Originally Posted by flyslow (Post 33184041)

In a surprising turn got a text with booking link from my GP. They've been texting me through the pandemic not to bother them with anything, so wasn't expecting that.
Booked for tomorrow now.

Originally Posted by fransknorge (Post 33184102)

Studies done during the first wave and after the fall of 2020 showed that, in the UK, the vast majority (around 80%) of people did not comply with the quarantine when symptomatic, contact case or coming back from a country necessitating quarantine at home. The reasons for this are various but the main point is: a large amount of people are doing the wrong thing from this particular point of view.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1....15.20191957v1

Originally Posted by HB7 (Post 33184191)

A large part of these studies is the monetary support that was lacking.

Originally Posted by IAN-UK (Post 33183784)

We share dilemmas. My return to travel is throwing me in the deep end with Guinea Bissau. It's not red-listed but my breath isn't being held - it's a destination generally overlooked by FCO advice until, well, it isn't. Cape Verde, it's sister country, is firmly red.

Still a second vaccine would be reassuring, and could be helpful in a number of ways.

Originally Posted by USA_flyer (Post 33183702)

Its amazing how restorative food and coffee and paracetamol are. While I won't be out partying today, I already feel a whole lot better.

Originally Posted by suley (Post 33183860)

[MENTION=73039]cws[/MENTION] Wanted to ask, what is the official guidance on changing clinics? I have my first dose up north and now back down south, my doctor is being difficult on letting me take my second dose at the clinic. I could contact the mass vacination centre but initially the surgery agreed to assist and then week before my due date, they are starting to be difficult saying only 1-9 are being vaccinated, despite it being my second. Any idea whats the official guidance?

Originally Posted by fransknorge (Post 33184249)

No disagreement there, as I said, there was various reasons and most were due to income protection and associated issues, which mostly are due to their employer and the government. Nevertheless 80% of the people choose to do the wrong thing from an epidemiological point of view, as far as willingly not isolating when symptomatic. This is too significant to brush aside and assume this is going to be fine now.

Originally Posted by HB7 (Post 33184460)

I agree on the point that we can't brush aside the fact that many people would try and get away with it, but once again, it is a completely different situation to 6 months ago. To start off with, half the population is protected. Secondly, we can institute mandatory testing on arrival that will ensure no one enters the country that is positive - or at least 99% of people - this way, there will be hardly a single person who gets out of this unless they somehow evade BF.

Finally, we all know now that there is a lot more manpower in ensuring people who are supposed to be isolating are isolating.

Either way, there is a very significant cost to keeping borders shut. I was all for it last year, however, the situation and risk profile have changed thanks to the vaccine.

Originally Posted by ahmetdouas (Post 33184949)

You sure about that?

Originally Posted by suley (Post 33183860)

[MENTION=73039]cws[/MENTION] Wanted to ask, what is the official guidance on changing clinics? I have my first dose up north and now back down south, my doctor is being difficult on letting me take my second dose at the clinic. I could contact the mass vacination centre but initially the surgery agreed to assist and then week before my due date, they are starting to be difficult saying only 1-9 are being vaccinated, despite it being my second. Any idea whats the official guidance?

Originally Posted by HB7 (Post 33183889)

Where have I urged the lifting of control measures?

Originally Posted by HB7 (Post 33183889)

I also think its useless to ask people to test 72 hours before coming to the UK, because many people can easily be infected after the test, at the airport, on the place etc. Testing on arrival is the key, and we should be doing that.

Originally Posted by HB7 (Post 33183889)

Originally Posted by HB7 (Post 33183889)

I know those of you who love to use the variant excuse to keep borders closed.

Originally Posted by HB7 (Post 33183889)

The dangerous thing is people continually wanting to keep the travel industry shut down

Originally Posted by ahmetdouas (Post 33184949)

You sure about that?

Originally Posted by IAN-UK (Post 33185121)

The current control measures constitute a virtual ban on travel.

With or without your urging, the government's plan is to start lifting those measures from mid-May. Sifting through your comments it seems you are unhappy about something: maybe the cautious way the exit from the travel ban is being implemented, maybe the continuing existence of hindrances to travel.




It seemed an earlier post saw you disabused of his idea, but I see you have picked it up again. The key to understanding the rationale behind pre-departure testing for returns to the UK is to understand that those flights also carry visitors to our isles. The knotty problem of what to do with a non-resident testing positive on arrival is resolved by getting airline staff to police who boards the aircraft on he basis of test results.











The most troubling elements of your posts, and those of some others, is the notion that there is a cabal within and outwith government and the scientific community, intent on closing our borders, ruining the travel industry, using Covid as an excuse to achieve those ends. It's not clear why anyone, or any public body, would seek to do this: how anyone would benefit from it.

Originally Posted by bluemoon68 (Post 33184968)

Officially, second doses follow according to the date you had your first. Logically it has to be this way, even for people who had lucky spares, otherwise they could be waiting many months.
Easiest way for AZ in England is to book a mass vac centre or pharmacy online. For Pfizer, the online system, tends to say it can’t help and speak to your GP (unless it has changed in the last 2 weeks). In which case you need to speak to your surgery, if you are blocked at any point you need to speak to the practice manager. If you are getting past 12 weeks I would consider making a complaint, you certainly don’t want to go beyond 14-16 weeks. I appreciate it is difficult for surgeries logistically as they will be allocating a whole batch of Pfizer to be the repeat dose for the initial recipients, but there will be people too ill on the date of the second dose or who have moved into care homes or sadly died, so there should be wriggle room.

Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave (Post 33184321)

There is a general provision that you can change GPs whenever you like. In theory if it is another GP in the same Primary Care Network they should have a consistent approach, but I know for a fact that GP staff are past masters of making up their own rules as and when. For the vaccine, the official guidance is merely "never before 4 weeks". Or 3 weeks for Pfizer.

I don't see the point in having a second AZ much before 8 weeks, it's really best left, for Pfizer and Moderna my argument is weaker. If you are trying to get a second vaccination before 6 weeks then even I would be reluctant to go ahead with it unless there really are extenuating circumstances. Now if you had AZ and seeking a second dose then the national website should give you a date (either now or soon) reguardless of your GP. Pfizer and Moderna are more complex but eventually it will give a second date close to 10 weeks on. If the Mass Vaccination appointment shows online, then the GPs can't stop that, and it's definitely not groups 1-9 only, it's second doses according to date of first dose.