BOOKING A JAB

An exciting week ahead with James moving out on Monday and then starting an IT job the week after.

He’s been climbing burnt-out ski slopes to get fit.

In between those 2 days I get my first vaccination next Sunday lunchtime. The top photo shows me flexing my arms, ready for the jab. #ScaredOfNeedles

On the NHS website you get a choice of sites and dates. I could wait till the end of March for one on the doorstep, or take up one of the spare places next week in Wakefield.

Easy choice, as it’ll mean I’ll have a month for the first jab to work its magic before the pub wine gardens open en masse (possibly) on the Glorious 12th.

Let it be noted the NHS website is easy to use, and even allows to choose your preferred vaccine; I’m up for the Chinese Sinovac Deep-fried Crispy jab.

Sadly, on 14th March I’ll be denied the joys of Wakefield’s John Smiths livery,

but I might find something to take photos of, and the Scotch eggs are legendary.

All I need to do now is get Mrs RM to drive me; she might find a spare unused vaccine in the dustbin outside.

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

29 thoughts on “BOOKING A JAB”

  1. I’m off shortly to Chesvegas to get mine. I’ve noticed a common theme amongst friends round here. A jab..ooh let’s have a trip out across the Moors. The prospect of telling Derbyshire police to b’ off has nothing to do with it of course.

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    1. Correct. Legitimate reason to leave my square mile at last. Shame there wasn’t a vaccination centre at the Coopers, but it would have been too much to bear to visit a pub and not get a beer !

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  2. It’s a relief when you get the jab. We tend to obsess on efficacy ratings, but just having it protects you from bad results if you do catch the disease. Over here I think the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is a game changer. One shot which doesn’t have to be kept as cold. You can double the rate of vaccination. The thing we seem to be missing is getting the vaccine distributed equally across the globe…

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  3. The UK has 30m of the J&J vaccine on order just waiting for emergency approval. A game changer indeed. I’m part of the stage 3 trials for their two dose version but if I’m offered a vaccination soon I’ll have to be unblinded from the trial to see if I’m in the placebo group or not.

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    1. One thing we see happening is people are starting to believe the Pfizer and Moderna are “better” than the JJ because of the efficacy in the initial testing. The JJ though was tested against variants that the first two were not tested against. You really hope we can get the numbers vaccinated that we need to before more variants crop up.

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      2. One does get tired of seeing ads for erectile dysfunction, crowns disease and skin disease…

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      1. Currently in approval for one shot. Two shot regime up for approval late May ish. Just discovered over 56s can now book a vaccination so I’ll definitely have to get unblinded from the trial on Monday.

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    1. I only knew because I saw it on our local Facebook page (Wonderful Walkley), not because of the news or direct contact. Not complaining, it’s a tremendous roll-out, but I know of some under-50s without health issues vaccinated elsewhere. Not that they can enjoy any freedom till April/May !

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  6. I only found out on Facebook that I could book for vaccine (although my letter came shortly after ) online. I read it was 64 & older -my husband is 63 & I decided to see if I could book him in too at the same time.No problem ,although we had to go to Tonbridge but we had a nice walk round the lake,a coffee from a cafe & a sneaky picnic.By evening was cold & next day felt a bit off but it passed quickly.Second one booked for May & then off we go -hotels in London are fantastically cheap at the moment.Enjoy Wakey!

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  7. No idea really -just thinking about a day out ,on the train ! being q bit pessimistic we have booked a holiday in Devon in October but i have just found my husband looking at holidays in June (but we always have to book the cattery first ! )

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      1. Tis true that my driving instructor told me my best chance of passing the test was to ‘say a few prayers and wear a short skirt”. Turned out it was good advice as I followed it and passed, despite going the wrong way! Less convinced this will work jn a vaccine centre as a ‘not so skinny” fifty something!

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    2. (ignoring the innuendos about short skirts, nurses uniforms and whatnot)…

      Psst! Christine, show up and take Martin’s shot, telling them he took for a turn for the worse that morning and you didn’t want to see the shot go to waste. 😉

      Cheers!

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      1. Yes, I don’t think driving instructors would get away with saying that sort of thing now. I decided not to scold him at the time and test to see if it worked instead! Other men with inappropriate comments and behaviour have not been so lucky….but that’s a whole other subject! Martin can have his jab, he needs to be let out for everyone’s sake!

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  9. It all seems rather random how the NHS contact people, as Mrs PBT’s and I received a phone call from our local medical centre, offering us a vaccination appointment for the following day.

    A friend, who’d had the vaccine a couple of weeks previously, told me that he’d been contacted by phone. He said, if your landline phone rings, answer it. Fortunately I did.

    We didn’t discover which vaccine we’d be getting until we arrived for the appointment – Oxford Astra-Zenaca, in our case. That was four weeks ago, and we’ve got the appointment for the second shot, at the end of April. Kentish Paul.

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  10. “An exciting week ahead with James moving out on Monday and then starting an IT job the week after.”

    Congrats!

    “He’s been climbing burnt-out ski slopes to get fit.”

    He got that from Rocky. 🙂

    “In between those 2 days I get my first vaccination next Sunday lunchtime.”

    Congrats!

    “I could wait till the end of March for one on the doorstep, or take up one of the spare places next week in Wakefield.”‘

    Wise move, since you want to be ready for the Great ReOpening. 😉

    “Easy choice, as it’ll mean I’ll have a month for the first jab to work its magic before the pub wine gardens open en masse (possibly) on the Glorious 12th.”

    See! 🙂

    “Let it be noted the NHS website is easy to use, and even allows to choose your preferred vaccine;”

    That’s kind of neat.

    “Sadly, on 14th March I’ll be denied the joys of Wakefield’s John Smiths livery,”

    But you can look in the window and dream. 🙂

    “All I need to do now is get Mrs RM to drive me; she might find a spare unused vaccine in the dustbin outside.”

    I’d be leery of any needles found outside like that, vaccine or no vaccine! 😉

    Cheers

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