Covid jab queues

[Fevric J. Glandules]

The last two times round I was in and out in 15 minutes.

This time I arrived at the Grafton to find a queue that was apparently
an hour long.

So I left. Will rebook. Is there anywhere central without massive
queues? Why the queues, anyway? Are they taking walk-ups as well
as people with booked appointments?

[The Natural Philosopher]

I arrived at mine (Burt st Edmunds) nearly an hour early due to
forgetting the car clock was still on BST...they just said 'we can do
early'; and put me in the short queue.

Its odd because could only get that appointment - then my surgery asked
me to fill in some slot at a more local practivce, but I couldnt as I
was already booked.
NHS has since sent me a text and email telling me to get the booster I
have just had. A bit shambolic.

I've seen a walk in bus in Newmarket, but the NHS website denies its
existence.
*shrug*.


--
“when things get difficult you just have to lie”

― Jean Claud Jüncker

[Fevric J. Glandules]

The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> Its odd because could only get that appointment - then my surgery asked
> me to fill in some slot at a more local practivce, but I couldnt as I
> was already booked.
> NHS has since sent me a text and email telling me to get the booster I
> have just had. A bit shambolic.

I got the impression last time round that the two systems were running
in parallel. The link the surgery sent me offered other locations,
but not the Grafton.

[tony sayer]

In article <sotpt2$l3u$1...@dont-email.me>, Fevric J. Glandules
<f...@invalid.invalid> scribeth thus

Had my Booster done last week at Saffron Walden nearest other was
Kentford then Stevenage good job I have a car what does an elderly
person do who can't drive?...

--
Tony Sayer


Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a keyboard, and he will reveal himself.

[Theo]

tony sayer <to...@bancom.co.uk> wrote:
> In article <sotpt2$l3u$1...@dont-email.me>, Fevric J. Glandules
> <f...@invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
> >The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> >
> >> Its odd because could only get that appointment - then my surgery asked
> >> me to fill in some slot at a more local practivce, but I couldnt as I
> >> was already booked.
> >> NHS has since sent me a text and email telling me to get the booster I
> >> have just had. A bit shambolic.
> >
> >I got the impression last time round that the two systems were running
> >in parallel. The link the surgery sent me offered other locations,
> >but not the Grafton.
>
> Had my Booster done last week at Saffron Walden nearest other was
> Kentford then Stevenage good job I have a car what does an elderly
> person do who can't drive?...

I was offered Saffron Walden, Newmarket, Chesterton, St Neots, Peterborough
and quite a number of pharmacies in Bedford. Most several weeks hence - there
was a single slot next day at St Neots so I took it.

Theo

[Alan]

On Thu, 09 Dec 2021 21:13:55 -0000, tony sayer <to...@bancom.co.uk> wrote:

> In article <sotpt2$l3u$1...@dont-email.me>, Fevric J. Glandules
> <f...@invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
>> The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>
>>> Its odd because could only get that appointment - then my surgery
>>> asked
>>> me to fill in some slot at a more local practivce, but I couldnt as I
>>> was already booked.
>>> NHS has since sent me a text and email telling me to get the booster I
>>> have just had. A bit shambolic.
>>
>> I got the impression last time round that the two systems were running
>> in parallel. The link the surgery sent me offered other locations,
>> but not the Grafton.
>
> Had my Booster done last week at Saffron Walden nearest other was
> Kentford then Stevenage good job I have a car what does an elderly
> person do who can't drive?...
>

In Ely the local GPs were contacting patients and doing the booster, (as
well as the original jabs).

Wife even had flu jab at the same time.

--
Alan

Using Opera's mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

[Fevric J. Glandules]

[covid jab]

According to one of my corespondents, there's a chance of
"spontaneous abortions and infertility."

But I'm not going to have an abortion, and I've proven my
fertility just as many times as I want to - heck, I'll go
mad: give me the booster jab. But without making me wait
for an hour in an enclosed space with other people!

[Tim Ward]

On 10/12/2021 04:16, Fevric J. Glandules wrote:
>
> But without making me wait
> for an hour in an enclosed space with other people!

When I went for my flu vaccination I was expected to wait in the surgery
waiting room with other people. I refused and remained waiting in the
car park and told them to call me when it was my turn. This confused
their system somewhat, but they did call me in the end.

--
Tim Ward - 07801 703 600
www.brettward.co.uk

[Jon Schneider]

On 09/12/2021 21:13, tony sayer wrote:
> Had my Booster done last week at Saffron Walden nearest other was
> Kentford then Stevenage good job I have a car what does an elderly
> person do who can't drive?...
>

Possibly near the site known as Kentfrod by the NHS system.

Jon

[The Natural Philosopher]

On 09/12/2021 21:13, tony sayer wrote:

> In article <sotpt2$l3u$1...@dont-email.me>, Fevric J. Glandules
> <f...@invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
>> The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>
>>> Its odd because could only get that appointment - then my surgery asked
>>> me to fill in some slot at a more local practivce, but I couldnt as I
>>> was already booked.
>>> NHS has since sent me a text and email telling me to get the booster I
>>> have just had. A bit shambolic.
>>
>> I got the impression last time round that the two systems were running
>> in parallel. The link the surgery sent me offered other locations,
>> but not the Grafton.
>
> Had my Booster done last week at Saffron Walden nearest other was
> Kentford then Stevenage good job I have a car what does an elderly
> person do who can't drive?...
>

if they cant drive and have no friends and cant afford a taxi they just
die Tony.

--
It is the folly of too many to mistake the echo of a London coffee-house
for the voice of the kingdom.

Jonathan Swift

[Stewart Brodie]

tony sayer <to...@bancom.co.uk> wrote:

> In article <sotpt2$l3u$1...@dont-email.me>, Fevric J. Glandules
> <f...@invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
> >The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> >
> >> Its odd because could only get that appointment - then my surgery
asked
> >> me to fill in some slot at a more local practivce, but I couldnt as I
> >> was already booked.
> >> NHS has since sent me a text and email telling me to get the booster I
> >> have just had. A bit shambolic.
> >
> >I got the impression last time round that the two systems were running
> >in parallel. The link the surgery sent me offered other locations,
> >but not the Grafton.
>
> Had my Booster done last week at Saffron Walden nearest other was
> Kentford then Stevenage good job I have a car what does an elderly
> person do who can't drive?...

I'm not elderly, but I don't drive. I cannot get a booster appointment
anywhere and I've been trying for the past 3 or 4 weeks. I have no chance
of reasonably getting from Cambridge to anywhere the NHS website offers me,
like Stevenage, Saffron Walden or Huntingdon.

Even when those places are offered, there's no dates before late January.
Then when I choose a place and a date, it just says there aren't any
appointment times available after all.

Yet other people say they can book stuff for next week. It's farcical.

I had to take a risk on a one hour bus trip out to Great Shelford last week
for a flu vaccination - multiple buses required both ways, but at least the
7 was almost empty. It was the only place in the Cambridge area that I could
get an appointment.


--
Stewart Brodie

[Roland Perry]

In message <gemini.r3xjy200k03m...@ntlworld.com>, at
02:51:38 on Sat, 11 Dec 2021, Stewart Brodie
<stewart...@ntlworld.com> remarked:

>I'm not elderly, but I don't drive. I cannot get a booster appointment
>anywhere and I've been trying for the past 3 or 4 weeks. I have no chance
>of reasonably getting from Cambridge to anywhere the NHS website offers me,
>like Stevenage, Saffron Walden or Huntingdon.

If it's the same place they opened up in the early days, the Stevenage
site is only half a mile from the station. Huntingdon, and you have the
Guided Bus.
--
Roland Perry

[Tim Ward]

On 11/12/2021 02:51, Stewart Brodie wrote:
>
> Yet other people say they can book stuff for next week. It's
> farcical.

I've got an appointment for next week in Cambridge, but it was booked a
month or two ago. If it involves queuing indoors in a room full of other
people I'll walk away.

[Espen Koht]

On 11/12/2021 2:51, Stewart Brodie wrote:
> tony sayer<to...@bancom.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> In article<sotpt2$l3u$1...@dont-email.me>, Fevric J. Glandules
>> <f...@invalid.invalid> scribeth thus
>>> The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>>>
>>>> Its odd because could only get that appointment - then my surgery
> asked
>>>> me to fill in some slot at a more local practivce, but I couldnt as I
>>>> was already booked.
>>>> NHS has since sent me a text and email telling me to get the booster I
>>>> have just had. A bit shambolic.
>>> I got the impression last time round that the two systems were running
>>> in parallel. The link the surgery sent me offered other locations,
>>> but not the Grafton.
>> Had my Booster done last week at Saffron Walden nearest other was
>> Kentford then Stevenage good job I have a car what does an elderly
>> person do who can't drive?...
> I'm not elderly, but I don't drive. I cannot get a booster appointment
> anywhere and I've been trying for the past 3 or 4 weeks. I have no chance
> of reasonably getting from Cambridge to anywhere the NHS website offers me,
> like Stevenage, Saffron Walden or Huntingdon.

I got my jab at the Grafton on Tuesday by simply walking up, but it may
be that I was lucky with the timing. At about 11:00 am there was about
10 people ahead of my in the 'grab-a-jab' queue, which was interleaved
with a similar amount of people in the appointments line. That esulted
in about 15 minutes wait time, 5-10 processing time and 15 minutes to
wait before leaving, so done before noon.

[The Natural Philosopher]

On 11/12/2021 16:00, Espen Koht wrote:
> I got my jab at the Grafton on Tuesday by simply walking up, but it may
> be that I was lucky with the timing. At about 11:00 am there was about
> 10 people ahead of my in the 'grab-a-jab' queue, which was interleaved
> with a similar amount of people in the appointments line. That esulted
> in about 15 minutes wait time, 5-10 processing time and 15 minutes to
> wait before leaving, so done before noon.

I took one look at the '15 minutes to wait before leaving', and
decided that in a room full of other people I'd rather take the .01%
chance of passing out in the car, but felt good enough to drive off and
do the supermarket run, by which time the 15 minutes had elapsed.

It is very haphazard - there are definitely two systems in parallel and
one thinks I haven't had a booster.

Its vaguely reminiscent of the chaos when WWII started, as related by
parents...no one knew what to do, what they were supposed to do, or how
to do it.

--
Any fool can believe in principles - and most of them do!

[Chris Forecast]

On 09/12/2021 20:12, Fevric J. Glandules wrote:

> So I left. Will rebook. Is there anywhere central without massive
> queues? Why the queues, anyway? Are they taking walk-ups as well
> as people with booked appointments?

According to: https://www.thevaccinators.co.uk/

"We are not currently offering boosters on a walk-in basis. This is to
ensure that as many eligible people as possible can access boosters in a
planned and managed way. Please book your booster via
www.nhs.uk/covidvaccine or by calling 119."

Chris Forecast

[Espen Koht]

On 11/12/2021 16:37, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 11/12/2021 16:00, Espen Koht wrote:
>> I got my jab at the Grafton on Tuesday by simply walking up, but it
>> may be that I was lucky with the timing. At about 11:00 am there was
>> about 10 people ahead of my in the 'grab-a-jab' queue, which was
>> interleaved with a similar amount of people in the appointments line.
>> That esulted in about 15 minutes wait time, 5-10 processing time and
>> 15 minutes to wait before leaving, so done before noon.
>
> I took one look at the  '15 minutes to  wait before leaving', and
> decided that in a room full of other people I'd rather take the .01%
> chance of passing out in the car, but felt good enough to drive off and
> do the supermarket run, by which time the 15 minutes had elapsed.

None of the vaccination centres I've been to (Clay Farm or the Grafton)
has had people queuing 'in a room'; the former had us queue outside and
the latter in the large East-end atrium.

[Tim Ward]

On 11/12/2021 16:37, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>

> I took one look at the  '15 minutes to  wait before leaving', and
> decided that in a room full of other people I'd rather take the .01%
> chance of passing out in the car

Too bloody right.

[Mark Goodge]

On Sat, 11 Dec 2021 16:37:16 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
<t...@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>On 11/12/2021 16:00, Espen Koht wrote:
>> I got my jab at the Grafton on Tuesday by simply walking up, but it may
>> be that I was lucky with the timing. At about 11:00 am there was about
>> 10 people ahead of my in the 'grab-a-jab' queue, which was interleaved
>> with a similar amount of people in the appointments line. That esulted
>> in about 15 minutes wait time, 5-10 processing time and 15 minutes to
>> wait before leaving, so done before noon.
>
>I took one look at the '15 minutes to wait before leaving', and
>decided that in a room full of other people I'd rather take the .01%
>chance of passing out in the car, but felt good enough to drive off and
>do the supermarket run, by which time the 15 minutes had elapsed.

If you passed out in the car from an allergic reaction (which is what it
would be, it's not a check for side-effects pr se) then you'd probably
die before anyone spotted you. If you had an allergic reaction in the
waiting room then you could be treated immediately and would almost
certainly survive.

It's still your choice, obviously. But you need to frame it correctly.

Mark

[Roland Perry]

In message <sp2i00$ka2$1...@dont-email.me>, at 16:01:06 on Sat, 11 Dec
2021, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> remarked:

>On 11/12/2021 02:51, Stewart Brodie wrote:

>> Yet other people say they can book stuff for next week. It's
>> farcical.
>
>I've got an appointment for next week in Cambridge, but it was booked a
>month or two ago. If it involves queuing indoors in a room full of other
>people I'll walk away.

None of the six jabs we've now had *didn't* involve queuing indoors of
some kind. From corridors at a GP-run health centre, to a large hall
waiting for the "check-in".

Only one has involved a recommendation to wait indoors for 15mins
afterwards (in a typical GP surgery waiting room), the others were
happy that a driver was waiting in the car park for the patient.
--
Roland Perry

[GC]

Fainting is a risk after any injection, though it is generally self-resolving unless you injure yourself by falling over. You should be advised not to drive (or cycle) for 15 minutes after any injection in case you get light-headed or actually faint. If you have someone with you and won't be driving, the risk of coming to serious harm is extremely small.
The requirement to wait for 15 minutes applies for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. They both contain a stabilizing ingredient that can, very rarely, evoke an anaphylactic reaction. Even if you didn't have a reaction with previous exposure, that doesn't guarantee that you won't react on a subsequent exposure. Anaphylaxis is life-threatening if not treated promptly and the vaccination centres and GP surgeries have the drugs, equipment and staff that can prevent deaths. Hence the National Protocols for Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines, under which the vast majority of these vaccinations are being delivered, include a minimum of 15 minutes wait post-vaccination in an area that is staffed and equipped to save lives in these rare cases.

[Roland Perry]

In message <140b95a6-74da-41b0...@googlegroups.com>, at
10:29:59 on Sun, 12 Dec 2021, GC <gillc...@gmail.com> remarked:

>On Sunday, 12 December 2021 at 07:30:01 UTC, Roland Perry wrote:
>> In message <sp2i00$ka2$1...@dont-email.me>, at 16:01:06 on Sat, 11 Dec
>> 2021, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> remarked:
>> >On 11/12/2021 02:51, Stewart Brodie wrote:
>>
>> >> Yet other people say they can book stuff for next week. It's
>> >> farcical.
>> >
>> >I've got an appointment for next week in Cambridge, but it was booked a
>> >month or two ago. If it involves queuing indoors in a room full of other
>> >people I'll walk away.
>> None of the six jabs we've now had *didn't* involve queuing indoors of
>> some kind. From corridors at a GP-run health centre, to a large hall
>> waiting for the "check-in".
>>
>> Only one has involved a recommendation to wait indoors for 15mins
>> afterwards (in a typical GP surgery waiting room), the others were
>> happy that a driver was waiting in the car park for the patient.
>

>Fainting is a risk after any injection, though it is generally
>self-resolving unless you injure yourself by falling over. You should
>be advised not to drive (or cycle) for 15 minutes after any injection
>in case you get light-headed or actually faint.

I've been having annual flu jabs for years, and nothing was ever said.

>If you have someone with you and won't be driving, the risk of coming
>to serious harm is extremely small.

But surely they need to ask?

>The requirement to wait for 15 minutes applies for the Pfizer and
>Moderna vaccines. They both contain a stabilizing ingredient that can,
>very rarely, evoke an anaphylactic reaction. Even if you didn't have a
>reaction with previous exposure, that doesn't guarantee that you won't
>react on a subsequent exposure. Anaphylaxis is life-threatening if not
>treated promptly and the vaccination centres and GP surgeries have the
>drugs, equipment and staff that can prevent deaths. Hence the National
>Protocols for Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines, under which the vast
>majority of these vaccinations are being delivered, include a minimum
>of 15 minutes wait post-vaccination in an area that is staffed and
>equipped to save lives in these rare cases.

Yes, I know all that, which is why it's surprising that in 5/6 of our
jabs they didn't follow that protocol.
--
Roland Perry

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well actually I asked the pharmacist giving me the injection what people
has issues with and he said 'low blood pressure and fainting as a result
of shock'

In short anxiety, nit allergy.

I know enough about allergic reactions to lean on the horn at least.

> It's still your choice, obviously. But you need to frame it correctly.
>

I did.
You now have the information I was given.

> Mark
>


--
Climate is what you expect but weather is what you get.
Mark Twain

[GC]

Yes, that's the sort of thing I say when I'm vaccinating and someone asks why there is a waiting period. It is less off-putting to many people than "a very small risk of a life-threatening allergic reaction"! Fainting *is* much more common than allergies, especially in younger age groups, but it isn't the reason for the 15 minute wait specified in the national protocols.

[Tim Ward]

On 13/12/2021 15:57, GC wrote:
>
> Yes, that's the sort of thing I say when I'm vaccinating and someone
> asks why there is a waiting period. It is less off-putting to many
> people than "a very small risk of a life-threatening allergic
> reaction"! Fainting *is* much more common than allergies, especially
> in younger age groups, but it isn't the reason for the 15 minute wait
> specified in the national protocols.

So, to help us make informed decisions, what's the risk of a
life-threatening allergic reaction, so that we can compare that with,
what, the almost certainty of catching covid from sitting in a room full
of people?

I can cope with standing up in the cold outside for fifteen minutes
(though I appreciate that not everybody can do that) - perhaps that's
what I'd best do? If I wait outside within sight of the staff on the
door they can come and get me if I fall over.

[John Aldridge]

In article <sp7s8q$dqu$1...@dont-email.me>, t...@brettward.co.uk says...

>
> So, to help us make informed decisions, what's the risk of a
> life-threatening allergic reaction, so that we can compare that with,
> what, the almost certainty of catching covid from sitting in a room full
> of people?

I quick Google finds this...

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7002e1.htm

21 out of 1.8 million. It refers to first doses though.

--
John

[Mark Goodge]

On Mon, 13 Dec 2021 16:27:06 +0000, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk>
wrote:

>On 13/12/2021 15:57, GC wrote:
>>
>> Yes, that's the sort of thing I say when I'm vaccinating and someone
>> asks why there is a waiting period. It is less off-putting to many
>> people than "a very small risk of a life-threatening allergic
>> reaction"! Fainting *is* much more common than allergies, especially
>> in younger age groups, but it isn't the reason for the 15 minute wait
>> specified in the national protocols.
>
>So, to help us make informed decisions, what's the risk of a
>life-threatening allergic reaction, so that we can compare that with,
>what, the almost certainty of catching covid from sitting in a room full
>of people?

I didn't catch Covid on any of the times I spent in a waiting room after
my vaccinations. I don't, personally, know anybody who has.

Mark

[Mark Carroll]

On 13 Dec 2021, Tim Ward wrote:
(snip)

> So, to help us make informed decisions, what's the risk of a
> life-threatening allergic reaction, so that we can compare that with,
> what, the almost certainty of catching covid from sitting in a room full
> of people?

(snip)

At my workplace, they've now given many thousands of vaccinations and,
last I heard, seen no serious anaphylactic reactions whatsoever.

They do have us wait the fifteen minutes but sat masked in distanced
chairs in a room designed for large trucks to be in: very high ceiling,
large bay doors that are kept somewhat open (so for my booster I brought
my wool coat for the wait).

Good luck with finding somewhere that allows a wait somewhere that does
not feel a very bad idea, your concern sounds most reasonable to me.

-- Mark

[Fevric J. Glandules]

Espen Koht wrote:

> I got my jab at the Grafton on Tuesday by simply walking up, but it may
> be that I was lucky with the timing. At about 11:00 am there was about
> 10 people ahead of my in the 'grab-a-jab' queue, which was interleaved
> with a similar amount of people in the appointments line. That esulted

You saying there's actually two queues?

How the hell are you supposed to know that?!

[The Natural Philosopher]

So far far less than the chance of catching covid and dying from it in a
crowded 'recovery room'....

--
In a Time of Universal Deceit, Telling the Truth Is a Revolutionary Act.

- George Orwell

[The Natural Philosopher]

Well *every* time I used to go to the GP surgery I would come back with
some bug.

I am not interested in even a cold thank you.

[Chris Forecast]

On 13/12/2021 16:27, Tim Ward wrote:
> I can cope with standing up in the cold outside for fifteen minutes
> (though I appreciate that not everybody can do that) - perhaps that's
> what I'd best do? If I wait outside within sight of the staff on the
> door they can come and get me if I fall over.
>

It looks like it may not be an issue much longer according to:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-59632655/page/2

"People in England given a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will no longer have
to be monitored for 15 minutes after their booster jab, the BBC understands.

Ministers are expected to agree to this soon.

The observation period was introduced in the first week of the vaccine
rollout, after two healthcare professionals were jabbed and suffered an
allergic reaction.

But some GPs have been urging ministers to review the requirement,
saying it “substantially reduces the efficiency and throughput" of clinics."

Chris Forecast

[Tim Ward]

On 13/12/2021 16:54, Mark Goodge wrote:
>

> I didn't catch Covid on any of the times I spent in a waiting room after
> my vaccinations. I don't, personally, know anybody who has.

I'm looking at the difference between one, two, three, four nines - a
single data point is unlikely to prove conclusive.

[Tim Ward]

On 13/12/2021 16:54, Mark Carroll wrote:
>
> Good luck with finding somewhere that allows a wait somewhere that does
> not feel a very bad idea

They can try to "allow" whatever they want, I will make my own decisions.

If they're serious about wanting me to wait I will do so outdoors.
Forecast is ten degrees C, I can cope with that.

[Tim Ward]

On 13/12/2021 18:27, Chris Forecast wrote:
>
> Ministers are expected to agree to this soon.

As if I GAS what ministers agree to. I will make my own decision, as
informed as I can get, but I don't see this ******* government as a
source of information.

[Fevric J. Glandules]

Chris Forecast wrote:

> On 09/12/2021 20:12, Fevric J. Glandules wrote:
>> So I left. Will rebook. Is there anywhere central without massive
>> queues? Why the queues, anyway? Are they taking walk-ups as well
>> as people with booked appointments?
>
> According to: https://www.thevaccinators.co.uk/
>
> "We are not currently offering boosters on a walk-in basis. This is to
> ensure that as many eligible people as possible can access boosters in a

But they *are* doing first and second for walk-ups.

[Alan Jones]

On 14/12/2021 14:38, Brian Morrison wrote:

> On Mon, 13 Dec 2021 22:22:01 -0000 (UTC)
> "Fevric J. Glandules" <f...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>>> "We are not currently offering boosters on a walk-in basis. This is to
>>> ensure that as many eligible people as possible can access boosters in a
>>
>> But they *are* doing first and second for walk-ups.
>

> You don't think that there is any thought and planning behind all this
> do you? $22 a dose, all into Pfizer's future fines fund.
>

There may be a little thought behind it (:-)

Some centres that offered walk-in for boosters experienced increasing
delays because of the variable unbooked demand. This happened many weeks
ago (Oct/Nov). So centres like Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club only did
boosters that were pre-booked.

Chesterton did do walk-in for first and second jabs though, because most
people who needed them had already been done. So the few people wanting
them as walk-ins could easily be accommodated in the same queue as the
booked appointments for boosters without accumulating excessive delay.

It all worked very well there, except for the NHS website that wrongly
sent walk-ins for boosters to Chesterton until it was corrected on
November 7th.

[Tim Ward]

So, outside people were queuing several feet apart in a reasonable fashion.

But when I got to the door I discovered that I was expected to join a
long indoor queue of people crammed inches part into a small space. They
refused to let me wait outside and call me when it was my turn.

As that would have been, by orders of magnitude, my worst covid exposure
risk since this all started, I left.

Any recommendations for a safe place to get vaccinated in Cambridge, if
one hasn't had an invitation to a GP's surgery (which is what's worked
fine for me so far)?

[Alan]

My wife rang our surgery, with out an invite, and was happily accommodated.

Have you tried yours, especially with your issues re queuing? They might
understand.

--
Alan

Using Opera's mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

[Tim Ward]

On 14/12/2021 17:28, Alan wrote:
>
> Have you tried yours, especially with your issues re queuing?  They
> might understand.

Last time I called the surgery (about something else) the recorded
message said "don't call us about covid". I guess I could try again as
that was some time ago.

[Roland Perry]

In message <spal4m$hds$1...@dont-email.me>, at 17:43:51 on Tue, 14 Dec

2021, Tim Ward <t...@brettward.co.uk> remarked:

>> Have you tried yours, especially with your issues re queuing?  They
>>might understand.
>
>Last time I called the surgery (about something else) the recorded
>message said "don't call us about covid". I guess I could try again as
>that was some time ago.

My surgery has wall-to-wall websites and social media presence saying
"DON'T CALL US ABOUT COVID JABS!!!"

They don't even administer such jabs themselves at the surgery, but have
outsourced that to a couple of practices in other parts of the district.
Perhaps they in return do site visits to places like care homes, and the
housebound, but I'm unsighted about this.
--
Roland Perry

[Alan]

On Tue, 14 Dec 2021 17:56:37 -0000, Roland Perry <rol...@perry.co.uk>
wrote:

We're with Cathedral Medical Centre, who were/are doing their own jabs.

To be fair, most of our initial contact is through the myGP app, which
seems to work well - always a call back within a couple of hours, and
sight of a GP when needed.

But when my wife rang last week for instance, she had a satisfactory
response from a GP, with a follow-up appointment next week.

So they're not all bad in Ely....

[Alan Jones]

At Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club, the outside queue was well distanced
(1.5m +), and inside, the queue consisted of hopping from one 2m
distanced chair to another. Not a bad solution. The venue is a large
open indoor space.

After jab, you were asked to sit for 15min on 2m+ distanced chairs on
the exit side, but I don't suppose the police will be called if you just
leave unobtrusively.

Good luck.

[Tim Ward]

On 14/12/2021 18:42, Alan Jones wrote:
>
> At Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club, the outside queue was well distanced
> (1.5m +),

Same there today.

> and inside, the queue consisted of hopping from one 2m distanced
> chair to another.

Not like that today. The queue was lots of people standing inches from
each other.

> Not a bad solution.

It was different today.

> The venue is a large open indoor space.

It might have been when you were there, but today there were partitions
all over the place to ensure that there was no ventilation around the
packed indoor queue.

[Alan Jones]

On 14/12/2021 18:50, Tim Ward wrote:
> On 14/12/2021 18:42, Alan Jones wrote:
>>
>> At Chesterton Indoor Bowls Club, the outside queue was well distanced
>> (1.5m +),
>
> Same there today.
>
>> and inside, the queue consisted of hopping from one 2m distanced chair
>> to another.
>
> Not like that today. The queue was lots of people standing inches from
> each other.
>
>> Not a bad solution.
>
> It was different today.

That's very sad. I went on 4th November and the chairs were all along
one wall with several metres free to the bowling green edge.

That meant (a) that everyone in the indoor queue was reasonably
distanced, and (b) the infirm did not have to stand while they waited.
One especially frail couple were invited to sit in a separate space so
that they didn't keep chair-hopping and could stay close together.

They were really careful about marshalling people in and out so that you
didn't come near anyone else at any point. It made it hard to talk to
our friend that we met in the queue!

Alan Jones.

[Alan]

That's how I found Chesterton a month ago. Very spacious, and very well
organised. And for the time poor, no-one was worried whether you remained
for 15 minutes or not.

I was in and out in 25 minutes, including a 15 minute "monitor".

[Alan]

Following up on myself, my first two jabs were at Royal Papworth, and they
too were incredibly well organised with plenty of spacing.

[Tim Ward]

On 14/12/2021 21:16, Alan wrote:
>
> Following up on myself, my first two jabs were at Royal Papworth, and
> they too were incredibly well organised with plenty of spacing.

The best I've had was last year's flu - queuing outside, not that there
was a queue, and around 90 seconds spent indoors with all the doors open.

[Tim Ward]

On 14/12/2021 16:51, Tim Ward wrote:
>

> Any recommendations for a safe place to get vaccinated in Cambridge?

Wouldn't let me rebook until the next day, so waited up until midnight.
No other options in Cambridge (apart from bowls club and Grafton, which
I've been told is just as bad) so booked Huntingdon in the middle of
January.

[The Natural Philosopher]

On 14/12/2021 18:42, Alan Jones wrote:

Silly woman tried to stop me leaving prematurely. I just said 'its my
decision' and walked out.

I have not bothered to wait out any of my jabs.

--
“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established
authorities are wrong.”

― Voltaire, The Age of Louis XIV

[The Natural Philosopher]

On 14/12/2021 21:27, Tim Ward wrote:
> On 14/12/2021 21:16, Alan wrote:
>>
>> Following up on myself, my first two jabs were at Royal Papworth, and
>> they too were incredibly well organised with plenty of spacing.
>
> The best I've had was last year's flu - queuing outside, not that there
> was a queue, and around 90 seconds spent indoors with all the doors open.
>

Definitely my best ever was first two at Newmarket Race course - they
booked a whole conference centrer., Huge and wonderful views of the
course. Parking utterly trivial.

We queued inside, 2 meters apart.

[Roland Perry]

In message <spc74b$17f$3...@dont-email.me>, at 07:56:59 on Wed, 15 Dec
2021, The Natural Philosopher <t...@invalid.invalid> remarked:

>On 14/12/2021 21:27, Tim Ward wrote:
>> On 14/12/2021 21:16, Alan wrote:
>>>
>>> Following up on myself, my first two jabs were at Royal Papworth,
>>>and they too were incredibly well organised with plenty of spacing.

>> The best I've had was last year's flu - queuing outside, not that
>>there was a queue, and around 90 seconds spent indoors with all the
>>doors open.
>
>Definitely my best ever was first two at Newmarket Race course - they
>booked a whole conference centrer.,

It's the indoor concourse of the main stand, and hosts many events,
including antiques fairs as seen on Bargain Hunt.

>Huge and wonderful views of the course. Parking utterly trivial.

Yes, we had some of ours done there. But no 15 minute post-jab facility

>We queued inside, 2 meters apart.

The first was better than the second, when the queue for check-in was
not very socially distanced either inside or outside the premises.
--
Roland Perry

[Espen Koht]

On 13/12/2021 16:54, Fevric J. Glandules wrote:
> Espen Koht wrote:
>
>> I got my jab at the Grafton on Tuesday by simply walking up, but it may
>> be that I was lucky with the timing. At about 11:00 am there was about
>> 10 people ahead of my in the 'grab-a-jab' queue, which was interleaved
>> with a similar amount of people in the appointments line. That esulted
> You saying there's actually two queues?

There was when I went. Seemed pretty logical to me as you don't want the
walk-in service to crowd out the pre-booked who will not necessarily
arrive exactly on time.