Why are healthy 70 yr olds getting vaccine before older people in some areas

EMOT I suggest you email the relevant Health Authority they will be the ones in charge of the vaccine roll-out.

I discovered yesterday my area is one of the ones without a vaccination place so God knows where we will have to travel to for the vaccine. Some areas are on the ball, others, like mine, have not really bothered it would appear.

Are you by any chance in Wales Charleygirl?

For goodness sake EMOT what do you suggest? That the health authorities take a detailed medical history of each person and base the need for vaccine on that. There have to be parameters which are necessarily wide but at least the vaccine is being rolled out.
Here in France there have been less than 500 people vaccinated.

Are they?
I have no idea why this should be, I can only suggest there may be factors of which you are unaware.

People will always come up with anecdotal evidence of anomalies - not everybody can be at the head of the queue.

Not a good start to the day, but at least it’s cold!

Our kitchen fridge freezer has died. It has played up a few times over the past year but we have always managed to fix it. This morning the tell tale sign is the defrosted ice cube tray. I think we’ll have to buy a new one pdq! At least we have a big old chest freezer in the garage which we can transfer things to in the interim.

EMOT I don’t know, but as long as everyone gets the vaccine, I don’t care. My thoughts are with the staff organising this the best they can under extremely trying conditions, with staff off ill or isolating, they don’t need people querying how they’re doing it.

Sorry folks! I though I was starting a new thread!

Lexisgranny no, NW London- not exactly the end of the earth!
Friends of mine, in a different borough, have a GP surgery who are starting with the eldest it would appear and working their way down the age list.

I'm a member of my local "Patient Voice" and this question has come up.

The Clinical Commissioning Groups have delegated the organisation of vaccinations to various groups of GPs. It seems to be a bit of a postcode lottery, but each GP group is responsible for trawling through their records to find the people who are eligible.

In most cases, people in care homes have been problematic, so over 80s have been called in. The groups have been issued with a certain number of doses, but if they don't have many over 80s on their lists, they've called in the next people in priority. Hence, some over 70s have been contacted.

Sometimes, they haven't been able to contact people and have had doses left over, which need to be used in a short time frame. That's why some people have reported that the fire service (or others) have been contacted.

I expect it depends on your local area (and/or country). Maybe look on the website or contact them if you're really concerned.

It’s now of necessity a mixed system to get as many of the vulnerable groups vaccinated as they can by the target dates, and depending on venues some of the mass vaccination centres are getting large volumes of people through. I don’t see it as a problem provided everybody who is eligible gets their vaccination at a venue they are able to get to in the timescale.

I wouldn’t care how far I had to go for the vaccination to be honest, but then I’m fit and mobile.

I know someone who works in a pharmacy, they had the vaccine and could nominate someone else. They chose their fit, healthy partner. My fit, active but elderly friends have had the vaccine but my chronically ill DH has to shield. They spent the autumn abroad but we can't even get to a shop. Still we will just have to wait our turn.

As I said on another thread, my 69 brother had the vaccine about 10 days ago. He has no health conditions. He's about 10 miles from us. My 93 year old neighbour hasn't been called yet.

Perhaps your friends happen to have a specific health condition which they haven't chosen to disclose to you.

I suppose it is never going to be exactly fair throughout the UK. Is anything?

There is an element of chance in most things.

Doesnt seem to be happening in my area I ve only heard of 80+ so far but as others have said nothing we can do about it so just get on or if you’re really irate phone someone and ask and come back and let us know
I think health workers critical workers and teachers should come before any of us any way

Of course, if we think about it, it is going to be a postcode lottery.

My mother is 100 and has had no information about the vaccine. Yet people much younger have had the vaccine. She is very confused when they are on the news and blames me for everything.

There has been so much talk by the government about vaccinating the most vulnerable people but that is just talk and bluster. Many elderly care home residents and their carers are still waiting and in the meantime no visitors are being allowed.
The much talked about Covid tests have not been received either.

My 89 year old mother lives in a care home, I’ve only seen her three times since April, twice is a garden gazebo and once in a pod, the carers are still waiting to be vaccinated even though they have a mini bus which could take them to a central hub and the residents are also still waiting.

I appreciate that the Phizer vaccine is difficult to store but reading today the hospital Trusts that have been sent the first doses of the new vaccine, none of them are further North than the Midlands.

I would contact my MP to ask about the delays but as she has not replied to my previous emails about care home visits, I can’t be bothered!

I expect it depends on the efficiency of the vaccination programme where you live. If you are somewhere that has plenty of vaccine, premises and staff to administer it, and possibly a low number of the really old and vulnerable, then obviously younger groups will be able to get it before, say, the older ones in a neighbouring catchment. If I lived in a place popular with the retired, like South Devon, I'd probably expect to be a long way down behind a long queue of over 80s.

I think it depends a little on the area you live in and the restrictions of the first vaccine and it’s very low temperature requirements. We’ve had info from our local health authority explaining where and what is taking place, plus a reminder that there is a very high population of elderly in our area so it may take a while to get to us slightly younger folks!

@sodapop. We’re hearing her that there’s a lot more public opposition to the vaccine in France, as has been the case with other vaccines. Could this be part of the reason for the slow roll out ?

My granddaughter is normally an A+E nurse, but has been working on Covid wards recently. I actually asked her this question a few days ago. She said that as older patients usually need to be in hospital for substantially longer than younger patients, so then “bed blocking” starts to become a problem. Hence trying to keep elderly out of hospital.

Patsyanna

My granddaughter is normally an A+E nurse, but has been working on Covid wards recently. I actually asked her this question a few days ago. She said that as older patients usually need to be in hospital for substantially longer than younger patients, so then “bed blocking” starts to become a problem. Hence trying to keep elderly out of hospital.

I'd take that with a pinch of salt. The reason is that age is the major factor in killing people and causing severe symptoms which hospitalise them.

Please read the JVCI guidance on how decisions were made.