Only slightly so. Only 3 areas are above 65 infections per 100,000 on the 7 day basis, namely Derry and Strabane (99), Bolton (85) and Moray (81). Leicester is now 36, and it spent almost the entire time from June 2020 to Feburary 2021 over 50. It peaked at 300.

So spikes are happening, but the numbers are now low enough for local Directors of Public Health to handle rather than NHST&T.

Wow, late 20s already! Your region is way ahead of London. I wish we were so far here already. And it's good to hear that younger folks are still open to AZ. Do you know how offering Pfizer and Moderna to <40 year olds will practically work? Will all vaccine centers have to stock both vaccine types (must be challenging logistically) or maybe they'll add the vaccine type on the NHS booking website going forward? Twitter is also full of messages from pregnant women desperately looking for a site that offers mRNA vaccines - NHS ought to provide more transparency at the time of booking...

We are only actually half way through the vaccination programme and we now have to get it finished by September so as to have space for children and boosters. Most vaccines given so far are AZ, and despite the concerns understandably raised, the infection rate and death rate speaks louder than anything else. So there is plenty of AZ needed. Hence what will happen is that those groups targeted for Pfizer, specifically under 30, will be directed to those channels which have it (not pharmacies in other words) and supply will ramp up for this.

The issue with pregnant women is indeed a bit problematic, however women can ( and mostly have) received AZ. I believe a fix is being done for this via the national website to recognise the now faily large cohort that now needs Pfizer or Moderna and naturally most pregnant women will be under 40 anyway.

I am desperately trying to hassle my local health board to try to make sure I get my second dose at the 8-9 week mark so I have it before I am due to travel this summer (I usually go away for 6 weeks so would miss my second appt date at the 10 week mark and then be very late for it). Struggling to reach any humans who can help with that. Hopefully it will work out.

I called my GP yesterday for exactly the same reason and they told me to email them setting out all the reasons why I needed to have the 2nd jab earlier than my booked 12 week appointment and they will consider it. Maybe not say you're travelling for holiday but to visit elderly family or something instead.

To be fair, it actually is to visit my elderly mother. Nothing goes via the GPs up here other than over-80s so it is harder to make contact with anyone who can help.

Is Newcastle too far for an overnight jaunt to see CWS?

Local clinics and MVAs near me are happy to do second jabs once you’ve passed the 8 week mark, provided they have spare slots.

Daily data:

Cases 2,047 (1,907 last Saturday)
Deaths 5 (7)
Patients admitted 101 (160 on the 27th)
Patients in hospital 1,152 (1,451 on the 29th)
People vaccinated up to and including 7 May 2021:
First dose: 35,188,981
Second dose: 17,214,436

The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now down 5.2% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is down 26.2%.

I am not sure that. is how it works up here I am afraid!

The big news here is that the UK is now over two-thirds of adults vaccinated with at least one dose. It was mentioned a few times yesterday, when admittedly we were on 66.61%, but today this is now 66.84%, Second doses are 32.70, so this may hit one third reported tomorrow (actually today in terms of when it happens).

No luck with leftovers at the Angel business design centre tonight... Won't be long now I'm sure, but still eager to get it done!

Can you describe that in a bit more detail? Were some offered but you were too young compared to everyone else, for example?

Are they actively assigning spares to Under-40s? I'm coming to London in a few weeks for a while and a vaccine would make life significantly easier for me getting back to Europe. Being in mid-20s, however, I doubt we're any chance. (I'm expecting to wait until July at this rate in Slovakia!)

It's a pretty mixed picture. On Friday I vaccinated one healthy 20 year old who came along with his asthmatic girlfriend, and a larger number of people in the 28 year area sent by their GPs and mystified to be invited. One asked to speak to a doctor fearing that their GP knew something they didn't! The good thing about this cohort is that they are pretty slick at responding to SMS messages, the old dears tend to turn their phones off. On the other hand I'm sure there are loads of people in their 30s and 40s very keen to get a vaccine and not yet getting a slot. Those in their 50s are definitely being offered slots quite readily, but sometimes they are at national centres which are difficult to get to, or just one slot offered at an awkward time. I suspect that the vaccine situation in mid June will be a free-for-all, give or take, and the rest of Europe will typically be a month or so behind that.