COVID-19: Vaccine and testing procedures Megathread Part 3 - Read OP

Happydays2020

Seeing a few posts on Twitter that over 85’s not always contacted by GPs to make an appointment.

Despite the radio ads to the contrary if a relative does not get contacted it is probably a good idea that they should contact the GP themselves.

Multipass

Happydays2020 wrote: »

Seeing a few posts on Twitter that over 85’s not always contacted by GPs to make an appointment.

Despite the radio ads to the contrary if a relative does not get contacted it is probably a good idea that they should contact the GP themselves.

My Dad is 89 and heard nothing. Contacted the GP and they couldn’t give him a date. This is in a large city practice.

Sweet.Science

I think it's very messy asking GPs to do it but seems like it was the only option

Happydays2020

Sweet.Science wrote: »

I think it's very messy asking GPs to do it but seems like it was the only option

Yes. Probably the only option but not without risks.

is_that_so

Multipass wrote: »

My Dad is 89 and heard nothing. Contacted the GP and they couldn’t give him a date. This is in a large city practice.

This week is just a test run of 12,000. Smaller practices may be rolled into a single vaccination centre. One feature of this whole plan is that it seems they are telling people when they need to know.

timsey tiger

josip wrote: »

260,000 doses administered up until last Thursday
+ probably 20,000 since
+ 160,000 between now and the end of February

= 440,000 doses or ~220,000 people (understood that it's more than 220k but some with only 1 dose)

My SBB infographic that I post to death on here assumed 250,000 people per month Jan -April so at the moment they're roughly a month behind that guestimate.
But if there is a minimum of 80,000 vaccines per week being delivered, then the slippage can be arrested in March hopefully and some ground made up in April.
But by May it was hoped we would be vaccinating 500,000 per month, so 1 million doses per month needed then.

Which would be 3 times current supply; doesn't sound too unreasonable.

Less than 1m per month needed for 500k pm, as JJ will be one shot vaccine from April. Obv. the more the better.

stephenjmcd

Multipass wrote: »

My Dad is 89 and heard nothing. Contacted the GP and they couldn’t give him a date. This is in a large city practice.

Not all practises begin this week.

They'll contact when they need to contact.

For example my grandmother's GP contacted her on Friday with an appointment for this Thursday.

They're working through the lists as they get told when they'll be getting deliveries.

There's only 80 odd practises I think in the test run this week, they mentioned the number at the last press conference, could be a few more than 80 maybe.

Micky 32

I believe Luke O’Neil was a ray of sunshine on Newstalk. From saying the one shot J&j vaccine maybe approved in days. The country will have loads of vaccines by May and comments like ‘we’re at the end of this now’ etc

eoinbn

Happydays2020 wrote: »

Seeing a few posts on Twitter that over 85’s not always contacted by GPs to make an appointment.

Despite the radio ads to the contrary if a relative does not get contacted it is probably a good idea that they should contact the GP themselves.

Maybe stop bugging GP's and let them do their job? Ringing them is just going to slow the process down.

daydorunrun

eoinbn wrote: »

Maybe stop bugging GP's and let them do their job? Ringing them is just going to slow the process down.

Yeah because every time the phone rings the doctor has to leg it from the patient they are treating to answer the phone!
All surgeries have a receptionist to deal with these kind of questions.

eoinbn

daydorunrun wrote: »

Yeah because every time the phone rings the doctor has to leg it from the patient they are treating to answer the phone!
All surgeries have a receptionist to deal with these kind of questions.

Who do you think is making the appointments? Ringing isn't going to help.

ixoy

daydorunrun wrote: »

All surgeries have a receptionist to deal with these kind of questions.

Who are busy fielding other calls, including taking details of those who think they've got symptoms for a call later on.

The GP is unlikely to have forgotten their patients or missed the whole vaccine thing.

Multipass

eoinbn wrote: »

Maybe stop bugging GP's and let them do their job? Ringing them is just going to slow the process down.

Experience has taught me otherwise, knowing the competency of my GP practice it’s very possible to be forgotten about.

Bubbaclaus

ixoy wrote: »

Who are busy fielding other calls, including taking details of those who think they've got symptoms for a call later on.

The GP is unlikely to have forgotten their patients or missed the whole vaccine thing.

My other half is a GP and someone phoned reception last week asking to speak to the doctor urgently.

She called them straight away after finishing with their current patient, expecting it to be something serious.

It was a 23 year old with mild asthma wondering when she will get her vaccine. I kid you not.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

My other half is a GP and someone phoned reception last week asking to speak to the doctor urgently.

She called them straight away after finishing with their current patient, expecting it to be something serious.

It was a 23 year old with mild asthma wondering when she will get her vaccine. I kid you not.

Charge for a telephone consultation or have reception take notes for the purpose of triage.

I get that its frustrating. Its probably frustrating to the patient who wouldn't be able to get a call back without claiming its urgent.

Its urgent is code in many practices for "its not acceptable to ring me back next month."

Bubbaclaus

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Charge for a telephone consultation or have reception take notes for the purpose of triage.

I get that its frustrating. Its probably frustrating to the patient who wouldn't be able to get a call back without claiming its urgent.

Its urgent is code in many practices for "its not acceptable to ring me back next month."

Urgent was code for her being a precious 23 year old. All calls are responded to same day. Anyone with a bit of smarts about them would know its an unanswerable and time wasting question. GPs have no involvement in vaccine rollout timelines.

Deathofcool

Finally found some information on Moderna, seems they are keeping the doses for the over 65s. 3600 arrived in the initial batch that I think were used on GP's in the mass vaccination centers and second doses were kept. 6k arrived January 25th and 10.8k last week. I think we have a total of 1.6 million on order with 1 million supposed to arrive before the end of June.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/republic-s-covid-19-vaccine-rollout-to-accelerate-1.4483475

irishlad.

https://twitter.com/COVID19DataIE/status/1361265253280079873


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cUZy6AMCwuA2zhtRuKK7cqMVgmhdDsGsZrFWJTkw9DY/edit?usp=sharing

Sweet.Science

irishlad. wrote: »

https://twitter.com/COVID19DataIE/status/1361265253280079873


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cUZy6AMCwuA2zhtRuKK7cqMVgmhdDsGsZrFWJTkw9DY/edit?usp=sharing

This may be a stupid question

But with supplies supposedly not going to be an issue in a couple of months why not just give as many as you can the 1st dose ? and then give the 2nd one in 8 to 12 weeks time ?

Russman

Sweet.Science wrote: »

This may be a stupid question

But with supplies supposedly not going to be an issue in a couple of months why not just give as many as you can the 1st dose ? and then give the 2nd one in 8 to 12 weeks time ?

I think that's what we will be doing with the AZ vaccine once they get to the under 65s afaik.

Happydays2020

Micky 32 wrote: »

I believe Luke O’Neil was a ray of sunshine on Newstalk. From saying the one shot J&j vaccine maybe approved in days. The country will have loads of vaccines by May and comments like ‘we’re at the end of this now’ etc

What time was this? I turned on RTÉ to hear someone saying we cannot put our eggs in the vaccination basket and needed to follow an elimination strategy. At that point I switched off and RTÉ is on the blacklist for another month,

ACitizenErased

Sweet.Science wrote: »

This may be a stupid question

But with supplies supposedly not going to be an issue in a couple of months why not just give as many as you can the 1st dose ? and then give the 2nd one in 8 to 12 weeks time ?

Because mRNA vaccines have to be given within 3-4 weeks, not 8-12.

El Weirdo

Happydays2020 wrote: »

What time was this? I turned on RTÉ to hear someone saying we cannot put our eggs in the vaccination basket and needed to follow an elimination strategy. At that point I switched off and RTÉ is on the blacklist for another month,

That was Gabriel Scally. Merchant of doom.

muddypuppy

Sweet.Science wrote: »

This may be a stupid question

But with supplies supposedly not going to be an issue in a couple of months why not just give as many as you can the 1st dose ? and then give the 2nd one in 8 to 12 weeks time ?

While there were talks of keeping half of the vaccines for the 2nd dose that's not the plan anymore IIRC, now I think we have a small reserve in case one or two shipments are delayed but otherwise most doses are used.
About the 8 to 12 weeks, it might work or might not. Moderna and Pfzier have been tested only with 3-4 weeks between the two doses. It's possible that countries will switch to 8-12 weeks if everything goes nicely in the UK, but it's too soon to tell.

Happydays2020

Sweet.Science wrote: »

This may be a stupid question

But with supplies supposedly not going to be an issue in a couple of months why not just give as many as you can the 1st dose ? and then give the 2nd one in 8 to 12 weeks time ?

It is not a stupid question. There needs to be a parallel strategy now using different vaccines.

Happydays2020

muddypuppy wrote: »

While there were talks of keeping half of the vaccines for the 2nd dose that's not the plan anymore IIRC, now I think we have a small reserve in case one or two shipments are delayed but otherwise most doses are used.
About the 8 to 12 weeks, it might work or might not. Moderna and Pfzier have been tested only with 3-4 weeks between the two doses. It's possible that countries will switch to 8-12 weeks if everything goes nicely in the UK, but it's too soon to tell.

Pfizer and Moderna are now reserved for over 70’s. If supplies of AZ ramp up it would make sense to start on other population groups in parallel with that 12 week break.

Russman

Happydays2020 wrote: »

Pfizer and Moderna are now reserved for over 70’s. If supplies of AZ ramp up it would make sense to start on other population groups in parallel with that 12 week break.

I think that is the plan.

Azatadine

El Weirdo wrote: »

That was Gabriel Scally. Merchant of doom.

I was wondering which of the doom mongers it was but knew it would either be Scally, Ryan, Staines, McConkey or Killeen. Actually, Killeen seems to have been kicked off the cart or something. Haven't heard him for a while and he was doom monger in chief for a while.

Cork2021

Azatadine wrote: »

I was wondering which of the doom mongers it was but knew it would either be Scally, Ryan, Staines, McConkey or Killeen. Actually, Killeen seems to have been kicked off the cart or something. Haven't heard him for a while and he was doom monger in chief for a while.

Don’t worry Killeen is still banging the drum on Twitter. Only reason he’s not on TV lately is that they’ve probably found out that he looks like he’s after a bag load of coke and after a few spliffs!

Azatadine

Cork2021 wrote: »

Don’t worry Killeen is still banging the drum on Twitter. Only reason he’s not on TV lately is that they’ve probably found out that he looks like he’s after a bag load of coke and after a few spliffs!

I dont see as much doom mongering in the UK. At least I don't pick up on it being as bad as it is over here with our harbinger of doom crew.