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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AstraZeneca vaccine

28 replies

Wheresallthesleepgone · 30/05/2021 06:20

My DH (33) finally had his text for the vaccine this week. Obviously we were expecting him to have either the Pfizer or moderna vaccine as everything online says the AZ one is now not being given to anybody under the age of 40. However when he went 2 days ago they gave him the AZ one.
I called the vaccine helpline and asked the operator if the AZ vaccine is still being used in under 40s and she said all under 40s are now being given alternate vaccines and will not be offered the Oxford one.
Obviously he's happy that he's had a vaccine and would never have refused it but aibu to think that this one shouldn't have been given? What if (god forbid) he did develop a clot?

On a side note he has also had an awful headache for the past 2 days, which he never ever suffers with, that's normal so soon after though isn't it?

OP posts:
TheNestedIf · 30/05/2021 06:39

My ex and one of my colleagues had absolutely blinding headaches for a couple of days after the AZ, and neither of them were the sort to complain. One was fairly fit and the other had some health issues.

Your DH, I am sure, will be fine.

TheNestedIf · 30/05/2021 06:40

Sorry, by that, I don't mean your DH is the sort to complain. I just mean these two people would normally brush a headache under the carpet, and hearing them admit they were ill was a surprise.

JackANackAnoreeee · 30/05/2021 06:48

I would call 111 about the headache just to be safe. However remember the risk is very very low. The reason it's not being offered to those under 40 is that the risk of dying from covid is also very very low so the tiny risk of blood clots is greater than the tiny risk of covid. Personally I'll still be ensuring I have one of the other two vaccines as I'd rather eliminate even the tiny risk but I wouldn't worry if I did for some reason end up having the Oxford vaccine.

beccahamlet · 30/05/2021 06:55

Your husband will have been given a leaflet which includes info about side effects. It tells you to call if you have an unusual headache which doesn't go away with painkillers.

Lightout · 30/05/2021 07:07

Please, please, please.....

If you have a painful headache after vaccine, even10 days after vaccine,
Seek medical advice.
Do not be complacent and think it will be alright
It may not.
💔😢

Cuntryhouse · 30/05/2021 07:20

I watch Dr John Campbell on YouTube. He says that perhaps the government should be looking at younger males being offered an alternative to Pfizer, such as AZ. This is because of the heart problems that the Pfizer is causing in young men. Obviously small numbers, same as clots. No vaccine is without any problems. I'm very pro vaccination and thought this was interesting. Obviously data is coming through all the time.

Geamhradh · 30/05/2021 07:28

I had AZ along with 97 colleagues (done en masses) I was one of very few after the first dose not to have a thumping head for 48 hours afterwards. Second dose, I got it and most of them didn't.

tiredanddangerous · 30/05/2021 07:32

I had a headache for a couple of days after my first AZ. I believe it's a common side effect.

TheQueef · 30/05/2021 07:34

Is DH bothered about it being AZ or just you?

Original poster
Wheresallthesleepgone · 30/05/2021 07:47

@TheQueef

Is DH bothered about it being AZ or just you?
Both not that that matters
OP posts:
TheQueef · 30/05/2021 07:50

I wouldn't say matters but it does prompt the question that if he was bothered why didn't he open his gob before they jagged him?

CMZ2018 · 30/05/2021 08:00

Most I know, including myself had blinding headaches afterwards

Peppapeg · 30/05/2021 08:03

Did they say it was AZ when he arrived and before they jabbed it into his skin?

Geamhradh · 30/05/2021 08:05

All of the news articles seem to use the wording "most" and "are to be offered" as opposed to "all" and "will be given" so, yes, as others have said, if he'd said something he might have become part of that "most" group.

pinkstripeycat · 30/05/2021 08:09

My 22 year old nephew had vaccine back in April. He had no medical conditions so we have no idea why he was offered it so soon. He took it, he was absolutely fine.

Original poster
Wheresallthesleepgone · 30/05/2021 08:10

He was just told it was the only one they had

OP posts:
Duckyneedsaclean · 30/05/2021 08:13

Headache is normal in the first 4 days.
The advice is to seek medical advice if you develop a new, severe unusual headache between 4 days to 4 weeks afterwards.

Signs to look out for are - not getting better with pain killers, getting worse when you lie down, or in combination with other symptoms such as pins and needles or visual changes.

Duckyneedsaclean · 30/05/2021 08:14

Under 40s are advised to get an alternative 'if it doesn't cause delay to vaccination'. So they can still receive AZ, but he should have been talked though all risk factors etc.

KarmaStar · 30/05/2021 08:14

What is your Aibu up please?I'm not quite sure what it is you are asking.sorry.

KarmaStar · 30/05/2021 08:15

Sorry!!'re read it ...no yanbu😏

SpringerMonster · 30/05/2021 08:15

Under 40s should be offered an alternative to Astrazeneca. In the past you couldn't refuse the vaccine you were offered because you wanted a different one - it was a case of take what you are offered (unless you were pregnant) now under 40s are allowed to refuse astrazeneca in favour of pfizer or moderna. If your DH had refused the astrazeneca he would have been able to rebook his appointment for an alternative. However the guidelines state under 40s should be offered an alternative if it doesn't slow down them receiving their first dose. If where you live doesn't have access to pfizer at the moment, or not enough, then they were doing the right thing by still offering astrazeneca. He should have been made aware of the risks and been asked to consent to it.

LemonTT · 30/05/2021 08:27

You can’t book an AZ service on the NBS (that’s all pharmacies and vaccine centres) if under 40. GP hubs don’t use it at the moment (it is not routinely supplied for 1st dose). It would be difficult to access an AS if you are under 40. I would guess the OPs husband used a pop up or walk in.

Some, by no means all, of the pop up and walk in services can only offer AZ. There are convoluted technical reasons for this. But people are told what vaccine they get when they show up. They can decide if they want to wait or have AZ. In a surge area the balance of risk is different and it’s a better choice in terms of risk.

Peppapeg · 30/05/2021 08:27

In the past you couldn't refuse the vaccine you were offered because you wanted a different one - it was a case of take what you are offered (unless you were pregnant) now under 40s are allowed to refuse astrazeneca in favour of pfizer or moderna

That's not true at all. Anyone at any point could refuse the vaccine they had been offered, but there was no guarantee as to when an alternative would be offered. People were never 'forced', just like OPs DH could have said no thank you if it was that much of an issue.

SarahBellam · 30/05/2021 08:34

I had fever like symptoms but they weren’t nearly as bad as the symptoms I got after the flu jab where I felt like I’d caught the flu. All vaccines have side effects. The ones were reading about in shitrags like the Faily Dail are whipping up hysteria. Give him some paracetamol and let him rest for a day or two.

AFS1 · 30/05/2021 09:44

The risk of blood clots isn’t any higher in under 40s than for anyone else. It’s just the risk of dying from covid is so much lower in that age group, so balancing risk, it’s safer to wait for a different vaccine than having the AZ one. A headache is a normal reaction to it, but seek advice if it’s not being controlled by painkillers, if it goes on any longer than a couple of days or he develops any other symptoms, eg slurred speech, poor coordination etc.