Very few of my friends and neighbours have firm dates for our second jabs: we just have to wait for an SMS from our GPs (which is how we were invited for the first dose). We live in various boroughs across London, and it might be done differently elsewhere.

Honestly, I'd be all over the booking website like a rash rather than wait for my surgery. In fact that's what I did, and is what everyone else I know is doing. Booked my 2nd jab at the same time. the one thing that I don't like about the booking system is that it the time it takes you to confirm everything, the slot you think you are booking can disappear and you have to start again. Seems to be a frequent complaint around here, might be area dependent. When that happens people are getting more success ringing 119.

I tried the pop in at the end of the day to try to get a spare jab type thing and they told me to f off essentially. 😂

Can you give us an idea of roughly what the duration is between the first jab and the second. Are you seeing a duration closer to the 4-week mark or the 12-week mark?

Clearly some work needed on "the look" for you ;)

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cb/57...c2b64c1805.jpg

My local vaccination centre is not far from a Lidl I sometimes shop at and right outside it is the only bike rack for, well, miles. Yesterday evening I got there, parked my bicycle, locked it and made to walk towards the Lidl. In doing so I caught the eye of the NHS vaccination centre "bouncer" who assumed I was fishing for a jab and said "If you haven't got a booking you can't enter bruv"... So, got the 'go away' treatment without even wanting to ask :D

There is actually a special process for extras but very straightforward. For those scheduled, only a bit of paperwork is done in advance, to avoid mistakes for Did Not Attends (DNAs) so if you were an extra we have a 2 page form to fill in, but it's a 1.5 page form for pre-booked too, so not much different, and a full page is on the consents/clinical assessment, which does not vary between patients. It's easy to get people's records if they have their NHS Number on them, so for the kids on here looking for an opportunistic early jab, just put your NHS Number, and the postcode of your GP on your phone, just in case you get a random chance of a vaccine. That's all we need to get the data up to date efficiently (and we can normally find people without that information in any event), and then typically the NHS App will show your vaccination details a couple of days later. This in turn triggers the second jab alert system. In other words, it's quite joined up, given the circumstances, some IT geeks are silent heros too.

Yes, it does vary even within our vaccination centre. Some get both appointments together, some only get the one, but we can see internally when the second jab is heading towards. People should only be concerned if after 11 weeks they have heard nothing, at which point they can call their GP or 119 (I would advise the GP first). This is quite remarkable, but we haven't missed a single second jab in our centre, everyone has been reconciled before 12 weeks.

10 weeks is the current average (9 weeks and 6 days). It varies a bit due to the Pfizer v AZ day or week, So some people are getting 9 weeks because (e.g.) the next Pfizer day would take them too close to 12 weeks.

None of us has yet had a second jab, and all had our first ones (a mixture of Pfizer and AZ) between 4 and 6 weeks ago. One friend, who is vulnerable and shielding, received Pfizer just over 4 weeks ago and is having the second jab this coming Sunday.

(England only) If you had AZ as your first dose, you can use the booking website irrespective of your age or whether you were booked or a walked in appointment. 48 hours after your first jab. your record should have been updated. The system should recognise this and give you a date for your second jab. Be aware that more than likely it will offer you appointments at mass vaccination centres and pharmacies etc rather than your GP clinic. If you had Pfizer you need to wait to be contacted and the website will recognise this.

Thanks for that. To be honest, I'm not really too bothered about getting the second jab quickly, and am happy to wait to be contacted.

EDIT: Actually, I just tried the online booking site, entered my NHS number and date of birth and got the message "You are not currently eligible to book through this service".

What I can't wait for, however, is a haircut, and I have just managed to bag an appointment in Cardiff for next Friday, when I'll be in the city for a permitted reason. Hooray for Wales. :D

Yes I noticed Scotland is easing their lockdown rules sooner, she is being flexible, they can meet outside today upto 4 people from 2 households (England date not until 29th March) and hairdressers open on Monday in Wales (England not until 12 April) and they're dropping their stay at home message from tomorrow (England not until 29 March).

Why so much earlier, are the cases, deaths, hospitalisations much lower in the 2 devolved nations, I think not ? The vaccine rollout is similar but I read England have vaccinated slightly more adults at 44.3%, Scotland 41.29% Wales 41%. Also domestic tourism allowed in Wales before Easter. Hopefully this will put pressure on BJ to open up sooner?

For Wales I understand stay at home is being replaced with requirement to stay local - so still of no use if you wanted to travel.

Also https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-56375684

and he is not keen on travel from 17 May either

EDIT: FWIW my expectation is both Wales and Scotland will continue to have movement restrictions within, and restrictions on entering & leaving to other parts of the UK for some months yet. I expect England will relax these a lot sooner that Wales or Scotland. If you live in England I wouldn't be planning any holidays in either Wales or Scotland for summer just yet.

Not I'm definitely not planning holidays in Wales or Scotland, my point is that they are both opening up some aspects of society 2-3 weeks earlier than England.

and my point is they are both opening other aspects later than England.

I *think* the Scottish Government’s approach is grounded in more and smaller steps than the English Government’s. Schools, for example - a big bang re-entry for all pupils in England, compared to a staged approach (which started earlier) in Scotland. This might also go some way to explaining the 3v5 week question.