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Original poster

Oxford vaccine approved!

218 replies

Rosehip10 · 30/12/2020 07:01

Good news

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-oxford-astrazeneca-vaccine-approved-for-use-in-uk-12155958

OP posts:
NeurotreeWenceslas · 30/12/2020 09:28

Came to ask exactly that. Will report back if I find any.

Mulhollandmagoo · 30/12/2020 09:28

@beebityboo happy birthday to your son 🎉 you'll always remember his 10th birthday as being a little.bit more special now 🙌

Brilliant news about the vaccine too! Cautiously optimistic now, the government just have to get the logistics set up and the vaccine rolled out now 🤞

cherrycola742 · 30/12/2020 09:31

Great news. Just wish they would use the half-full dose regimen instead of the 2 full doses which is being proposed.

Nc135 · 30/12/2020 09:33

@cherrycola742 they haven’t announced the dosage yet but read what Sarah Gilbert said upthread. It doesn’t matter which dosage they use. Both one of the half or a full dose was shown to prevent severe disease and hospitalisation. It is enough!

Chaotic45 · 30/12/2020 09:34

@PurplePansy05 expert on radio 4 this week said there are no plans to include pregnant or breastfeeding women in trials going forward.

The primary reason for this is that testing protocols mean that it's unethical to do so. Changing these protocols seems like a crossing a line which is unacceptable to the experts.

Nc135 · 30/12/2020 09:34

Prof Sarah Gilbert of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, who led the research, told the Guardian that people in both dose groups were protected in the trials from severe illness after just one jab.

“I have no qualms about using the high dose/high dose regimen, which is what the majority of people in the trial have had,” she said.

“It’s really important to note that within 21 days of the first vaccination, nobody was admitted to hospital with Covid or had severe Covid and that’s just after one dose – that’s after any one dose in these trials – no admissions to hospital, and that’s a really major result for public health benefits.”

Mrgrinch · 30/12/2020 09:37

I was wondering if anyone has seen any info on whether this vaccine can affect fertility?

It was reported that the Pfizer one can and it made me quite sure I wouldn't have it as I already suffer from PCOS and was very worried.

lovelemoncurd · 30/12/2020 09:39

@Recycledblonde that's not the only way nurses are being recruited. I'm a nurse but work in a uni. I just have to fill out a form and send it back to the woman coordinating the vaccine hub. It is just asking for docs and nurses with current Registration. The uni is covering us for indemnity. There are lots of us across universities that are offering however I still have my other job to do on top so any vaccinations I do will need to be in times I'm not trying to teach.

PurplePansy05 · 30/12/2020 09:40

Oh that is not good news then 😕 I've had recurrent mcs, if this one doesn't proceed it means I won't have the vaccine for years as we're going to continue TTC. Best case scenario is the pregnancy goes well and I have it months later than everyone else. I feel people like me have been completely excluded and forgotten about, but here we are. Not everyone has the luxury of a healthy pregnancy and plenty of time to postpone it to wait for the vaccine and few months afterwards.

Char2015 · 30/12/2020 09:40

@Mrgrinch

I was wondering if anyone has seen any info on whether this vaccine can affect fertility?

It was reported that the Pfizer one can and it made me quite sure I wouldn't have it as I already suffer from PCOS and was very worried.

It was NOT reported that the Pfizer one can affect fertility. The guidance stated as there is no data to know whether the vaccine has any affect on fertility/pregnancy, it is best for those pregnant or trying to conceive not to have the vaccine. It was also in the guidance that these types of vaccines tend to be safe for pregnant women but as this is a new vaccine in the group, there want more information before they say for sure.
Mousehole10 · 30/12/2020 09:41

@Mrgrinch

I was wondering if anyone has seen any info on whether this vaccine can affect fertility?

It was reported that the Pfizer one can and it made me quite sure I wouldn't have it as I already suffer from PCOS and was very worried.

It’s not that the Pfizer one can affect fertility. It’s that (like all new vaccines) they can’t say for certain it doesn’t affect it. Same for the Oxford one. But it really doesn’t mean it does!
PurplePansy05 · 30/12/2020 09:42

So how do they get this information if they don't include pregnant women in any trials? They rely on random reports from thise who have discovered they're expecting after the event? This would surely take years and be unreliable.

Mousehole10 · 30/12/2020 09:44

@Mrgrinch btw I also have PCOS and want to ttc a second baby in the next couple of years. I have no worries at all about taking the vaccine.

TheChineseChicken · 30/12/2020 09:45

@Mrgrinch

I was wondering if anyone has seen any info on whether this vaccine can affect fertility?

It was reported that the Pfizer one can and it made me quite sure I wouldn't have it as I already suffer from PCOS and was very worried.

As far as I know there was no evidence that this was the case and no reason that it would be Flowers
ihearttc · 30/12/2020 09:47

On most of the lists which state the order in which people will receive the vaccine it stops at Group 9 which is 50 and over? Are people under 59 going to receive it too?
Technically I’m in Group 6 because I have 2 auto immune conditions however I only take a DMARD for my RA not an immunosuppressant so I don’t qualify. I’m a TA in an Infant School.

FourTeaFallOut · 30/12/2020 09:52

That list only includes phase one of the vaccine roll out.

NewLockdownNewMe · 30/12/2020 09:53

@PurplePansy05 the problem is, would you like to volunteer and risk your baby? And if not, who should? This is why virtually no drugs are actually recommended in pregnancy, it is unethical to test on pregnant women. Drugs are only used when the alternative is worse. There are always sectors of society who cannot receive a vaccine -what we need is for enough people to have it that there is vastly less of the virus circulating around and so the chance of anyone not vaccinated getting infected becomes very low.

ineedaholidaynow · 30/12/2020 09:54

@AgeLikeWine why don’t under 18s need it? There are quite a few under 18s who are clinically vulnerable. I also assume under 18s are also susceptible to Long COVID.

ihearttc · 30/12/2020 09:55

@FourTeaFallOut

Thank you! So with the new Oxford vaccine everyone who wants/needs one will be able the get it?

I’ve been pretty blasé about the whole thing now, I’ve worked all the way through with keyworker children but the rate that it is spreading is concerning me so I’d like to get it if at all possible.

CaveMum · 30/12/2020 09:56

Sorry if anyone else has already covered this, do we know where trials are in terms of mixing vaccines to see if there’s an improved response - ie first dose of Oxford vaccine then second dose of the Pfizer/Moderna?

As an aside, they played Elbow’s “Day Like This” as the closing song on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show this morning and I came over all teary. If not the beginning of the end, here’s hoping this is the end of the beginning.

FourTeaFallOut · 30/12/2020 09:57

Only on the numbers game, I can't vouch for logistics.Grin

CaveMum · 30/12/2020 09:59

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@AgeLikeWine why don’t under 18s need it? There are quite a few under 18s who are clinically vulnerable. I also assume under 18s are also susceptible to Long COVID.[/quote]
My understanding is that the trials covered 16+ and they’re now working on testing on 12-15 year olds. There’s a lot of ethical issues around testing on children, as well as pregnant women. It takes a lot longer to get approval so the best thing to do is test on adults first to prove no adverse reaction there before moving to testing on children.

Mousehole10 · 30/12/2020 10:04

@ihearttc yes, now oxford has been approved the government has confirmed there are enough doses for every adult. If it hadn’t been approved it would only have been over 50s as we didn’t have enough doses. It may just take a while to get to the under 50s groups.

PuzzledObserver · 30/12/2020 10:05

As already said, it is unethical to test new medicines on pregnant women. However, it is inevitable that some women who receive the vaccine will be/become pregnant soon after, even if not actively ttc. I imagine it will be from them that information will eventually be accumulated which in time may lead to it being approved for this group after all.

JVT said as much - no pregnant women were included in the trial but a few did become pregnant after receiving the vaccine, and “we have seen nothing alarming”. However, the numbers are so small they can’t be relied on to say it is safe.

Re under 50’s - I am almost certain they will be vaccinated in due course, otherwise why would we have bought so many doses? It’s just they are trying to vaccinate the most at risk first.

I believe there are now trials of one of the vaccines in over 12’s, I can’t remember which one, sorry.