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Original poster

COVID vaccine, anyone feel apprehensive about it?

103 replies

Josie1968 · 13/01/2021 22:35

Hi there

I just wondered whether anyone feels nervous about any potential long term implications or side effects from having the vaccine bearing in mind the quickness that it has got through the testing / regulations etc.

Everyone sounds like they’re happy to have it but I can’t help but have some reservations about it!! 😢

OP posts:
tobee · 14/01/2021 00:46

No

MrsPerfect12 · 14/01/2021 01:07

I'll be getting it when it's my turn. I'm am slightly worried as have been ill after the flu jab several times so hopefully that won't happen with this.

notangelinajolie · 14/01/2021 01:10

Nope. I'm good to go.

Busygoingblah · 14/01/2021 01:12

Not nervous at all. Can you name any example of vaccines that had long term side effects that didn’t appear straight after the injection?

I don’t see why a covid vaccine would be any difference.

cautiouscovidity · 14/01/2021 06:59

I think you're right to be nervous of unknown side effects. The swine flu vaccine from 2009 (Pandemrix) was shown to be responsible for causing an increased risk of developing narcolepsy in children (and also adults) who had received the vaccine. I refused this vaccine when pregnant as I was worried about the speed at which it had been rolled out and the lack of data regarding side effects (which weren't really reported on until a couple of years later).
That said, the risk of issues from Covid are pretty bad too, so I'll probably still give consent for the vaccine (I'm not an anti-vaxer generally). I'm a long way down the list so have time to think about it Smile

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/09/ministers-lose-fight-to-stop-payouts-in-swine-flu-jab-narcolepsy-cases

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/swine-flu-jab-linked-narcolepsy-7599682.html

https://www.bmj.com/content/362/bmj.k3948.full

cautiouscovidity · 14/01/2021 07:05

@Busygoingblah

Not nervous at all. Can you name any example of vaccines that had long term side effects that didn’t appear straight after the injection?

I don’t see why a covid vaccine would be any difference.

Yes, see my post above. It can - and does - happen.
SycamoreGap · 14/01/2021 07:07

No - I’ve had my first dose and feel lucky to be in one of the early cohorts.

Blessex · 14/01/2021 07:11

Cannot wait to have my vaccine Grin

2020out · 14/01/2021 07:17

@cautiouscovidity

I think you're right to be nervous of unknown side effects. The swine flu vaccine from 2009 (Pandemrix) was shown to be responsible for causing an increased risk of developing narcolepsy in children (and also adults) who had received the vaccine. I refused this vaccine when pregnant as I was worried about the speed at which it had been rolled out and the lack of data regarding side effects (which weren't really reported on until a couple of years later). That said, the risk of issues from Covid are pretty bad too, so I'll probably still give consent for the vaccine (I'm not an anti-vaxer generally). I'm a long way down the list so have time to think about it Smile

[[https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/feb/09/ministers-lose-fight-to-stop-payouts-in-swine-flu-jab-narcolepsy-cases]]

[[https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/swine-flu-jab-linked-narcolepsy-7599682.html]]

[[https://www.bmj.com/content/362/bmj.k3948.full]]

The increased risk of narcolepsy was very slight.

Given that children who caught swine flu were at increased risk of death, the vaccine was the lesser of two risks.

Same with covid vaccine in my mind. We don't know the long term effects of either covid or the vaccine. But only one of these has been shown to cause multiple organ damage in some young people. The vaccine is not risk-free, but it is very unlikely to be as risky as catching covid.

Bilgepumper · 14/01/2021 07:25

My only concern is about how soon I can get it. I’d have it right now if I could.

boxingdayclearout · 14/01/2021 07:58

I had mine last month. No problems at all. Booster has been postponed until March mind you. Counting down the days!

lightand · 14/01/2021 08:04

According to another thread on here, Australia are saying no in large numbers to having a vaccine at present, until they know about longer term effects.

Sethy38 · 14/01/2021 08:08

Not even a whiff of concern

Just excitement

CountessFrog · 14/01/2021 08:09

Had mine. Also shed a tear of relief.

lightand · 14/01/2021 08:09

@Broads93 Agree with you, and am almost in the same position as you too.

CountessFrog · 14/01/2021 08:09

😂 oh those Aussies!

CrunchyCarrot · 14/01/2021 08:20

Yes. I have autoimmunity, various allergic reactions and am not keen to have any of the vaccines without further data of potential side effects on people with autoimmunity, etc. It's still very early days. I don't need to decide yet, anyway.

DistractingMyself · 14/01/2021 08:42

So Dr Anthony Fauci (2009) told the world the swine flu vaccine was safe when there were concerns over its safety??

If you were Katie Clack’s family or one of the many children who now sleep for 21 hours a day and who will never have a normal life - would you trust another vaccine?

We know vaccines can cause health problems in very, very rare cases. But for Glaxo & others (?) to actively cover up a safety concern... and so recently. So what - they knew it wasn’t completely safe and just waited for people to become ill...??

MadameBlobby · 14/01/2021 08:44

@DistractingMyself

So Dr Anthony Fauci (2009) told the world the swine flu vaccine was safe when there were concerns over its safety??

If you were Katie Clack’s family or one of the many children who now sleep for 21 hours a day and who will never have a normal life - would you trust another vaccine?

We know vaccines can cause health problems in very, very rare cases. But for Glaxo & others (?) to actively cover up a safety concern... and so recently. So what - they knew it wasn’t completely safe and just waited for people to become ill...??

That’s unfortunate for them but very rare and it certainly doesn’t put me off vaccines. My kids had the swine flu vaccine and were fine.
trulydelicious · 14/01/2021 08:44

@littlemisslozza

when actually they need to be taught about vaccines as they must have forgotten it from school science lessons

These 'school lessons' are not very relevant for these new technology vaccines (e.g. mRNA), are they?

trulydelicious · 14/01/2021 08:50

@Calmandmeasured1 and @RosesforMama

I do hope the Miami and Portugal incidents if proved to be linked to the vaccine are indeed rare.

What doesn't fill me with confidence is that it appears that when these side effects are subsequently investigated (often by the manufacturers themselves), the results are usually 'inconclusive'

It takes time for truly independent research to be completed (if it ever takes place, that is)

bobbiester · 14/01/2021 08:59

Hmmmm....yet another "I'm not anti-vax but just a little bit anxious about ..." thread. A lot of these.

Simple advice - roll up sleeve, needle in, enjoy benefits of science, and knowledge that you've reduced your chances of ending up struggling to breathe on a COVID ward potentially sharing last words with your family over Skype.

Mrsmummy90 · 14/01/2021 09:02

My husband is in healthcare (dentist so literally in people's mouths) and his vaccine has been put back.
Apparently locally there has been a shortage on vaccines in GP surgeries as they've been giving them to their friends and families, no matter their age/jobs.

I'm not sure of the validity of this but it's what he's been told.
I'm livid about it.

TammyTwoSwanson · 14/01/2021 09:03

No. Roll on the day where I can get my vaccine!

CrunchyCarrot · 14/01/2021 09:08

But for Glaxo & others (?) to actively cover up a safety concern... and so recently. So what - they knew it wasn’t completely safe and just waited for people to become ill...??

There's no 'completely safe' when it comes to vaccines (or indeed any drug). But there have been serious and even severe side effects (e.g. transverse myelitis developed in 2 of the trial recipients (Oxford)). Since the Oxford vaccine data is predominantly from 2 'arms' of the trials, i.e. Brazil and UK, it only encompasses 12,000 participants. Transverse myelitis is a rare condition, around 1 in 200,000 people get it annually. The fact that 2 people got it out of those 12,000 is worrying, and as such, further data is needed to find out whether this is just a statistical blip or something else. For me, the jury is still out on this. There is a S. African arm to the trial but when the data was published this was left out as it had barely accrued any data at that point.

Also, Oxford used another vaccine as the placebo in both those arms of their trials (meningococcus) which makes it more difficult to know whether any side effects are related to vaccine contents or not.

Pfizer have not published the details of the serious side effects that occurred. 240 events in the vaccine group were classified as severe, compared with 139 in the placebo group, Why haven't they given a detailed breakdown of these side effects? Without knowing, it's impossible to analyse further whether these are side effects to be concerned about, or not.