Reassure me about the AstraZeneca vaccine as Denmark have banned it

[Urbanhymngirl]

I have my first vaccine tomorrow and it’s the AstraZeneca one - Denmark have banned it today over the risk of blood clots- Aibu to ask for some reassurance? I feel REALLY anxious 😬

@SnackSizeRaisin

Would that mean the risk for a man was 1 in 500,000 people vaccinated. And the risk for a woman was 3 in 500,000 people vaccinated?

Yes, as long as equal numbers of men and women have been vaccinated. I am not sure that is the case though. Women are over represented in the health service, care workers are mostly women, and there are also.more elderly women than men. So I would guess there might be more women than men who've been vaccinated. So it might be more like 1 in 300,000 for men Vs 3 in 700,000 for women. (No idea if those figures are accurate).

Thank you @SnackSizeRaisin yes of course - so many assumptions here! But I DO think the way people throw about 'risk' numbers is really unhelpful.

There IS a risk from the AZ vaccine. It varies by age / gender, so absolute risk is not useful for someone unsure what to do.

There IS a risk from Covid (of course!). It varies by age, gender, and how likely you are to catch Covid (which might rely on profession, where you live, etc etc etc). So again an absolute risk is not useful.

I wish the risks were more clearly explained and articulated. It is quite reasonable for people to ask questions about a new medicine vs a new disease in terms of the risks / benefits for themselves, but it is hard to make informed decisions with figures like '4 in a million get a clot' - because that number means nothing in terms of someone's personal risk, iyswim.

I'm articulating this badly!

I’ve had my first AZ and look forward to my second.

If you’ve ever had surgery then you have had a 4% risk of dying under anaesthetic.

Not true, at least nowadays!

I think you may be confusing the risk of dying under anaesthetic with the risk of blood clots following surgery - which. I think, is about 4% for orthopaedic surgery; probably lower for some other types. The patients mostly don't die, however, especially as they are kept under medical supervision for a while, and are known to have this particular risk so that it's usually treated promptly if it happens; and the patients are usually given blood thinners as a precaution. And it's not related to the anaesthetic.

@Lunar567

It is still in trials until 2023, only has emergency authorisation. Thousands reported side effects. If you want to risk your health - go for it. I am a little older than you and will not have any Covid vaccine. I prefer to rely on my immune system.

Because our bodies never fail us, do they?

If you want to risk your health - go for it.
I am a little older than you and will not have any Covid vaccine. I prefer to rely on my immune system.

The Covid vaccine (like all vaccines) work through your immune system!

@Lunar567

It is still in trials until 2023, only has emergency authorisation. Thousands reported side effects. If you want to risk your health - go for it. I am a little older than you and will not have any Covid vaccine. I prefer to rely on my immune system.

😂😂😂😂😂😂 rely on your immune system.

This is literally how vaccines work, you realise?