I hope I don’t get censured for raising anything to do with Covid, but this topic is purely and only about jabs. I’ve no intention of discussing anything else to do with the good, the bad or evil of Covid.
So as of tomorrow, for all over 50’s and that includes me and 'er indoors, you can book your 3rd jab online via the NHS booking site. Well it’s actually live now because myself and the Wife booked earlier this evening for the middle of next month which will be two weeks over the six months since our 2nd shot, the earliest appointment available at a local pharmacy and not one 40 miles away from where we live. A couple of our over 50’s friends have also managed to book this evening.
Myself and my Wife have not once been contacted directly by either our Medical Centres or by the NHS for any of our jabs, we’ve had to do that entirely ourselves, despite the constant banging on to the over 50’s to get their jabs booked in and done. I absolutely realise the NHS are under an immense amount of strain, but had we not bothered to take action ourselves, I wonder just how long it would have taken the NHS to actually contact us directly.
We both took the initiative to have our flu jabs done in September, which were free. It was only in the last few days that my Wife actually had a text message from the NHS offering her a free flu jab despite the fact that she’s already had the jab six weeks ago and it’s recorded on her NHS medical record. They’ve not bothered texting me, so they either know, or I’ll get a message who knows when or they just won’t bother.
I got a call about flu jab in October from GP 3 days later had it.
Covid jab - got a text last Friday and had jab Saturday morning. I’m under 50 but able to get jab due to health reasons. The text was 6 months and 1 week after my 2nd jab.
I imagine the complexity of contacting millions of people, in order of entitlement in the correct timescale to be staggering. The contact I have had from both surgery and NHS has been first class. Sorry it hasn’t worked for all. R-
Speaking of jabs: everyone on here - regardless of age and health - should get their flu jab.
If you are not eligible for the free one they are still dirt cheap (You can get them for under a tenner) and they may save your life (remember many many people die of flu each year, and this year is expected to potentially be worse than previous years). Me and the OH have had private flu jabs for the past 7 years I think.
So, go to your local pharmacy, or check out Boots, Loyds, Superdrug, ASDA, or any other pharmacy chain’s website and book your jab now.
Good point. I don’t understand why everyone is not getting vaccinated with those offered. Definitely going to be lifesaving in many cases. I had my flu jab at the surgery on 16 Sept. and C-19 booster is due this week. R-
Prior to the Government giving the over 50’s free flu jabs as from November last year, I had been getting my annual flu jab from ASDA for the previous 7 years at around about £5 a jab. Funny old thing, never had a sniff of flu in all of those years. This year, I took the initiative to book one at my local Boots chemist and got an appointment within a week of booking and had the jab free of charge. My Wife had hers done a week later.
It’s all very well the Government harping on about those eligible for free flu jabs to get the jab done, but as even the pharmacist said to me, the NHS often aren’t contacting those eligible until 3 months into the flu season when it’s already rife and so getting a jab in December might just be a tad too late for some folks. The idea is to get the jab before the flu season kicks in, hence why I had mine done in September.
Absolutely, something I’m not disputing. I have a relative who at 21 years old is absolutely refusing point blank to have any form of Covid vaccine. He’s completely comfortable with his choice.
Not a specialist on this, but AFAIK there are usually two different vaccines offering different levels of protection that you can get privately in the UK. This might explain some of the price difference.
But as you say: Even 14.99 is very cheap in the grand scheme of things for most people on this forum…
I believe that the type of flu vaccine given, very much depends on one’s age. The over 60’s/70’s can be given a different vaccine as far as I know. Obviously the vaccine one gets is determined by the pharmacist on presentation.
I would say though, that if the same vaccines are being offered at almost double the price one from another, then there is either profiteering going on or perhaps different pharmacists pay their jab givers different rates and so the cost is factored in that way or whomever provides the vaccines to the varying outlets, charge according to where they source from. Who knows.
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