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I'm not in any vulnerable group, but I do work in critical infrastructure. As such, work used to have a van come around each depot and do the jabs on site.
The last few years, they moved to a voucher system, must have been a cost saving to be had.
This year, each time I've tried to get my jab, either they have nine, or they have a few but are holding them back for vulnerable patients. In no way am I having a grumble at the pharmacy, or suggesting my need is greater. If I get flu, I'm sure I'll recover after some time off.
Just makes me think that someone is box ticking rather than thinking about what's actually needed to help us avoid any possible crisis.
Yes, haven't had one this year. Normally get one automatically as I'm asthmatic but was told I was at the back of the queue this year due to high demand and that my asthmas is on the mild end of the scale. In the big scheme of things there are others that need it more than I do so relatively happy to sit out one year.
Totally agree. But I do wonder why the company issued vouchers in September that expire today and think they've done their bit. Surely by September, it was clear it wasn't going to happen.
No, I walked into a Lloyds Pharmacy in Oct I think and they did it then and there, I was incredibly lucky though, it seems like the very next day there was a huge increase in demand for them, fuelled partly by the Gov/NHS advising that getting Flu and CV19 at the same time would be really dangerous and of course, being British as soon as there was a whiff that demand might outstrip supply, demand skyrocketed further.
It seemed to work too, a couple of weeks ago the Eldest started to feel very rough, tested negative for Covid, was bad enough for my Wife to call the GP who said it was likely Flu, I had swollen glands for a day, my wife felt a bit off and our daughter didn't skip a beat. We'd all been vaccinated for different reasons (me, because I'd had Flu before and it made me very ill, my daughter because she's young enough to have the nasal spray in school and my Wife because she's NHS). Sorry Son...
My wife, my 12 year old son and I all had our at Lloyds chemist in October. Easy peasy.
Work paid for mine and my wife's, we paid the tenner for my son's. Daughter had nasal spray at school.
there was a bit of a shortage during November AFAIK
Royal Mail sent us posties a free jab voucher for Lloyds, booked a slot and day before slot got a phonecall in October to say they couldn't give me a jab, farcical and didn't bother re-booking when next slot was end of November.
My wife is asthmatic and can't get one. She seems to have fallen off the list at our surgery, though she keeps reminding them to put herself back on it.
Nah. Got the letter telling me what time to be at the local flu clinic (4 hour window), turned up, in, out 10 minutes later. My first as they're now available to under-65s.
First time I’ve had a flu jab was this year. Received a text saying I was eligible, booked it online, couple of days later, trip to the surgery and jabbed.
Had a text from my GP on the 15th booking me in for yesterday - turned up half an hour early and they did it there and then.
I asked at my GP when I had a blood test. Not yet rolling out to over 50's (I'm 50). Anyway a few weeks later, phone call, come in and get one. Very efficient.
Offered one at the pharmacy when I went to pick inhalers up, had it there and then.
I was planning on the jab as last year I got the flu late October then another bug in December (I work in a Uni) but as I'm working from home I didn't bother until the GPs called early December.
Nope had mine months ago.
I had mine mid October. My local surgery set up a drive through in a nearby car park and I had mine through the window of my car. To me it seemed a better and faster way of doing it and I hope they repeat this method next year.
No problem getting one here, text from my GP Practice, booked on the phone, jab a few days later. Lowering the age threshold for the free ones must have got me in - I'm not in any at-risk group so I assumed they must be awash with the stuff to offer one to me.
Sounds like yet another post code lottery.
I got the usual text from the GP but it's a catch-22.
They seem to follow some standard text about appointments but they don't really do appointments in practice. [that is their software is setup to only allow 2 weeks maximum but they don't have appointments within 2 weeks]
Maybe I need to contact them if they are "holding" a vaccination for me that could be given to someone who needs it?
I'm not against having it to prevent me being a super spreader but I'm not really worried about catching flu for myself and the other 2 members of the household were vaccinated at school.
I had to try a couple of pharmacies but got one easy enough, think I might have been lucky though.
As a 50+ I got invited for a free one a while back. Had a month queue for booking but it was done end of Nov. In and out in seconds.
Being 50+ I got an invite letter through the post from the NHS. Local Doctors’Surgery had a 2 week waiting list for an after work appointment. Mrs Inbred is a frontline health worker and had hers before Christmas as I believe before any COVID vaccination she had to have at least a 2 week gap between the Flu jab and the COVID jab.
I had a voucher from work in October - tried to book Lloyds but it was something like a 4 or 6 week wait so I ended up at Tesco a couple of days later.
We have one of those temporary drive-thru centres set up at our local airfield - most I ever seen in there was 3 cars. I can only assume this is a dry run for the covid vaccines because otherwise it was a complete waste of money/resources.
tried to get one in Pharmacy in Tesco and Asda in November - told sorry no private walk-ins - for elderly only on GP list. I usually get one private annually have done for years. Then got a text week before xmas from GP inviting me to get one at a flu clinic they were running - went Tuesday - in and out in 5 mins. NHS Wales.
we both are entitled to a free jab, got a message about flu clinic times, walked down to surgery, went straight in, both injected and out the door in less than 5 minutes...
I appreciate that's no help at all though..!
I've been on the list since I had a stroke 11 years ago,my GPs know I'm retired,I get an appointment by text to a Saturday morning clinic every year.
Well, I made a reasonable effort to get mine so if I end up catch flu, bollocks to them, I'll just have to be off work for a while.
Quite impressed that myself and Wife got one at local pharmacy having recently moved back to England (neither of us apparently entitled in Scotland which was ridiculous as my Wife has qualified for many years due to asthma)! Quick call, appointment and done within 24 hours.
No TBH I had a voucher from work but my GP surgery sent me a request to come in for one so I gave my voucher to a work mate who was away when they were dishing them out.
I even said as I was no longer a primary carer do I qualify? But they wanted me in for the jab 🙂
I got mine at Boots back in Sep/Oct when it became available. However, shortly afterwards they restricted access to vulnerable people only as demand massively exceeds supply this year.
We can't have the Covid vaccine if we haven't had the flu jab so The Management have been badgering everyone to have it. No issue with supplies, had mine at the end of October
Also had an automated txt from GP asking if I wanted a flu jab, replied with "No" so didn't even have to jam the phone lines to refuse.
https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/immunisation/vaccines/flu-vaccine
If you are aged 55 to 59, or will be by 31 March 2021, more information will be provided in early January.
Please do not contact your GP practice or local NHS Health Board as they will not be able to offer you an appointment.
Flu season will be over by time I get it
Work voucher came to nothing, but got one in November when the GP surgery got down to those of us aged 51.
MrsMC got hers in October at the pharmacy after a few weeks wait.
My 91 year old mum was meant to have had it weeks back... BUT she is house bound so it requires a nurse to come round. Guessing they are just mega busy.
Not overly concerned as the way I'm looking at it, all the things I'm doing to protect her from Covid applies to flu too. Obviously I do want her to have the jab though!
Ironically, I'm only 52 and had it ages back. Hopefully that adds another layer of protection for mum in the meantime though.
Had min at the doc's in October, have it every year due to asthma. Work offered to pay for the flu jab if you wanted it but no one in my team took the offer up.
Booked mine in August at Boots, got it in October which was the earliest available at the time I booked,
Had a message from my doctors surgery letting me know when I was due for a flue jab, and the time to be there, turned up, joined a queue which was moving fairly quickly, walked through had the jab and I was out ten minutes before the time I was due to have it. My surgery is very pro-active, I’ve already had a message about a COVID jab, they’ll let me know when it’s my turn for one.
Unlike my g/f’s, which is useless. She had a voucher for a flu jab, which I’d been given from work, but all of the places in town had a shortage of vaccine, her doctors surgery then sent a message asking her to contact them to arrange an appointment, but she couldn’t get anyone to answer. She went to the surgery to speak to someone, and managed to get one sorted on a Saturday morning at a drive-through, but even after getting it done, she was still getting messages asking her to arrange an appointment!
No struggle, voucher via work, booked it for early December, in and out of Boots in 15 mins. Sorry to hear that is not so easy for some.
Flu jabs are commonly ordered by pharmacies in Feb inline with orders from the previous year. Covid was barely a thing in Feb, especially here.
I normally get one through work, at work, but was this year told it would be a voucher. Seeing which way the wind was blowing i ordered mine from somewhere other than where the voucher would be redeemable and paid for it myself and received it in October. I was issued a voucher in September but returned it. Colleagues who got a voucher at the same time said they couldn't get an appointment anywhere.
Ive had a flu vaccine for the last 8 years since Daffy Jnr Stared at plague school (nursery) and brought everything home with him.