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Original poster

Other countries offering choice of vaccine

624 replies

doireallyneedaname · 13/02/2021 07:52

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.

OP posts:
Fallstar · 14/02/2021 17:12

I had my first jab this morning (AZ), and was very grateful and happy to be called and so relieved to get the vaccine. Feeling fine so far!

Unfortunately I saw this thread before going to the vaccination centre... Thank god for the calm, sensible voices and links in response to the OP and others.

ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia · 14/02/2021 17:22

@Fallstar

Well done and congratulations.

I can't wait for mine. I also don't mind which vaccine as they all protect from serious Covid disease or worst! That's the best we can hope for for now.

Sometimes I wish I was a lot lot lot older or indeed there are more anti vaxers when there is a global rush to vaccinate and limited supplies.

Thank goodness for our British world vaccination beating NHS medics and British Army logistical excellence. The only world beating approval and procurement excellence to come out of the ongoing UK governmental pandemic mismanagement.

thatgingergirl · 14/02/2021 17:32

Can’t wait for my letter and will gratefully receive any vaccination, all of which offer outstanding protection against death and serious illness. That’ll do for me!

My sentiments exactly! I've actually booked my vaccination (I'm old). My main consideration about the whole process was which site has the better parking facilities!

pucelleauxblanchesmains · 14/02/2021 18:45

There should be consequences for people who turn up to multiple appointments and refuse the jab each time until they get the "right" one.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 14/02/2021 18:50

@thatgingergirl parking was DH's main consideration as well!

thatgingergirl · 14/02/2021 19:19

PinkSparklyPussyCat Grin

CrackOpenTheGin · 14/02/2021 20:03

[quote ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia]@Fallstar

Well done and congratulations.

I can't wait for mine. I also don't mind which vaccine as they all protect from serious Covid disease or worst! That's the best we can hope for for now.

Sometimes I wish I was a lot lot lot older or indeed there are more anti vaxers when there is a global rush to vaccinate and limited supplies.

Thank goodness for our British world vaccination beating NHS medics and British Army logistical excellence. The only world beating approval and procurement excellence to come out of the ongoing UK governmental pandemic mismanagement. [/quote]
But that’s not actually true. The OZ vaccine has not been shown yet, in any trial or study, to protect against death or serious illness. In the very small trial it was shown to be 10% effective against mild/moderate disease. And moderate disease in these trials are classes as anything under ITU so you can still end up in hospital on oxygen and have moderate Covid. The main kicker though is that the average age of the study participants was 31 so, although none of them ended up in hospital or died,it was likely that none of them would have anyway due to being young. The AZ jab could give absolutely zero protection against death at this point. No one knows.

It’s a hell of a personal risk to take when the Pfizer is available and I will move heaven and earth to get that that one.

CrackOpenTheGin · 14/02/2021 20:04

All that above was for the SA varient obviously

RedcurrantPuff · 14/02/2021 20:05

@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.
Me too,

I’d actually like the Moderna but I’ll take anything!

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 14/02/2021 20:11

It’s a hell of a personal risk to take when the Pfizer is available and I will move heaven and earth to get that that one.

What are you going to do if you aren't told what you're getting when you book?

MessAllOver · 14/02/2021 20:17

It's a hell of a personal risk to refuse a vaccine which is proven effective against the Covid strain which is currently dominant in this country in the hope of receiving a different one which may be more effective against a different variant at an unascertained point in the future. You may have to wait months, by which time the AZ booster shot may be available or they may be revaccinating the clinically vulnerable anyway with Pfizer/Moderna/ the universal vaccine to protect against new variants.

CrackOpenTheGin · 14/02/2021 20:17

I shall refuse it. I shall try to find out which one it is when I book and again from the centre the day before or on the day but ultimately, if they won’t tel me in advance what they want to inject into my body then I will have no qualms about refusing it.

CovoidOfAllHumanity · 14/02/2021 20:19

CrackOpenTheGin

It's not about your personal risk

Your personal risk is reducing right now without any vaccine because of lockdown. Your personal risk is reduced by the number of cases in the community reducing and that is best achieved by as many people
as possible being vaccinated as fast as possible. You are increasing your personal risk and the collective risk by delaying being vaccinated.

Also why the obsession with the SA variant? Another one might be along any minute that Pfizer has no activity against but AZ does. No one can know because mutation is a random process. In fact if everyone had Pfizer the selection pressure would be for a mutation that could evade it so having just one vaccine available is a dumb idea.

The more people that think it's all about their personal risk the more suffering there will be for everyone. You could argue that for anyone under 50 the personal risk is not very high and they may as well not be vaccinated.

I'm 40s, fit and well and already had COVID and it wasn't all that bad. My personal risk is probably tiny but I had the vaccine for the sake of my patients, my parents and the wider community.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 14/02/2021 20:20

@CrackOpenTheGin

I shall refuse it. I shall try to find out which one it is when I book and again from the centre the day before or on the day but ultimately, if they won’t tel me in advance what they want to inject into my body then I will have no qualms about refusing it.
You'll waste an appointment in other words. I thought that might be the case.
CovoidOfAllHumanity · 14/02/2021 20:22

Obviously they tell you which one it is before they inject it but they may not actually know until you arrive as PP have said that centres may have different vaccines on the same day (use up one batch and start another)

CrackOpenTheGin · 14/02/2021 20:22

Well if they tell me beforehand then I won’t waste an appointment.

likeamillpond · 14/02/2021 20:23

[quote doireallyneedaname]@EileenGC As I said, if we collectively made the decision to only produce one effective vaccine then it wouldn’t be an issue. Wouldn’t happen though because..... money and politics.[/quote]
You could be right on that point.
Money.
I read that's the Pfizer vacinne is a LOT more expensive to produce than the AZ vaccine.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 14/02/2021 20:24

I agree @MessAllOver, I want something to protect me now, not for a hypothetical future situation.

likeamillpond · 14/02/2021 20:24

@Shehz21

Honestly why are people still entertaining this weird AF OP? All the OP did throughout this thread is rinse repeat her "facts". Even with the most intelligent posts OP gets to try and explain why it wouldn't be logistically possible to enable choice of vaccine for anyone at this point and that all in all having the AZ vaccine is still a better option than ending up with covid,she only has 1 response "but it is a fact.." I'm sure OP has all the extra time in the world to waste by turning up to appointments and refusing the AZ if offered. Goodluck OP to get your Pfizer vaccineSmile
She could be a he.
PurBal · 14/02/2021 20:25

Some countries have no choice because their vaccination programme hasn't started yet.

likeamillpond · 14/02/2021 20:28

@Musicaldilemma

So OP which countries with a state funded health care system are offering a choice of vaccine? Please enlighten us. I have been treated in Cyprus, privately, it was great. Also in France and Switzerland, privately. Actually, U.K. doing far better on Covid vaccine roll out than France and Switzerland. So we have chosen speed. Look at our death rates. It is the right strategy for the U.K. with the NHS right now. If they have to revaccinate, so be it. We also do more flu jabs than many other countries. Each country/ government has to make an individual choice.
This.

We are so lucky to live in a country where everybody who's eligible for a vaccine is able to get one, whether they're rich OR poor.

I suspect the countries where people get choices are the types of countries where private health care is the norm.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 14/02/2021 20:28

@CrackOpenTheGin

Well if they tell me beforehand then I won’t waste an appointment.
They might not know. The centre that DH went to had been giving Pfizer but he had AZ. Thankfully he's sensible enough to accept it as it protects him against the current dominant strain.
CovoidOfAllHumanity · 14/02/2021 20:28

As I just said it would be a dumb strategy to just have one vaccine
It would drive selection pressure for a variant that evades that vaccine
It makes scientific as well as economic sense to have a variety of vaccines with different mechanisms

AZ are famously making their vaccine for cost price which means it is a fraction of the cost.

It is also able to be transported and distributed much more easily making it much more suitable for remote and rural places, developing countries and housebound folks.

No we should not turn all production over to one vaccine with the highest efficacy because that is not the be all and end all of vaccine strategy.
Presumably this is why Mumsnet is not in charge of the strategy and they have actual scientists to plan it

Original poster
doireallyneedaname · 14/02/2021 20:53

@CrackOpenTheGin

Exactly what you said. We have no idea if the Oxford vaccine will protect against severe disease when it comes to the SA variant, but we know the others do. Perhaps it’s too traumatic for people to read so they instead waffle on about how selfish and “dim” we are for voicing this.

OP posts:
ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia · 14/02/2021 20:54

@ CrackOpenTheGin

I am wondering (as a non medical person but do share your medical expertises) if a particular vaccine is less generally effective or perhaps against any particular known and circulating variants - why is it approved and continue to be injected?

In addition if you repeatedly refuse vaccination (if that luxury can arise in an emergency pandemic with millions waiting) until you have the offer of your preferred one - do you think the rest of the population should follow your behaviour or do you think there may be negative total sum loss societal repercussions? How many times can you refuse a vaccination offer or would go without if it's not the one you prefer? What if other yet to be sequenced new mutation variants become dominant and yet again change the effectiveness of one vaccine over another? Would you keep changing your preferences and be very challenging to vaccinate? Are you a semi anti vaxxer? Thanks in advance as good to hear your views as we patiently await our call up.