Can Blood Cancer UK, and others, petition for household members to be included, please?
It makes no sense to exclude them and has always been available in the past (often after persistent representation!) for 'flu and Covid jabs.
I had my booster today, at GP-run centre and was told by staff that household contacts under 75 are excluded.
Covid is certainly still around, under the radar as it’s no longer reported, but we all remain vulnerable. This change in policy would make complete sense!
Thankyou, Beverley
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Hi @beverleyanny I believe @BloodCancerUK are really campaigning, along with other charities, on this issue, but I have copied your post to them.
Take care and I have booked my appointment today
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Hi Beverley, thanks for your post. It’s totally understandable you have questions around this. Please be assured that we’re still feeding back the issues and concerns of the blood cancer community to decision makers within the Department of Health.
One thing people might want to do is contact their MPs about this important issue.
As you may know Beverley, household contacts of immunosuppressed people were included in the Autumn 2022 booster programme, so we’re really hoping that the Autumn 2023 booster programme will follow suit and as always we will update the blood cancer community as we learn more.
If you want to talk any of this through, please do give us a call on our support line on 0808 2080 888.
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I report everything Covid related to my MP including the recent issues regarding availability of the vaccine. It appears to be very much a post code issue with regards to delivery of the vaccines. Others have posted having been able to book their vaccine before this Monday whereas I can only access an appointment a distance away requiring transport. There currently is nothing near to me where you can walk to. I live in a town which previously had a huge vaccine centre delivering to everyone who could access it. One pharmacy had appointments apparently but unless you’re open on the page appointments are snapped up! My GP will be delivering the vaccine but are awaiting supplies. How many they will get and will it be sufficient to vaccinate all on their list…well we wait and see. Every time this has been an issue for me bar the first. My consultant told me not to delay having it and yet the distanced appointment is in May. There seems no urgency.
It raises the anxiety levels considerably and also could, potentially, push back the winter booster.
Hi @Lababe you really do seem to be having problems getting your spring booster.
Please let us know how you get on and really look after yourself.
Hi @beverleyanny,
I so agree with you that other household members should be included in all of the Covid booster vaccines. It really would make sense and I am sure it would save costs in the long-run from ECV people becoming infected by family members and potentially needing hospitalisation, to say nothing of the added worry that lack of carer-vaccines for the under 75s places on other family members desperately trying to keep us safe.
Thank you @Alice_BloodCancerUK and @BloodCancerUK for your tireless campaigning and feedback to the Department of Health on our behalf.
My vaccine is booked for next week in a pharmacy about 18 miles away. I think if I had waited longer, they say will be opening up some pharmacy centres nearer to my home, but I’m keen to get it done. A vaccine in the arm is better than a vague promise of one nearer to home, I think.
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I think this booster campaign isn’t being supported as well as previous campaigns. I unfortunately have had to cancel the booking I had for Tuesday next week which was on the Wirral ( huge regret) as I am no longer able to get there due to work commitments that I just cannot get out of.
I have just tried to re book I am now only offered chemists in Liverpool, these involve trains or ferry’s . It might be 11 miles as the crow flies but no one has accounted for the fact there is a rather large river between me and Liverpool so with the best will in the world a journey to any of these chemists is around an hour journey each way. There is no option for me any where on the Wirral . Sharing everyone’s frustration!
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Oh @Jules how frustrating yes, they do give the miles from the vaccine venue, but that crow seems to always fly in a straight line.
Take care on that ‘Ferry cross the Mersey,’ and yes I shall have that song in my brain for the rest of today.
Please look after yourself, your life sounds hectic.
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I had the Comirnaty Original/Omicron Pfizer/BioNTech jab last week. Just read the info. sheet handed to me when I had my jab. Yes, it’s all very small print, but interesting to see the MHRA’s own guidance, at the top of p.2, states:
“The efficacy of Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.4-5 may be lower in people who are immunocompromised. In these cases, you should continue to maintain physical precautions to help prevent COVID-19. In addition, your close contacts should be vaccinated as appropriate. Discuss appropriate individual recommendations with your doctor.”
This version of the guidance has not been updated on the .gov.uk website, but all previous versions also note that ‘close contacts should be vaccinated’.
Interesting that current Government guidance to vaccination centres does not follow its own advice from MHRA???
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I so agree with you @beverleyanny . I think it is a false economy and a huge shame that close contacts, especially those in a caring capacity and children in a household, are not offered the spring booster.
My nearest vaccination centre was 15 miles away. Apparently if I’d waited longer there were some more local places offering it but I took the first appointment I could get. It took place in a small pharmacy where the pharmacist was wearing a mask but none of the other people coming in or out of the vaccination room had face coverings. Presumably they were all vulnerable if being offered the vaccine (???) Fortunately I did not have to wait very long in there.
In the GP surgery today, however, it was an hour’s wait in a busy waiting room with no one wearing masks. The nurse put one on when she saw my Airhead mask and complimented me on taking sensible precautions. She then said she thought blood cancer patients were being forgotten and let down by the Covid situation. Indeed.
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My spring booster update. I received Pfizer at a pharmacy 14 miles away on 1st May. Nothing having come up nearer in the meantime. This was a 2 hour journey time as a round trip due to traffic. Even on a good day this round trip would have been 1 1/2 hours. I took documents but the pharmacist just said I don’t need those as you’re on the system…that’s good to know at least. Two minutes in and out so that part of my spring booster experience was great. Now for autumns experience though hoping for an enjoyable summer in between!
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Hi @Lababe so a 2 hr journey time and a 2 min appointment, at least the pharmacist and vaccination went smoothly. Take lots of care.