Other countries offering choice of vaccine

[doireallyneedaname]

I have relatives in Cyprus who are able to choose with vaccine they’d like - AZ or Pfizer.

They have been given an appointment for next week and told that they will be told beforehand which vaccine they are having, and if they want the other they can reschedule for that one.

I just read a news article which seems to confirm this.

Appreciate the population is minuscule compared to the UK and many other countries but given the recent news re AZ efficacy against the SA strain (which I believe will likely be the same against further mutations) - I can’t help but wish we’d order more Pfizer and give people the choice.

In the UK we can't offer a choice of vaccine, because we need to work fast as we're offering a choice of COVID. Kent or Wuhan.

When you have other vaccinations or medications do you expect to be given a choice of manufacturers or do you accept that the doctor will give you an appropriate choice?

Cyprus has given 2.6% of its population a first dose, the UK has now done over 20%.

Unfortunately that would completely slow down the roll out in most country's.

Most individuals don't have the scientific expertise to pick between medical treatments. Leave it to the professionals.

I'd snap your arm off to have either. People who are fussy over which one to have, for no really valid reason, annoy me.

I suppose in countries with high vaccine hesitancy, with a medicine approval body which is mistrusted by many of its members, it's necessary to humour people who think they are expert immunologists and epidemiologists but fortunately in this countries we have enough vaccine confidence to get on with the job of vaccinating quickly.

If it is possible to offer choice then people will be offered it. But the supply just isn’t there. Plus Pfizer isn’t suitable for lots of methods of delivery. For example you can’t use it for housebound patients or mobile service.

The UK ordered enough Pfizer for half the adult population and has used it alongside AZ for weeks. Offering choice when we can. Which is often.

You might as well have said relatives in NI or any other region as an example

That’s not really a valid comparison as they are not the same product and one is significantly more effective.

How is efficacy not a valid reason? One offers over 80% against the SA strain and one 10% - regardless of that specific mutation not being dominant right now, it could very well happen and that’s not forgetting other mutations. Pfizer & Morerna seem better equipped at protecting against mutations in comparison to AZ.

I don’t think that’s a silly reason to want Pfizer.

How can you give a meaningful choice? The supply isn’t there. The knowledge at an individual level isn’t there. It would slow down the process.

It’s entirely inappropriate for this situation,

One offers over 80% against the SA strain and one 10%

That isn’t the full story and I’m sure you know it.

Protecting young, healthy people from getting mild Covid isn’t a critical function of the vaccine. Preventing serious illness is.

I can’t get worked up over this. The Government have done a phenomenal job in obtaining and rolling out the vaccine.

Allowing people to window shop is pointless. Both vaccines deliver significant protection.

You could always refuse your vaccination op to wait for your preferred choice.

I agree. But right now we don’t actually know it AZ offers protection against severe disease either, but we do know the others do.

So other countries=Cyprus.
Thats one country.

@Hardbackwriter

When you have other vaccinations or medications do you expect to be given a choice of manufacturers or do you accept that the doctor will give you an appropriate choice?

Cyprus has given 2.6% of its population a first dose, the UK has now done over 20%.

Whereas Israel have done about 90%

@Pimlicojo

I'd snap your arm off to have either. People who are fussy over which one to have, for no really valid reason, annoy me.

I agree. This thread as irrationally annoyed me. Maybe I’ve not had enough coffee.

Some people have to always find fault.

Comparison OP is the thief of joy

@doireallyneedaname

1. Oxford Astrazeneca works on the Kent strain, that's the one here right now that needs controlling right now. Vaccinating as many as fast as possible is more important. 2) They have a booster in trials to follow up later.
2. The tests don't look at T-cells
3. Nobody got severe disease and the tests weren't well structured for that; the vaccine is injected not up the nose, symptoms were nose/ throat infection not the vascular and lung issues.
4. Efficacy isn't effectiveness per individual bit overall; younger people are likely to gain better immunity faster.
5. You don't need 95% efficacy to reach herd immunity; the flu vaccine helps enormously at an average 55% efficacy.

Leave it to MHRA and JCVI to decide what's best to do, they understand far more than you do. If you don't want one vaccine for spurious reasons then wait, but when the EU block all Pfizer exports you might need to reconsider.

@Stressedoutsomuch

I can’t get worked up over this. The Government have done a phenomenal job in obtaining and rolling out the vaccine.

Allowing people to window shop is pointless. Both vaccines deliver significant protection.

You could always refuse your vaccination op to wait for your preferred choice.

Hardly. The NHS have worked really hard to bring the level of success we have.

The government have actually worked against it. As an example insisting trusts had vast centres ready, allocated funding and staffing in November but then not permitting them to deliver. (despite being ready) before Johnson had his planned photo opportunities first. Nobody was allowed to deliver any until he’d been seen in the press.

But right now we don’t actually know it AZ offers protection against severe disease either, but we do know the others do.

We do know that this is the strength of AZ in a general sense (preventing serious illness) and anyone with actual knowledge who’s looked at it believes that there’s no reason why this shouldn’t apply to SA variant.

We just don’t have the necessary data, so it’s pointless to extrapolate from the not very helpful data we do have.

I appreciate what you’re saying but having read comments like “the SA cases we have found as only the tip of the iceberg” fill me with dread and make it seem like it’s a bigger problem than we know. My fear is that over the following few months it will become dominant. One professor saying it won’t isn’t reassuring.

I should add my concerns surrounding this are because I have several CEV family and a young baby, so naturally I want the best protection for us.

@doireallyneedaname

How is efficacy not a valid reason? One offers over 80% against the SA strain and one 10% - regardless of that specific mutation not being dominant right now, it could very well happen and that’s not forgetting other mutations. Pfizer & Morerna seem better equipped at protecting against mutations in comparison to AZ.

I don’t think that’s a silly reason to want Pfizer.

Sounds like you’ve been reading poor quality science journalism and getting in an unnecessary stew.

Where I live in Germany you can choose between 5 vaccination centres (doctors and hospitals don’t distribute them) and when you go online to book your slot, it states clearly which vaccine each centre is offering. There are 2 for Pfizer, 2 for Moderna and 1 AZ that is only available to under 55s. Some people book the closest to their home, others book the vaccine they prefer. At the end of the day they all achieve similar results and I’d be thrilled to get either one of them.

Hardbackwriter
When you have other vaccinations or medications do you expect to be given a choice of manufacturers or do you accept that the doctor will give you an appropriate choice?

Cyprus has given 2.6% of its population a first dose, the UK has now done over 20%

Whereas Israel have done about 90%

I can’t believe people are starting to pull apart the effort that has gone in to rolling the vaccine out. 15 million is not to be sniffed out. We’ve done amazing.

Just goes to show people will moan about everything. Depressing.

Yes but your feelings are not going to be the tipping point for our vaccine approach.

We need to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible.

AZ is also shown to reduce transmission so that has a benefit Pfeizer doesn't yet show in the same way.

And they can adapt the AZ vaccine for other strains.

They all have pros and cons.

But the biggest problem will be a slow down in our vaccination programme.