OT: Covid testing when being vaccinated

Just after I posted this 3 letters came regarding booking, one from NHS and two identical referring me to swiftqueue. The NHS was showing me locations 20+ miles away. The swiftqueue, after faffing to create an account (my Patient access login to my surgery didn't work) gave me an appointment for tonight and 2nd dose on Sat 17th April, so it's a good job I don't have any parties booked.

It'll be interesting to see which of the two I get.

Shortly after I booked my surgery texted me to say I could book via swiftqueue.

They are certainly on the case.

I had a text Wednesday night telling me to call the GP practice and/or use a website.

Before I had a chance to call on Thursday, they called me and I'm booked in for tomorrow (Saturday).

No, they mad a point at the start there was no need to wait. It may have been there would have been had she had a history of allergic reactions.

I was quite pleased to be able to make a swift getaway and not have to hang around :-)

Like me, I wouldn't have been there if I had detected symptoms.

If you have driven yourself to the site, you need to wait for 15 minutes to check that you don't have a nasty allergic reaction.

They don't care if you keel over and get run over crossing the road.

No chance of driving yourself to the location where I had mine - close to Clapham Junction station so you'd spend ages trying to find somewhere to park and pay for it too. Unless you are the sort who use shop car parks for other than they were meant for.

But they kept everyone for 15 minutes afterwards.

Was done last night (only got the letter yesterday lunch). Queued outside in the cold at 10pm for 40mins - that was a lot of waiting!

Ushered and checked into a room after the jab where I was asked to wait 15 mins but the way it was phrased was "for as long as you're comfortable". Made to leave after 8 mins and was checked out. All checking in/out via tablets. All this via swiftqueue.

PS Pfizer if you're wondering and next appointment 17 April same place same time but hopefully warmer and/or more sensible entry arrangements.

I amd my wife had to wait as did someone near us who had been driven there by someone who was not vacinated.

I and my wife were vaccinated in a small room. The vaccination was administered by a nurse but there was also a Doctor in the room who spoke to us and asked if we had any questions she told us that the Phizer vaccine we were going to get was the best one. I was given a 4 page document describing the vaccine, any after effects I might get and what to do if the problems were serious.

A much more cautious approach than for my flu vaccination a few months ago.

When I got up in the middle of the night after the vaccination I just about noticed a small ache in my arm. It had gone in the morning. My wife who is smaller had a more pronounced ache.

All the local surgerys had a combined effort to vaccinate people at a local small private hospital which likely has cold storage facilities. It was all well organised.

They only made us wait if we admitted to any allergies - as I did. Sat me down with a little timer and said I could go when it beeped.

WAiting to see if that happens. I had an aching arm befoire I went, but the injection was into the deltoid muscle.

They may have inferred by my presence that she had not driven, but I don't recall them asking (or overhearing them ask others). Also there seemed to be no groups of people sat about waiting.

That does seem rather excessive - I can imagine a good number of 80+ year olds would have trouble standing about in the cold for that amount of time!

I got to my site early, "Just go straight in". Which I did,

I've had two injections during this pandemic. Flu and Covid. Both arranged by my GP. Got an odd time for both (say 10:05) and was told to be on time not early. And no queue for either.

Something is very badly organised if you have to queue for 40 mins unless a just turn up when you want system. Which to me, is a very bad idea. You really don't want a bunch of likely vulnerable people close to one another for longer than actually needed.

I have just remembered that one school I attended used to make me wait for 15 minutes if I had been a naughty boy, probably instead of going outside during break time. Makes me wonder what I did wrong this time!

I've since spoken to someone who was done at the same site at 8pm. No queue, no waiting, just straight in. So I guess they must have had some mishap in the meantime and my situation was abnormal.

Similar experience to me.

I arrived at 22:20, ten minutes before my allocated time, at a Park & Ride in Nottingham.

There was a substantial queue, which would have been even longer if everyone knew how far 2 metres was.

We were given disposable masks, since our own cloth masks were apparently deemed inadequate.

A little later we were checked off on a tablet, and the slow shuffle continued, eventually reaching a tented passageway with some radiant heaters, which were welcome on a chilly night. At least it was dry.

Eventually we snaked up the ramp to the door of the Portakabin structure and waited to be directed over to one of the desks. Details were taken by one of the military staff, standard questions asked, then another was called over for the actual jab.

We then passed through to another room with about 20 seats (1) spaced out for our compulsory 15 minute wait, before being checked out on another tablet. Left at 23:30. The queue looked to be about the same length as when I arrived.

So, pleasant and efficient, but running about 30 minutes late.

(1) There seemed to be just about enough seats, so that gives an operating rate for the site of 80 per hour.

Chris

Same site then and I'd have been just a few yards in front of you.

Queue had not abated when I left but I think 10.30 was the last appointment.

Didn't need to worry about the 2m distancing with the easterly breeze blowing everything towards the trams.