AN AMBULANCE worker who took part in a Covid vaccine clinical trial says he is now unable to get a booster jag or vaccine passport.
John, a senior clinician in the Glasgow area who did not want his full name used, took part in the Novavax clinical trial.
As a result he received his second vaccination in November 2020 but has now found himself unable to book a booster appointment because he does not have an NHS vaccination number needed to access the appointments portal and his Novavax inoculations are not yet approved for use in the UK.
The 48-year-old, who works on the frontline and in the 999 call centre, had his case marked as "critical" at the beginning of September after contacting the Covid vaccination helpline, but more than six weeks later nothing has changed.
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He had to cancel a planned family holiday to Greece in October due to the lack of a vaccine passport, and is also worried about waning immunity and facing further restrictions if vaccine passports are extended to additional venues beyond nightclubs and large events.
Partipants on clinical trials for non-approved vaccines were sent a paper 'record of vaccination' certificate in September.
However, John said it contain only "basic details" which would not be acceptable for for overseas travel and he also fears he might be turned away by venues confused about whether it was acceptable.
He said: "They're taking away my civil liberties basically. My wife can travel, my kids can travel, but I can't go on holiday because I took part in a vaccine trial. It's almost as if I'm being punished for it.
"There's quite a few people on social media facing the same issues, but when we signed up we were assured we would never be disadvantaged.
"And what I've been trying to hammer home to the trial team and to the NHS is that I'm being put at risk. My colleagues are all getting their booster vaccines, their flu vaccines, and I can't through no fault of my own because I can't get access to this portal.
"It's a simple thing, somebody just needs to get me a number to register me and nobody is doing it.
"We've got COP26 coming up and there is an expectation that Covid cases are going to rise during this, so that's my concern as well. "
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Around 15,000 people in the UK volunteered for the Novavax trial.
The Department of Health announced earlier this month that participants in England would be offered two doses of one of the approved vaccines to enable them to travel abroad.
No decision has yet been taken in Scotland, but a spokesman for the Scottish Government said they "hope to confirm a programme for access to boosters for participants of clinical trials in line with JCVI guidance shortly”.
He added that while the Covid app does not cover clinical trials, the paper 'record of vaccination' certificates were "are fully equivalent to the digital version and can be used for access to domestic venues and will also permit smoother inbound entry to the UK".
Around 100,000 people currently due boosters because they are six months on from their second Covid vaccination are still waiting.
Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that everyone in the current priority groups - over-70s, care home residents, frontline NHS and social care workers, and vulnerable adults - would receive the jag by "early November".
Meanwhile, a breast cancer patient from East Dunbartonshire told the Herald she was worried that not enough is being done to publicise third doses for those with severely weakened immune systems.
The 67-year-old, who was undergoing radiotherapy at the time of her second vaccination in May, said she only discovered she was eligible by chance online after hearing nothing from the NHS.
After contacting her GP and the Covid vaccination helpline - who both told her they were unable to arrange appointments - she visited her local vaccination centre where a nurse agreed to administer the jag.
She added that the call handler on the vaccine helpline "had never heard of a third dose" and initially insisted she would have to "wait six months for a booster".
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On September 1, UK authorities recommended that some high risk individuals, including transplant and some cancer patients, should get a third 'top up' dose at least eight weeks after their second, followed by a separate booster six months later.
To date just over 33,000 of these "severely immunosuppressed" people in Scotland have received a third dose, compared to the 67,400 who received a second Covid vaccination.
The patient, who did not want to be identified due to her medical condition, said: "You read about people who are double vaccinated but died with Covid who had underlying health conditions, and you think 'should those people have had a third vaccination?'
"There's probably a lot of people in my position who don't know anything about it, and who might be slipping through the net."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “We’re sorry to hear of any difficulty in obtaining a third vaccine dose and we will take the issues raised on board.
"We cannot comment on individual cases, but we have undertaken a range of communications and engagement activity – working with a range of national and local partners – to raise awareness of the importance of people getting their third dose.
"If you are eligible for a third primary dose, NHS Scotland will contact you to arrange your appointment.
"If you have not received an appointment and think you’ve been missed, contact your clinician or GP to discuss whether you should get a third dose."
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