COVID vaccinations! Have you gotten yours?

[crazy canuck]

Interesting twist, this morning I received a text from the provincial health system inviting me to book a Pfizer/Moderna shot.  The earliest I could get that would be July 4, so I will keep this one.  If I could also get it today, it would be an interesting moral dilemma but one I don't have to face.

edit: I should add the moral dilemma is caused by the fact that many are now turning down AZ here because of the Feds saying Pfizer/Moderna is "preferred" for people who had AZ as their first jab.  Since then our provincial health officials have been trying to explain what that means and that is definitely does not mean that we should not get AZ.  AS bit of a PR clusterfuck caused by the Feds.

[Josquius]

Randomly looking at local reddit saw there were walk in appointments for the second dose nearby. Very small lines. Fully vaccinated 💪

[Sheilbh]

I find it weird there's so much mixing and matching going. I remember a NYT article back in January noting as Britain taking another risk with vaccines (as well as quick approval and delayed second doses) that it was permissible to mix and match - but it turned out the guidance was actually identical to the CDC and that you should only mix and match if you can't identify what dose the person had first or basically it's giving them the wrong second dose or nothing.

It seems strange that we've moved so far on this, especially as (and I could be wrong) I don't think I've seen any studies on it - though I know plenty are being done with people thinking about booster shots.

I'm sure it's absolutely fine it just seems odd

Also - and I don't think this message gets through enough - the UK regulator has said about the AZ issue that in their review of all UK and European data there are zero cases of blood clotting after the second dose.

[Grey Fox]

Got my 2nd dose appointment move up to July 11.

[garbon]

I've noticed that the UK is starting to become a free-for-all. I'm seeing more and more stories of people getting their 2nd dose at any interval after 4 weeks.

[Josquius]

I find it weird there's so much mixing and matching going. I remember a NYT article back in January noting as Britain taking another risk with vaccines (as well as quick approval and delayed second doses) that it was permissible to mix and match - but it turned out the guidance was actually identical to the CDC and that you should only mix and match if you can't identify what dose the person had first or basically it's giving them the wrong second dose or nothing.

It seems strange that we've moved so far on this, especially as (and I could be wrong) I don't think I've seen any studies on it - though I know plenty are being done with people thinking about booster shots.

I'm sure it's absolutely fine it just seems odd

Also - and I don't think this message gets through enough - the UK regulator has said about the AZ issue that in their review of all UK and European data there are zero cases of blood clotting after the second dose.

I read in an article I think about Merkel getting vaccine 2 was its now tentatively recommended to mix?

[Sheilbh]

I've noticed that the UK is starting to become a free-for-all. I'm seeing more and more stories of people getting their 2nd dose at any interval after 4 weeks.

Yeah I think they're definitely pushing 2nd doses as soon as they can now. I wonder if part of it is because the shift to getting the priority groups their second dose meant that in April and May far fewer people were getting their first doses, so now they can speed up the second doses a lot.

I've also read that a new challenge now is the NHS is far less likely to have up-to-date data for young people because they're less ill/likely to engage with the NHS a lot, they're less likely to have permanent permanent addresses (I went through a phase of basically living at a new address every year because landlords) or maybe the wrong address (if they're registered at parents/uni but live at the other) etc. So apparently that's why they're moving more to the big stadium/event model. I think Sadiq is tweeting out every day the list of walk-in vaccination centres in different bits of London that day. From what I've read take-up is good but it is far less easy practically than it was for older groups and we maybe need to embrace a slightly more chaotic model

[garbon]

I've noticed that the UK is starting to become a free-for-all. I'm seeing more and more stories of people getting their 2nd dose at any interval after 4 weeks.

Yeah I think they're definitely pushing 2nd doses as soon as they can now. I wonder if part of it is because the shift to getting the priority groups their second dose meant that in April and May far fewer people were getting their first doses, so now they can speed up the second doses a lot.

I've also read that a new challenge now is the NHS is far less likely to have up-to-date data for young people because they're less ill/likely to engage with the NHS a lot, they're less likely to have permanent permanent addresses (I went through a phase of basically living at a new address every year because landlords) or maybe the wrong address (if they're registered at parents/uni but live at the other) etc. So apparently that's why they're moving more to the big stadium/event model. I think Sadiq is tweeting out every day the list of walk-in vaccination centres in different bits of London that day. From what I've read take-up is good but it is far less easy practically than it was for older groups and we maybe need to embrace a slightly more chaotic model

We don't have 2nd dose booked until August but we're going to start just going to walk-in/pop-up centres and see if we can get 2nd dose given we had our first doses over 4 weeks ago.

[Sheilbh]

I think they've definitely said everyone can re-book if they're booked for 12 weeks away and move it to 8 weeks away. Don't know about the walk-in centres.

[garbon]

I think they've definitely said everyone can re-book if they're booked for 12 weeks away and move it to 8 weeks away. Don't know about the walk-in centres.

Yes, but they did it in an awful way. If you go into the system, you can check if there is availability at your booked centre only. If there isn't availability then only option is to cancel completely on off-chance you can find something sooner. I tried calling 119 and they were like yeah we use same system as you so can't tell you if there is availability sooner. I'm too afraid to give up that slot on hopes of something 4 weeks sooner.

I've already seen in far away places like Harrow, they have said that any from 4 weeks post-jab was welcome to their walk-in/pop-up events. Have also seen accounts on social media of people getting sooner and by my math, Jos wasn't even at 4 weeks. Most around me say needs to be at least 8 weeks but there are some they have no details so hoping if go later in day, they'll go oh yeah have this that we have lying around.

Definitely feels weird though to be scoping all the angles on how to get a vaccine. Not an anticipated behavior in my life.

[crazy canuck]

I find it weird there's so much mixing and matching going. I remember a NYT article back in January noting as Britain taking another risk with vaccines (as well as quick approval and delayed second doses) that it was permissible to mix and match - but it turned out the guidance was actually identical to the CDC and that you should only mix and match if you can't identify what dose the person had first or basically it's giving them the wrong second dose or nothing.

It seems strange that we've moved so far on this, especially as (and I could be wrong) I don't think I've seen any studies on it - though I know plenty are being done with people thinking about booster shots.

I'm sure it's absolutely fine it just seems odd

Also - and I don't think this message gets through enough - the UK regulator has said about the AZ issue that in their review of all UK and European data there are zero cases of blood clotting after the second dose.

The first preliminary study showing a potential benefit to mixing an initial AZ shot with one of the others was released in May (if memory serves me, out of Spain).  Since then there have been other initial results from other studies demonstrating potential benefits.   The main purpose of those studies was to see if there was a health risk to do so.  So reassuring that there is none and maybe even a benefit.   fyi, based on these studies the Canadian Federal guidance is that mixing is now the recommended "preferred" option for first AZ jab people.  And that has caused no end of problems.

[Syt]

Got Moderna shot no. 2 this morning. Feeling fine so far, let's hope it stays that way. *knocks on wood*

[Syt]

Wood knocking didn't help. Slept badly because every time I turned to lie on my vaccinated arm I woke up. Also running a fever this morning. Yay!

[celedhring]

Got an appointment for my second shot next Friday - I'm going on a short holiday afterwards so I hope the side effects don't kick too badly...

[Josquius]

I think they've definitely said everyone can re-book if they're booked for 12 weeks away and move it to 8 weeks away. Don't know about the walk-in centres.

As mentioned I went to a walk in centre this week and got my second one 5 weeks after my first. Wasn't booked until August..

I had a bit of sore arm and tiredness this time but my partner got it rough. Proper fever et al.