster - but at a drive-through venue so far away it is impossible for a non-car owner to get to. Phoned to change the venue and they cancelled that appointment but there are NO appointments anywhere in my health board area (Lothian, Scotland).

So now left phoning every few days to be told the same thing. It's frustrating.

Why phone ? Why not try the nhs website a few times ?

I can understand the extremely vulnerable being very anxious, but not why others are getting so stressed about not being contacted before their booster is even due. I had my second jab on 23 April at our GP surgery, so am just assuming someone will contact me soon after tomorrow, 23 October. I’ll contact the surgery if I haven’t heard within a couple of weeks, or if I can’t get an appointment via the website by then. We’re all still protected by our double jabs - our immunity doesn’t just disappear six months later, it just starts to wane.

I had my booster yesterday at Llantrisant leisure centre, it was so well organised. I must say all our vaccination sessions have been excellent here.

I had an appointment for the booster - but at a drive-through venue so far away it is impossible for a non-car owner to get to. Phoned to change the venue and they cancelled that appointment but there are NO appointments anywhere in my health board area (Lothian, Scotland).

So now left phoning every few days to be told the same thing. It's frustrating.

Teacheranne

Shelflife

Thank you all for your comments. The six months since my second vaccination will be up on this coming Sunday. I rang the surgery most of today and did not even receive a recorded message - just an engaged sound !!! No wonder A and E departments are bursting at the Seams with people who can't even access their GPs surgery. There is a notice outside the surgery asking people not to enter the building unless they have an appointment!!. Thank goodness I am in good health. If I don't hear about my vaccination in the next 3 days I will be on the phone on Monday until I get a response - or hopefully by Monday the website will NOT tell me I am not eligible for the booster!!! I am an easy going person but this is a stressful situation.

Everybody I know were contacted for the booster two weeks after the six months was up. The NHS booking app is for key workers and care workers at the moment.

My doctors has a recorded message saying they are not doing the boosters and we are told to wait to be contacted by the NHS. They appear to be working through those eligible quite quickly, the ones I know who have had boosters are aged 75 and over.

I’m just being patient and waiting for mine, it will be six months on 27th October so hopefully I will be notified by mid November. I’m having my flu jab this Saturday which I was more concerned about as I did not want the two jabs at the same time.

If you are over 50. And had second jab six months ago you are eligible and don’t need to wait for invitation ! Honest !
I booked mine and helped a friend to do same yesterday.

I there a problem with supplies of the vaccines or, being cynical, are the government not that bothered if a lot of us Oldies die as that will relieve the strain on the Care System?

Boot, I have been saying this to my husband for ages. They would save a fortune, if I kicked the bucket! My biologics alone, cost nearly £1000 a month.

The booster just doesn't seem to be as well organised as the first two jabs.

I was sent a text message inviting me to make an appointment at a much smaller town 6/7 miles away. This would involve two bus journeys.

The first two vaccinations were at a site in my town centre close to the bus station and a car park.

Then I was sent invitations to make appointments at sites even further away.

After intensive internet research it seems that there are two places offering the booster in my town.

Is there a problem with supplies of the vaccines or, being cynical, are the government not that bothered if a lot of us Oldies die as that will relieve the strain on the Care System?

I had no invitation to book,NHS site wouldn’t let me either.

Where I live north of Birmingham there are walk-in centres,no need to book.I got mine yesterday 181 days since second dose,no booking needed.The volunteer thought they might not do it,but Pharmacist said if the computer will update the record it’s fine.

I have no idea why the walk-in Centres are not being advertised more.I found the one I went to on Facebook!

Thank you for the link Marydoll It really hasn’t been well publicised at all.

It's definitely true Marydoll!

pinkprincess

I am 77 and have COPD my second vaccination was n April can't remember the date but was just before Easter.
I rang my GP surgery today to enquire about the booster dose and was told to ring 111.I did this and was told to get off the line and ring back later!
Like OP I went online and was informed I was not eligible.
This is all very confusing

The online app is for key workers, carers etc, not those who are waiting for their booster exactly six months after their second jab. That’s why you are being told you are not eligible. I think patience is needed! Some people I know have fooled the app to get their booster, possibly by lying about their occupation although I would have thought they would need to add more details like employee number. Unless they were just lucky and found a glitch!

Shelflife

Thank you all for your comments. The six months since my second vaccination will be up on this coming Sunday. I rang the surgery most of today and did not even receive a recorded message - just an engaged sound !!! No wonder A and E departments are bursting at the Seams with people who can't even access their GPs surgery. There is a notice outside the surgery asking people not to enter the building unless they have an appointment!!. Thank goodness I am in good health. If I don't hear about my vaccination in the next 3 days I will be on the phone on Monday until I get a response - or hopefully by Monday the website will NOT tell me I am not eligible for the booster!!! I am an easy going person but this is a stressful situation.

Everybody I know were contacted for the booster two weeks after the six months was up. The NHS booking app is for key workers and care workers at the moment.

My doctors has a recorded message saying they are not doing the boosters and we are told to wait to be contacted by the NHS. They appear to be working through those eligible quite quickly, the ones I know who have had boosters are aged 75 and over.

I’m just being patient and waiting for mine, it will be six months on 27th October so hopefully I will be notified by mid November. I’m having my flu jab this Saturday which I was more concerned about as I did not want the two jabs at the same time.

rascal more like incompetence! ?
At least I know I didn't imagine reading it. Posters were trying to tell me they were the same.

Yes Marydoll that's what mine said too. It's unbelievable.

Who will receive a third dose of the vaccine?

In September 2021, the JCVI announced that people who have severely suppressed immune systems at the time of their first and second doses of the vaccine would be able to get a third dose.

This is not a booster dose, but an additional ‘top-up’ dose to increase protection from COVID-19 for people who may not have not had a good response from the first two doses. It is expected that the JCVI will publish more guidance on a COVID-19 booster vaccination programme this autumn.

Based on the guidance put out by the JCVI, the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) has recommended that that most people who were taking the following treatments during the time of their first two doses, be offered a third dose of the vaccine:

Conventional DMARDs, such as methotrexate, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil.
Anti-TNF biologics, such as infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept, golimumab, certolizumab pegol.
Other biologics, such as rituximab, tocilizumab, abatacept, ustekinumab, secukinumab, belimumab.
JAK inhibitors, such as baricitinib, tofacitinib, upadacitinib, filgotinib.
Prednisolone (steroid tablets) at doses of at least 10mg per day.
This does not include the DMARDs sulfasalazine or hydroxychloroquine.

A third dose is recommended at least 8 weeks after the second dose of the vaccine.

Not all people who have or are currently taking these treatments need to receive a third dose. Your doctor should be able to tell you whether you should receive a third dose based on your medical history.

Rheumatology teams and GPs have been asked to review their patient records and invite people with severely suppressed immune systems to get their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Everyone who is eligible for a third dose of the vaccine should be contacted by either their rheumatology team or GP by 11 October.

If you have not been invited to receive a third dose by 11 October, but you think you should have been, you should contact your GP or rheumatology team.

If the medications you take have changed over time or if you get your prescriptions from different doctors, it might be harder for doctors to correctly identify you as eligible for a third dose. It may be helpful to confirm your status as a severely immunosuppressed person with your GP in order to arrange getting a third COVID-19 vaccine.

This information is from Versus Arthritis.

pinkprincess

I am 77 and have COPD my second vaccination was n April can't remember the date but was just before Easter.
I rang my GP surgery today to enquire about the booster dose and was told to ring 111.I did this and was told to get off the line and ring back later!
Like OP I went online and was informed I was not eligible.
This is all very confusing

You should have a vaccination card, pinkprincess with the date on it.
You must be eligible, unless it was at the end of April and not yet 189 days since your 2nd vaccination

Thanks Marydoll
I knew they were different but there seems to have been little publicity about this and our GP surgery has not mentioned it at all.