Quote Originally Posted by lisvaneblue View Post
A member of my family works on 'the front line' at UHW. Everything they do in the clinical setting is with the correct amount of protection, rigorous cleaning both personal and surroundings, regular monitoring and testing of staff etc.


Yet despite all this she caught it, not from the hospital, but from her daughter catching it in school.

Im what is generally referred to as elderly and my good lady is elderly and vulnerable. You mention shielding, we tried it in March when the outbreak started. We would have starved if we'd depended solely on supermarket deliveries. We just get on with life and have given up on house parties and raves.
And Im not hinting that I should be front of the queue for a vaccine, but to offer it to NHS staff first, for what appears to be logistical reasons ( the need for 'vaccine hubs') seems stupid when we all know that the people filling hospital beds and putting pressure on the NHS are 60years plus and they should be sorted first
I know this is an American context but you can apply it to care homes: https://uk.reuters.com/article/healt...-idUSKBN27Q094

Some quotes to note:

"But the vaccine’s complex and super-cold storage requirements are an obstacle for even the most sophisticated hospitals in the United States and may impact when and where it is available in rural areas or poor countries where resources are tight."

""hospitals even in big cities do not have storage facilities for a vaccine at that ultra-low temperature.”

Indeed, one of the most prestigious U.S. hospitals, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said it does not currently have that capability."

"The detailed plan includes using dry ice to transport frozen vaccine vials by both air and land at their recommended temperatures for up to 10 days, she said."

So some conclusions:
- it would be tough to store them, especially in care homes and GP surgeries
- it would be tough to transport (due to the need of dry ice)
- one batch would be need to be used within 10 days (I am not a vaccine expert so I don't know if that's relatively short or long)

While I understand your point about shielding - coronavirus is a pooled risk as Van Tam said in a press conference - there are logistical reasons with the rollout of the vaccine. Though the rollout will be interesting...