Flu 'jab'

[Psamathe]

We're still trying to get our flu jab here.
Must have missed out earlier and now the GP surgeries are only giving "under 65's" doses.
Told to try a local pharmacy but they're not getting any through.
Told to try Tesco but can't get an appointment.
Oh well.

My practice has a message on their web site ("from 1 Dec 50-64 eligible") with the constraint "Unfortunately due to the high demand of this vaccine we currently do not have the stock. Please do NOT ring the surgery. If and when we are able to order this vaccine we will let you know."

I note their use of "if". I though ages ago Gov. claimed it had ordered plenty for their additional eligability.

Ian

[Mick F]

Mrs Mick F had her flu jab ............. and pneumonia jab .............. yesterday at Callington Health Centre.
She's 64, and turns 65 next spring.

[djnotts]

Can I check if your letters just say “clinically vulnerable”? Mine say “clinically extremely vulnerable”, so there may well be multiple levels of vulnerability in play (I only know about my pile of letters).

In March I got 5 or six letters saying I was CEV, and then one that said I wasn’t... I am (according to three consultants from different specialities, all would say that just in their watch I would be). I’ve no idea where they “oops you’re not” letter came from.

I can't remember! Know I was told to "shield", not go out, back in March. I chose to ignore that guidance, simply practicing extreme distancing, which I have continued to do. And will do so for the foreseeable future - as much as I would love to see my daughter and grandchildren I shall not avail myself of the Xmas easement.

Whether or not eventually having the vaccine will change my behaviour I have not yet decided.

[fausto copy]

Well, Mrs.Copy rang the surgery again and was told they had one jabs-worth left.
She was told she could have the pneumonia jab at a later date as they've run out of those too.

I'm still waiting.

[Cowsham]

Again c19 is not a flu it's DNA is very similar to the common cold.

Coronaviruses are RNA viruses not DNA viruses.

Jonathan

You are right pardon my limited medical knowledge -- but the gist of what I said is still correct it's a long chain RNA which is different from a flu.

This is where I got this information and had it confirmed by my sons consultant after researching it myself for the purpose of eliminating the possibility he had cv19 last November. Yes they wouldn't have known what cv19 was last Nov in NI but the evidence stacked up in favor of a flu as the cause of his near fatal illness.
It was too early for a start then there's the fact that 80% of people are not immune so I and all the nurses would have had a high chance of contracting it. I was by his side 24/7 for a week in icu, hence I picked up on one of the early statistics about how many people would be actually immune. ( I'll try to find the source of this info but I'm sure I heard it on tv ) Then there's the fact that the doctors said they found an H1N1 flu on the swab.

https://www.labnews.co.uk/article/20305 ... ype-of-flu

Virology
Both influenza and coronaviruses have a single strand of RNA as their genome, but that is where the genomic similarity ends. The influenza virus genome comprises 7 or 8 segments, while the coronavirus has one long strand. Influenza virus RNA is what is known as ‘negative sense RNA’. This means that its sequence is the mirror image of the correct code for proteins and a complementary strand must be made from it before production of new viruses within a host cell can proceed. In contrast, the coronavirus genome is ‘positive sense’ which means it can act as messenger RNA and code for proteins. So from a virological point of view, coronavirus is definitely not a type of flu.

[Cowsham]

Here's an interesting article about pre-existing immunity.
https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3563

[Cowsham]

Only getting my flu jab invitation now at the end of January -- my wife ( who's in a different practice ) had hers last September / October !