Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and the side effects

[LeSquigh]

Morning all

Many of my colleagues have now received the first dose of the Oxford vaccine and every single one of them has reported side effects, quite a large number have had to take time off work and been bedridden. Are we in the minority or is this true for all that have it? Not really looking forward to my turn!

[meditrina]

Have they all reported through the Yellow Card scheme?

It is always important to log vaccine reactions, and exceedingly so with a new one. What is the reaction which led to the, staying in bed?

(saying 'bedridden' sounds a bit over dramatic without context)

yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk

[Sparklingbrook]

Did they get a Covid test? If they have been ‘bedridden’ and they work together?

[Chrispackhamspoodle]

Hi.I'm a nurse.Had my vaccine yesterday and up all night with symptoms. I had covid in March and it feels like that...wheeze,temp 38.5 in the night,shivery,nausea and aches.Feel better now except for a headache but have had no sleep.Still happy I had it though!

[LeSquigh]

They haven’t had COVID tests, most have had antibody tests within the last few days. I’m talking about a group of maybe 100 people within the age range 20-50 ish. Nearly all have had absolutely cracking headaches as a minimum, a lot have also had severe nausea, aching limbs to the point they can barely move around hence being bedridden, very sore at the point of injection. Men seem to be affected worse within the group of people that have had it in my workplace. We have nearly as many people off sick with reactions to the vaccine as we do with actual COVID. The side effects for the vaccine do state all of the above but we were not expecting it to be this bad.

I wasn’t aware of the yellow card scheme, but they may be because of the paperwork they have been given, I’ll check.

Obviously it’s for the greater good, it was just quite unexpected for so many people to be so unwell.

[FippertyGibbett]

I only know one who had it and she had no side effects.

[wintertime6]

I know 2 people who had to take a day off work due to muscle aches and sweats. Anecdotally, those who are younger or who have already had COVID react worse.

I did feel really tired the next day (fell asleep on the sofa the next evening) and had a sore head which lingered for a few days but it wasn't too bad for me.

[LeSquigh]

I should have added, we are emergency services so are getting a few at a time if there is any left at the vaccination centre at the end of the day so they were not all done at the same time, they have been spread out within the last ten days or so. Within 12 hours of the vaccine the symptoms come.

[Sparklingbrook]

This thread could be very alarming/off putting to people about to have the vaccine.

If so many people that work at the same place have been so ill with it that definitely needs reporting.

[loubieloo4]

I had it yesterday and I have been up all night with a high temp 39.2, aches, shivers etc. I'm due in on a bank shift at 09:30 to help the community nurses give out the vaccine (it's my first shift with them!) should I ring them to let them know or just hope for the best?!

[LeSquigh]

@Sparklingbrook surely people have a right to know how they might be affected because no one else has told us how bad the effects can be? Hence why I am asking here, to see if this is normal.

[Sparklingbrook]

[quote LeSquigh]@Sparklingbrook surely people have a right to know how they might be affected because no one else has told us how bad the effects can be? Hence why I am asking here, to see if this is normal.[/quote]
Possibly.

[Gazelley]

Pfizer seems to have a lot less side effects. You will get the odd person swinging the lead though because colleagues are

[Musicaltheatremum]

The leaflet you get with the vaccine lists these side effects. I had the Pfizer and was a bit achy, my pharmacist had the AZ and had a temperature of 39 during the night. It's to do with one of the excipients in the vaccine. I'm telling all the patients I'm immunising about the side effects.

[loubieloo4]

I hope it's not that common as the whole team were done in one go yesterday!

I did check the Oxford website and it does say that these are common side effects.

[Sweetpea84]

My friends daughter had it and is ill with headaches vomiting etc

[bookmarket]

Nocebo effect possibly?

[CC2021]

This is interesting OP. If you exhibit symptoms after the vaccine, are you allowed into work the next day? Having mine soon so want to be prepared.

[MrsBrunch]

[quote LeSquigh]@Sparklingbrook surely people have a right to know how they might be affected because no one else has told us how bad the effects can be? Hence why I am asking here, to see if this is normal.[/quote]
It's literally in the leaflet they give you. Did anyone read it.

It lists all those side effects and also tells you to get a covid test because it might not be side effects, it might be covid. And also it tells you to report severe side effects and how.

Just read the leaflet!

[Ch3rish]

I haven't had the vaccine but I'm very awae from other posts that the side effects can be quite seere although ot seems pretty short lasting.

I hope everyone is reporting them not just sharing on social media bcasue obviously as you haven't seen the other posts about this is it's an effective way to spread the information.

[testingtesting321]

6 members of our team have had the AZ vaccination. 3 had no side effects at all, not even a sore arm. 3 felt pretty rough for 24+hours afterwards but not enough for them to be in bed or off work (although they did have the vaccine on a Friday so maybe they would have been off work if it fell on a working day). As far as we know none of us have had COVID before (we all had negative antibody tests in the summer and nobody has had symptoms or a positive COVID test since).

[testingtesting321]

Oh, and the side effects experienced are all ones that the vaccinator warned about prior to vaccination. Headache, aching, fever, sore arm, tiredness etc.

[Sparklingbrook]

I have just read the .Gov info and it does state the possible side effects.
Just seems odd for everyone to get them in one place. 🤔

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

That's all in the vaccine leaflet, easily available on line. And not really a surprising side effect of any vaccine... the yearly flu one included!

As someone in the emergency services I think you should a) be far better informed than you seem to be and b) not spreading such alarmist crap!

Shame OP!

[Moondust001]

All of this is within reported parameters, and the Vaccine Knowledge Group monitoring side effects have also noted that younger people or those who have had the disease are more likely to experience side effects.

I'm surprised that somebody working in emergency services thinks that "the right to know" consists of posting alarmist and ill-informed anecdotal information on a public website which may cause people fear of the vaccines (all have reported similar side effects), rather than using the many formal and more useful routes for reporting any "concerns".

[PinkFondantFancy]

They need to report it here: yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/