The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

euronorris

I believe it's due to efficacy changing as you get older. So it may be that the trivalent one is more effective in over 65's, than the quadrivalent one is. And vice versa for under 65's. Of course, it all seems a bit arbitrary if someone is very close to their 65th birthday.

Auntycaz

You wouldn't pay if you had your jab at a chemist. Neither would your wife if she met the criteria for a free jab. The different vaccines are given purely on age.

euronorris

 In 2016-17, the data suggest that the inactivated flu vaccine did not work at all in people aged over 65, whilst in 2017-2018 it resulted in slightly better results in that age group. Due to the lower effectiveness of the inactivated flu vaccine in older people, a vaccine containing an adjuvant was introduced for the 2018-19 season. This is a substance that strengthens and lengthens the immune response to the vaccine and resulted in better prevention of flu in people aged 65 or over in 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. The adjuvanted vaccine is still recommended for this age group in the 2020-21 season.

It is not understood why flu vaccines do not work so well in older adults. However, this reinforces the importance of vaccinating children and healthcare workers, both of whom can help to stop the spread of flu to older adults.    

Found the above info.

Si_Clist

euronorris said:

   ... Found the above info.

Which is very interesting and solves the mystery!  Thanks

nannywindow

Really interesting reading about the flu jabs and it has prompted me to sort out mine. Just rang our surgery and they are starting the flu jab clinic this week, so I'm booked in for Sat at 11.05. Thanks for reminding me.

ivyleaf

We both had a letter this morning offering us a flu jab at the GP surgery during a particular one-hour slot on the 26th. If the date/time is inconvenient, we should not contact the surgery, they'll offer us a later date instead. We've actually already booked to have them done on the 24th at the pharmacy though. But we now think OH probably won't have his done that day after all, because he is due for eye surgery as a day patient the following Tuesday and there's always the chance the flu vaccine will cause his temperature to go up slightly at just the wrong time! So his jab had better wait until after his surgery.
Apparently the hospital is having a Covid test delivered to him on the Saturday and he has to do the test then and they will collect it later that day. He then has to self-isolate until the day of his surgery, but it's only a few days.

Nargleblast

Ivyleaf, how are you supposed to tell the surgery the appointment time is not convenient, if you can't contact the surgery? Or did the letter come from some third party?

ivyleaf

Nargle the letters have a return address of a PO Box number in Leeds which seems to be a building in which office space can be hired, so perhaps PHE has rented a space there from which to organise the flu vaccination programme.  But the letters have the address of the surgery. I suppose that if someone doesn't turn up during their allotted slot the staff assume it was an inconvenient time and contact them with the offer of another date.

Nargleblast

Which is crackers, Ivy, because that is an appointment slot that could have been offered to someone else. I suppose the central office will ensure all slots are filled. Could be worse, if it's anything like their colleagues in the Covid testing appointments dept, you could have been offered an appointment up near the Scottish Border!

euronorris

Trying to get a Covid test appointment is a right mare. My friend's daughter is ill, high temp, coughing etc. She spent all day yesterday, and most of this morning trying, in order to get an appt locally. They are available, but seem to get released at set times during the day. 8pm being one of them, but then so many people try at the same time that the system can't cope.

It's like trying to get a supermarket slot all over again!