View Full Version : Struggling to find a vaccination centre that's open
Hi all. I was lucky enough to have my first jab back in May because my practice got hold of a vial of Astra Zeneca, but they aren't putting on a second one. So now I need a second jab and it's down to me to arrange it myself, but the centres are places like Wadebridge (about 15 miles away) for an hour on Sunday between 9 am and 10 am. I don't drive and am agoraphobic anyway.
So I'm not really going anywhere and am getting stressed when I see the number of cases rising, particularly in Cornwall which is a Covid hotspot at the moment and so many people unlike me aren't wearing their masks.
Anyone else in the same or a similar boat?
Thanks for reading this,
Graham .
You're going to have to choose one fear over the other.
MyNameIsTerry
30-10-21, 06:41
Yes, I spent about 5 weeks trying to book in for my 1st because there were no slots in my city. It was so bad at one point it was telling me to go to other cities that are 2 hours and more away. As it started to improve I tried again only to be hit with the same problem with the 2nd jab and you couldn't book in for the 1st without it.
In the end pulisa gave me the idea to book the 1st, which there were a few slots locally, and book in anywhere for the 2nd which I would then cancel after the 1st jab was done. Doing this got me started and I soon noticed 2nd jab slots popping up that weren't there before.
Could you mix the vaccines? My parents are being told this may be happening for them. Mum had AZ but it will be Pfizer for her booster.
elizabethalice
30-10-21, 09:25
Hi Graham,
Sorry to hear you're struggling. I'm in Devon and we had to drive to Plymouth for my boyfriends and Taunton for mine!
It's definitely worth getting the second. Could someone give you a lift to Wadebridge? Or is there a bigger centre in Bodmin or Newquay? Maybe see if any pharmacies are doing walk ins or anything like that. I've got family in Camborne who recently got boosters so there definitely are open places, but I know that's a little way from you.
Hi Graham,
Sorry to hear you're struggling. I'm in Devon and we had to drive to Plymouth for my boyfriends and Taunton for mine!
It's definitely worth getting the second. Could someone give you a lift to Wadebridge? Or is there a bigger centre in Bodmin or Newquay? Maybe see if any pharmacies are doing walk ins or anything like that. I've got family in Camborne who recently got boosters so there definitely are open places, but I know that's a little way from you.
It does seem to be the SW region of England (and of course Wales) that seems to be copping the brunt of Covid right now.
Kind of ironic considering both Wales and SW England seemed to get off more lightly earlier in the pandemic.
Thanks to everyone who's replied.
Hi Graham,
Sorry to hear you're struggling. I'm in Devon and we had to drive to Plymouth for my boyfriends and Taunton for mine!
It's definitely worth getting the second. Could someone give you a lift to Wadebridge? Or is there a bigger centre in Bodmin or Newquay? Maybe see if any pharmacies are doing walk ins or anything like that. I've got family in Camborne who recently got boosters so there definitely are open places, but I know that's a little way from you.
Thanks Elizabeth. The Wadebridge one is literally the only one at the moment in Cornwall that is offering vaccinations - and it's only for an hour every week, from 9 am to 10 am on Sundays. Ridiculous under the circumstances. I may have to try Plymouth or even further afield.
[P.S. I've just checked again and you're right - there is one in Camborne but it doesn't offer Astra Zeneca, which was what my first jab was.]
Yes, I spent about 5 weeks trying to book in for my 1st because there were no slots in my city. It was so bad at one point it was telling me to go to other cities that are 2 hours and more away. As it started to improve I tried again only to be hit with the same problem with the 2nd jab and you couldn't book in for the 1st without it.
In the end pulisa gave me the idea to book the 1st, which there were a few slots locally, and book in anywhere for the 2nd which I would then cancel after the 1st jab was done. Doing this got me started and I soon noticed 2nd jab slots popping up that weren't there before.
Could you mix the vaccines? My parents are being told this may be happening for them. Mum had AZ but it will be Pfizer for her booster.
Thanks Terry. AFAIK you're not allowed to mix the vaccines but I might try asking my doctor if it's better than going without.
Thanks Terry. AFAIK you're not allowed to mix the vaccines but I might try asking my doctor if it's better than going without.
I'm sure they're being mixed for the third booster doses (Pfizer only AFAIK), but still not really sure about the second doses.
elizabethalice
30-10-21, 23:55
Thanks Elizabeth. The Wadebridge one is literally only the one at the moment in Cornwall that is offering vaccinations - and it's only for an hour every week, from 9 am to 10 am on Sundays. Ridiculous under the circumstances. I may have to try Plymouth or even further afield.
[P.S. I've just checked again and you're right - there is one in Camborne but it doesn't offer Astra Zeneca, which was what my first jab was.]
Yes that is really pitiful! My partner got Moderna at Plymouth, they may do AZ as well so could be worth checking. Bit of a journey but can you get to Bodmin via bus and then train? Might be worth doing - I know it'll be tough with your agoraphobia but if you can do it its definitely the right thing to do. Or yeah speak to your dr about mixing, I know they've done it in other countries.
That's an appalling "service", Graham..Have you contacted NHS 119 about this pitiful situation?
Seriously this situation is terrible.
We have a large vaccination centre on the edge of town, another part time one in the rugby club car park and the GP practices are running ones at our community hospital for patients in their practices. Feel very lucky to live where I do.
Is it any wonder that Cornwall is a hot spot? I'm surprised this situation hasn't been flagged up by the media.
That's an appalling "service", Graham..Have you contacted NHS 119 about this pitiful situation?
Hi pulisa,
No, but that's a good suggestion, thanks. My Mum also thinks I should contact my medical practice to let them know what's happening and ask for their advice.
Seriously this situation is terrible.
We have a large vaccination centre on the edge of town, another part time one in the rugby club car park and the GP practices are running ones at our community hospital for patients in their practices. Feel very lucky to live where I do.
Yes, it does seem to be patchy. Are you in a big city?
Yes, it does seem to be patchy. Are you in a big city?
No a small town. In a predominantly rural area. So I guess our town is a hub for the surrounding area.
A quick update; finally got my jab (my second primary one) thanks to a pharmacy in Truro that is running a vaccination clinic. Getting there and back - a journey of about 35 miles, by train and bus as I don't drive - wasn't very comfortable at times but I managed to cope.
Thanks to everyone who's supported me!
BTW, Terry and Elizabeth; it wasn't the same vaccine as I had the first time (it was Moderna this time, as opposed to AstraZeneca the first time), but I was assured at the clinic that that wouldn't be a problem.
Well done! It must be a relief to have got it.
MyNameIsTerry
26-11-21, 06:57
Glad you got it sorted, Graham. What a journey. They need to sort access out but it's hardly a new programme so it doesn't promote much confidence in services.
You did so well to cope with such a challenging journey both there and back, Graham. It's appalling that you had no other option to get a 2nd jab. Makes a mockery of the so-called roll-out system in Cornwall.
glassgirlw
27-11-21, 03:46
I’d just like to say that you should be feeling so, so proud of yourself right now. The fact that you don’t drive, and are agoraphobic- yet you still managed to somehow take public transport 70 miles in one day to be vaccinated, is a huge accomplishment. Well done!!! Seriously amazing, I’m so happy you managed to do this. You didn’t let your anxiety push you around, you told it who’s boss. You’ve proven to yourself today that you can do anything you put your mind to.
also agree with others, it’s absolutely appalling you had to go that far for a vaccine.
I’d just like to say that you should be feeling so, so proud of yourself right now. The fact that you don’t drive, and are agoraphobic- yet you still managed to somehow take public transport 70 miles in one day to be vaccinated, is a huge accomplishment. Well done!!! Seriously amazing, I’m so happy you managed to do this. You didn’t let your anxiety push you around, you told it who’s boss. You’ve proven to yourself today that you can do anything you put your mind to.
also agree with others, it’s absolutely appalling you had to go that far for a vaccine.
Many thanks for your kind comments! It is, but at least it's done now. What happened was that my anxiety kicked in hard the evening before I was due to go down for the jab and remained very high the next morning, so I realised I wouldn't feel much worse if I went down and got the jab which was what I did.
A very challenging day though and I'm glad I got through it and did what I had to do. Hopefully one day I'll be able to put all this behind me.
Well done! It must be a relief to have got it.
Thanks, yes it was. I'd been looking forward to getting it done since the end of the summer.
Glad you got it sorted, Graham. What a journey. They need to sort access out but it's hardly a new programme so it doesn't promote much confidence in services.
No it doesn't. I think they need to find a more flexible system which can cope with smaller numbers of jabs being administered at the same time.
You did so well to cope with such a challenging journey both there and back, Graham. It's appalling that you had no other option to get a 2nd jab. Makes a mockery of the so-called roll-out system in Cornwall.
Yes it does. I think I was lucky though to be able to find a pharmacy which had both a space big enough that it could be used for vaccinating people, and also a pharmacist who was keen enough that everyone should get vaccinated that he was willing to go the extra mile to make it happen.
[QUOTE=graham58;2027802]Many thanks for your kind comments! It is, but at least it's done now. What happened was that my anxiety kicked in hard the evening before I was due to go down for the jab and remained very high the next morning, so I realised I wouldn't feel much worse if I went down and got the jab which was what I did.
A very challenging day though and I'm glad I got through it and did what I had to do. Hopefully one day I'll be able to put all this behind me.[/QUOTE
Anticipatory anxiety is such a beast but your attitude towards it was the very best way to cope..Nevertheless...70 miles is a real challenge and you were completely out of your comfort zone. I don't know how you did it but you did! You should feel very proud of yourself.
Anticipatory anxiety is such a beast but your attitude towards it was the very best way to cope..Nevertheless...70 miles is a real challenge and you were completely out of your comfort zone. I don't know how you did it but you did! You should feel very proud of yourself.
Thanks! My next step is to try to find a long term strategy / treatment so that my anxiety doesn't get out of hand again. My trouble is that when it's not too bad, I tend to forget about it and put it on the back burner as other issues come to the foreground instead (like getting my teeth fixed at the moment, for instance).
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