Good news!
Here in a care home in Hong Kong (still), not one needle to be seen, or even a notice telling us when. Coming up to 18 months now , still locked in. Haircut now in dire need!

Which begs the question ...

Would you prefer a vaccine shot or a haircut right now?

Haircut much preferable to dreaded Chinavac thanks!!

Of all the things worried about when Hong King went back to China, a vaccine for a pandemic is something no one thought of.

(off topic) French boats blocking the harbor at the capitol of Sue's island is unseen problem of Britain leaving the European Union. O when countries change allegiances!

All very political so by the rules of forum posts I cannot talk about it.

What I will say is that I will be eating crab both on Saturday and Sunday this week and it ha been announced that fishermen can sell their catches (which cannot be landed in France) to the public here from a central location, rent free.

Just like all the restrictions and lockdowns, it's crazy just how different everyone's experiences are with the vaccines based on their location. Especially sad to hear that Sara is stuck (no pun intended) with a crappy vaccine that she can't even get. And Santana's forced mixing of the vaccines in France! Just no! And I heard that in Canada, they have to wait 16 weeks between the 1st and 2nd shot?

I'm almost embarrassed to say how easy it has been to get a vaccine here. I was able to get an appointment 5 days after my age group opened up and the whole thing took about 30 minutes. Second shot ~ same. Most people who want to be vaccinated have been already, and supply is starting to exceed demand. Reportedly, about 25% of Americans do not plan to get the vaccine. For me, I have rarely seen and never touched my 83yo father in over a year so I was more than ready. We are planning our first dinner together next week.

I really hope that things improve soon for those of you facing impossible situations so that the entire planet can finally move past this.

P.S. Super jealous about those crab dinners, Sue!

Where I live they are now making appointments for 35-40 year olds, they are not having the Oxford Because of the few blood clots recorded in the younger groups.

Thanks Starfish for your kind thoughts. I have to say that it is easy enough to get the vaccination (with the crappy vaccine) here , just phone up. The thing is , it is not permitted to leave here unless you have an urgent medical appointment, or you are in an ambulance!.
I suppose one day a nice group of medics will arrive, needles in hand, but no news of that yet.
Then straight to the hairdressers!!!

In this town we just wait for the local GP to offer us an appointment at the local hub or centre or whatever they call it. I had my second jab of Pfizer vaccine yesterday morning.

The NHS staff are amazingly efficient and well organized. Mind you, I don't care to think how I'd manage if I were not just old and feeble (which I am), but unable to afford a taxi (which some people are).

Here in Jersey if you are unable to get to the vaccine centre then a team from there will come to your home to give the vaccine. If you are able to catch a bus then there is a shuttle bus from the bus station to the vaccine cente. If you can get there by car then there is dedicated free parking.

My understanding is that if you are unable to get to a vaccination centre you can ask to be vaccinated at your local GP's surgery or pharmacy. It may take a little longer to get it done but arrangements are in place. If you are medically housebound then someone will come to your house.

The other day I told my neighbour, who is a nurse practitioner, how impressed I was with the sheer efficiency of the NHS system. She laughed and said "you were impressed, ha, we were gobsmacked!". And then she smirked the sort of smug smirk that only someone who has total confidence in the system could give.

I'm going to celebrate my new-found freedom on Tuesday with a visit to the M&S food hall. Do I know how to live or what?

Thanks, Sue and flopsymopsy. I'm glad to know that the vaccine is available to everyone.

Of course, we do not have the NHS here but it is all working very smoothly. Actually I think the NHS are giving us the vaccine, I haven't heard that they are charging us. We cannot get the jab via our GPs, only via the vaccine centre. Our GPs are all private and were paid to give us 'flu jabs for free this past winter, normally we pay about £10 for the service, the actual vaccine is free, as is all our prescription medication.

Here we have what seems all the pharmacies and doctors giving it out and we have so many people that don't want it that we have excess supply. I got my husband his appointment at the end of the period for people with health conditions because he may have had it in June (very mildly) and had trouble breathing a few weeks after that... I finally convinced him that 1) the sickest people would have gotten their shot by then and 2) if he did have a mild case, how bad would a bad case have been even though his asthma isn't usually bad? So as of tomorrow he and I are fully vaccinated. Now I'm waiting for approval so the kids can be, but that won't be for months. We are still trying to stay at home for the most part, although both kids go to school.

I had surgery on Wednesday and besides not having someone in the waiting room or waiting with me in preop, it went normal. Except I had to laugh when they said to wear clothes that didn't need to go over my head because my sinuses were being operated on and would be sore, but I had to wear a mask leaving the hospital. Like putting clothes over my head would hurt worse than wearing a mask for 10-15 minutes...? (And I don't have any clothes that don't go over my head anyway...)

My husband and I are having our second shot (Pfizer) on Saturday morning. The first time around everything went very well - no side effects whatsoever but a slight soreness in the upper arm that lasted a day or so. However, we've heard a few horror stories about the possible effects of the second shot, and I have to admit to being a little bit worried. I'd especially hate to get a bad headache, but if I do I'll deal with it. The important thing is that we'll be both contribute to putting an end to this pandemic.

I hope all goes well, LadyNym. For my part, I don't seem to react to vaccinations at all; even the short-lived soreness in the arm is only evident if I touch it. I sometimes wonder if the vaccine is working, but I'm sure it is.

I had the AZ one, like half the people I know I had a fever the following day and then recovered, but had no reaction at all from the second one as presumably any effects had already been experienced by my system the first time.

Sara, do I have your situation correctly? You are forced to stay in your home to avoid getting Covid, but you are not allowed to leave to get the vaccine and no one has come to bring you one? If I'm understanding that right, it seems...illogical.

LadyNym, the day after my second shot of Moderna, I had fatigue and a fever of 100, but it only lasted one day. The fatigue was severe enough that I spent most of the day in bed. But one day of feeling a bit under the weather is certainly better than getting Covid, and the relief you feel after passing that 2 week point is palpable!

Yep Correct. You see, we are now dictated to by China! I would add that one lady has had her jabs after a lot of red tape. She is desperate to get to UK to live with her daughter. Ah well...

I had the Pfizer vaccine and the second shot was no worse than the first - just a bit of soreness where the needle went in. I think we only hear about bad experiences, be they to do with vaccines or buying goods. Anything that goes smoothly doesn't get attention. News headlines are the same - only bad news sells, or so they say.

I also had the Pfizer vaccine. Frankly if they hadn't told me they'd done it I might still be sitting there as I felt nothing. I had to wait for the fifteen minutes afterwards, I felt bored. The first jab gave me a slightly sore upper arm like the flu jab which I only ever notice if I turn over in bed, the second... not even that.

The worst effect has been on my bank account. Now that I'm able to go out more freely I have rediscovered old habits. Like ordering things from Marks and Spencer and being able to collect them from their local Food Hall where I also spend an impulse buy fortune.

I also had Pfizer- I had a headache, fatigue, and a 99.5 fever that evening but by morning was fine. My husband also had Pfizer and was essentially out of commission for a few days... But he also gets man colds, so

Thanks to everyone for their reassuring words! If I have to be perfectly honest, I am more concerned for my husband than myself. As is the case with many men, he's not the easiest person in the world when he's sick (which is thankfully a very rare occurrence).

Flopsy, I had exactly the same impression when I got the first dose. I did not feel anything at all! After the 15 minutes were up, we walked to a nearby restaurant (we got our shot at a local middle school, where we are also going on Saturday), and had some excellent pizza. Funny real-life anecdote: it was my second time getting a shot in the upper arm rather than in the (gasp!) buttock, as was normal when I was a child and younger adult.

I think that I am the only person who actually felt the wretched needle. I have very little muscle in the top of my arm where they injected and the first one really hurt, the second one merely hurt, both both hurt me. I am not wimpish when it comes to needles, as a diabetic I inject myself daily and as I take warfarin I have regular blood tests, so when I say that a needle hurt I am not just imagining it.

You're not the only one, Sue. The first one was fine but the second one went in right at the top of my arm, by my shoulder, and I felt that one! But still a small price to pay.