Coronavirus

[anthonykay]

I'm 62 and I haven't been invited for a flu vaccination, but I'm not particularly worried about that. I seem to get flu on average about once every ten years (last time four years ago), and it's rather unpleasant but never lasts for long: usually two or three days, with no after-effects.

[molehill]

We had flu twice in 4 years, probably 25 years ago, never again thanks and flu jab every year come what may.

[JohnK]

I think I will wait and see what the longer term outcomes of the vaccine are before I will consider it.

so about 10 years then?

At least 10 years I would think, after all I have never yet had a flu jab and really don`t see me rushing to do so.

[Flem]

Just out of interest, I've been wondering where I might be in the queue for this vaccine. (Of course, the vaccine might not actually materialise - it's still early days. But I for one am certainly hoping that it does.)

Various newspapers have published the following priority list:

Care homes residents and staff
Anyone aged 80 and over, and health and social care workers
Anyone aged 75 and over
Anyone aged 70 and over
Anyone aged 65 and over
High-risk adults under 65
Moderate-risk adults under 65
Anyone aged 60 years and over
Anyone aged 55 and over
Anyone aged 50 and over
Rest of the population (priority to be determined)

According to the first link below, 12.4 million people in the UK are 65 or over. (I'll assume the vast majority of residents in care homes are 65 or over.) According to the second link below, the NHS employs 1.4 million people and social care 1.6 million people. So, I'll assume 'care home staff and health and social care workers' in the priority list amounts to about 3 million people. How many high- and moderate-risk adults under 65 are there? I haven't got a clue, but I'll guess 5% of the under-65 population of about 54 million - i.e., about 2.7 million. So, in total, that's about 18 million people in the categories with higher priority than me. In my category (i.e., 60 - 65) the first link below gives a total of 3.8 million people. So, there will be between about 18 and 22 million people in the queue before me. As I understand it, the Government have pre-ordered enough vaccine for 20 million people. Presumably, though, not everyone will take-up the offer of the vaccine, so it looks as though everyone in the priority list except the last 3 categories should get an offer of a vaccination in the first round, but I'll be pretty close to the bottom of the list.

How long will it all take? I've seen reports in the newspapers that the intention is to administer 1.2 million jabs per week. But everyone will need 2 jabs, so the 40 million jabs will take a minimum of 33 weeks (i.e., 8 months). So, if it all starts by early December I'll be getting my second jab between early July and early August. (That's assuming everything goes according to plan, which ... well, I won't pursue that line of thinking!)

So, if my sums and information are correct, I hope the Government can arrange to administer the vaccine a bit quicker! (I also hope Matt Hancock actually has put a proper pre-order in, and he hasn't just clicked on a link in an email he received which said something like 'buy your cheap Viagra and Covid-19 vaccine here'!) I further hope that one of the other vaccines gets approval pretty soon too. And it would also (probably) help (me) if quite a few people refuse to succumb to the pressure of big pharma and decline the offer of the vaccine.

Still, the world seems a much better place with more reasons for hope and optimism than it did a couple of weeks ago (in my opinion).

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...lation-by-age/
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/project...force-overview

[Llani Boy]

[QUOTE=Flem;669302]Just out of interest, I've been wondering where I might be in the queue for this vaccine. (Of course, the vaccine might not actually materialise - it's still early days. But I for one am certainly hoping that it does.)

So, in total, that's about 18 million people in the categories with higher priority than me. In my category (i.e., 60 - 65) the first link below gives a total of 3.8 million people. So, there will be between about 18 and 22 million people in the queue before me. As I understand it, the Government have pre-ordered enough vaccine for 20 million people. Presumably, though, not everyone will take-up the offer of the vaccine, so it looks as though everyone in the priority list except the last 3 categories should get an offer of a vaccination in the first round, but I'll be pretty close to the bottom of the list.


It looks as if I'm in the same group as you Flem.

We might bump into each other in the queue next September

[XRunner]

And it would also (probably) help (me) if quite a few people refuse to succumb to the pressure of big pharma and decline the offer of the vaccine.

Will the Government make it a compulsory vaccination?

[Flem]

Will the Government make it a compulsory vaccination?

Not according to the following article on the BBC website. But, just to avoid any doubt at all as to my views, personally, as things stand at the moment, I fully expect to be taking up any offer of vaccination as soon as it's made to me. It's not just that I want to reduce (within reason) the risk of my dying in the near future, it's also that I'd rather reduce the risk of my having to spend days or weeks gasping for breath, and reduce the risk of my having to spend months (and, possibly, years) suffering from 'long Covid'. And, much as I think the various mitigation measures put in place are, on the whole, necessary, I'd like them to be no longer necessary as soon as possible. So, vaccination gets a vote of approval from me.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-51176409

[Question.]
Will the vaccine be compulsory?

[Answer]
No. It will be optional and offered first to those who could benefit the most, such as the elderly and healthcare workers.

England’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed: “We are not proposing to make this compulsory – not least because I think the vast majority of people are going to want to have it.”

If it becomes available, children will not routinely be offered it because they are low risk.

[Flem]

We might bump into each other in the queue next September

Perhaps even at a fell race before next September!

[Fellbeast]

I think it’s fine to let people choose as to whether they get the vaccine or not but I’m not convinced that not bothering with the vaccine jab because you’ve never had a flu jab makes much sense. You know what with covid being far more contagious and broadly 10 times more deadly n’all, and long covid, suffered by something like one in twenty (I think I heard that stat somewhere), sounding pretty grim.

I was talking to a chap yesterday about his son, in his forties (and a really good fell runner apparently), who’d been hit by long covid. He has been completely out of breath walking just 100 yards ever since May and is totally knackered all of the time. I’m not sure I ever believed fitness as being any defence from covid anyway but for this guy it clearly hasn’t been...

[Mossdog]

Will the Government make it a compulsory vaccination?

Interesting question. Part of my work is for a local authority. Last year all employees were told that they were expected to have the flu jab and that anyone who didn't was 1. putting their colleagues at risk (the shaming gambit), and 2. had to contact the Head of their Service and HR to explain why they weren't having the jab (the threatening gambit).

Now I'm a kind of laid back, easy-going, never say-boo-to-a-goose, sort of guy ( )but that was a somewhat provocative mandate to me. I've never had the flu-jab, not because I'm an anti-vaxer or whatever, it's just that I'm fitter and healthier than many half my age and very rarely catch a cold (I know that's not making me infallible but I'll take my chances at this stage). Anyway, I didn't get the jab, told everyone I hadn't who asked me (my line mananger, etc) and wasn't/didn't contact anyone to explain my own health choices (but had a pre-prepared line of sturdy arguments to rebuff anyone who dared demand to know why I hadn't). Needless to say I wasn't challenged and didn't receive any sort of reprimand, which rather disappointed me if I'm honest.

I can't see the Government making it compulsory, but they might make some sneaky little ruling that bars those who haven't from access to something or other, using some sort of app (like that would work ).

Just to be clear again, I'm not an antivaxer and would have the covid jab if offered, albeit I might linger in the queue to see if others morph into some flesh-eating zombies first (note to self: remember to dust off the crossbow).