Ireland halting the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine

[Kaylasmum49]

This just came up on my phone. I had the AZ vaccine 10 days ago. I'm concerned about the news of blood clotting issues.

OP, since you have had the vaccine and this cannot be reversed, you cannot change anything so worrying will not help you in any way. In fact, the only thing that worrying can do is to hinder and hurt you.

Look at it this way - you now have some covid protection, feel very happy about that. Covid was more of a risk to you than blood clots from the jab are.

Please try to see this positively, rather than negatively.

I would still take an AZ vaccine, no hesitation.

@RedcurrantPuff

I’ve had it and am not worried, I think there is no more to it than the EU have politicised the whole thing after the vaccines row. I’m extremely cynical that all the negative things about the vaccine are seemingly about this one and nothing about the Pfizer.

Exactly this.

Most of those vaccined so far in the EU would not be of the pill-taking age! They would be older.

@Viviennemary

It's rubbish. All part of the EU plan to discredit the AZ vaccine.

The EU is trying (and has been for weeks) to get supplies of AZ. The issue is AZ failing to meet their contractual commitments to deliver.

It hardly makes sense that you'd continue to push for increased supplies of a product you are looking to discredit. In many countries in the EU the vaccination programme hinges on access to AZ.

Your comment makes no sense at all.

@Silverandgoldsparkles

Most of those vaccined so far in the EU would not be of the pill-taking age! They would be older.

But of an age to have health problems if they are getting the vaccine

I am more worried about the 2 care homes in Devon that despite all residents having had their first vaccine and about to have their second this weekend, the care home in Sidmouth - 33 people were infected, 3 sadly died and the care home in Exmouth where 9 died. That seems a high amount if they had all had the vaccine and were ready for their second jab. The fact they are in Devon makes me question whether the vaccine itself was from a faulty batch

www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/nine-covid-19-deaths-exmouth-5156936

www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/holmesley-care-home-covid-outbreak-5144288

They also suspended it in Norway. It makes absolutely no sense that those is being done to discredit the vaccine, im in Ireland and we very , very much want and need the vaccine. They are following medical advice and proceeding cautiously same with giving doses closer together which also means the whole thing is slower and we are obvs affected by the supply issues too. In general though things seem more cautious here with regards to the vaccines but obvs we'll be behind UK in opening up.

The fact that the AZ is exempt from liability claims has always been a worry for me. I am a thin cyclist, non-smoker, non-drinker. I also have a genetic clotting disorder and stage 2 heart failure. My invites keep coming, but I feel so very on the fence about the vaccine.
DH is a GP... lots and lots of patients repording yellow cards.

*this

@SilverGlitterBaubles

Anyone know what exactly within a vaccine could potentially cause blood clots?

I read this in another forum so cannot vouch for authenticity but there are apparently a few ingredients in AZ that have a vasodilation effect (relaxes blood vessels) in order to enhance the efficacy of the vaccine. However a potential side effect is that EXISTING blood clots in the body may loosen and travel to other organs causing embolism or thrombosis. This explains why it only affects a very small number of people since not everyone will have a potential blood clot in their body at the time of receiving the vaccine, and it requires a further combination of other factors for this to loosenand cause thrombosis.

I don't feel it's such a surprise to discover that a medical treatment carries a risk of thrombosis since virtually everyone knows that taking the pill, long-haul flights, smoking, pregnancy are also common risk factors and yet everyone takes calculated risks for those.

I'm a pro-vaxxer but I find it quite strange that cases of blood clots following AZ have popped up in virtually every European country but in the UK it's absolutely taboo to even speak about the possibility of a connection. Many posters here are like children with their fingers in their ears going LALALALALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU.

[quote Jenasaurus]I am more worried about the 2 care homes in Devon that despite all residents having had their first vaccine and about to have their second this weekend, the care home in Sidmouth - 33 people were infected, 3 sadly died and the care home in Exmouth where 9 died. That seems a high amount if they had all had the vaccine and were ready for their second jab. The fact they are in Devon makes me question whether the vaccine itself was from a faulty batch

www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/nine-covid-19-deaths-exmouth-5156936

www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/holmesley-care-home-covid-outbreak-5144288[/quote]
There are other threads on this. From reports that include the timeline, it seems as if they were already in the early stages of Covid infection when they received their first vaccination.

@Kaylasmum49

And I am sick of people like you, putting up posts like this without doing your research beforehand

Any medication/vaccine has side effects, any medication/vaccine affects people different ways, every body knows that

You had your jab 10 days ago, those with clots had them shortly after, but if you read all the evidence there is NO proof it’s down to the jab

However it’s not just the AZ jab, it’s also Phizer who has the same, but just no mention in the press. If Italy was that concerned why did they block export to Australia?

Facts have already been shared on other posts about the numbers all available on line, that you could have accessed before your post

It’s a minuscule number of people that MAY be affected but with NO actual proof

I see the Irish health authorities are invoking the "precautionary principle" in justification, here.

This has the appearance of being rational, but is anything but.

Rational would be a cost-benefit analysis of the likelihood of 10m doses of the Oxford vaccine being given to Brits without us noticing any obvious significant causal link to anything, combined with the literally tens of thousands of deaths prevented by these vaccines, versus this - whatever this is.

This kind of statement from medical professionals reveals the shortcomings of the (usually helpful) precautionary principle - it makes sense in the normal medical world (where caution helps, and where "do no harm" is the highest calling).

But we're in a pandemic, and medical professionals have to hold themselves accountable for "sins of omission" as much as "sins of commission" - i.e. you're doing direct harm by witholding vaccines that are within acceptable tolerances of safe.

The problem is that there's an asymmetry of blame - we crucify medical professionals for the interventions they make, but not for the interventions they don't make, but should - such as tolerating some risk in a vaccine programme, where speed is of the essence, in the name of more lives saved overall.

The link actually says that there is no proof that the vaccine caused the blood clots.

The reality is that some people will develop blood clots anyway regardless of having had the vaccine or not.

Just like some people will have heart attacks, or strokes, or any other kind of illness.

The way to decide if it's linked to the vaccine per se is by looking at the stats of the trials, not a few cases of people who had the vaccine.

And don't forget the Ireland is part of the EU and has to keep in with its cronies.

@TheVanguardSix

The fact that the AZ is exempt from liability claims has always been a worry for me. I am a thin cyclist, non-smoker, non-drinker. I also have a genetic clotting disorder and stage 2 heart failure. My invites keep coming, but I feel so very on the fence about the vaccine. DH is a GP... lots and lots of patients repording yellow cards.

You could start by asking your GP / DH to explain why AZ, and many other vaccine manufacturers were given that exemption. If he is as well informed as he should be he will be able to explain the political reasoning behind it and why it has no effect whatsoever on the efficacy not the vaccine.

He'll also be able to explain why lots of yellow card reports is not unexpected or a bad thing and will, eventually, give scientists a lot of new data to work with.

He should also be able to reassure you regarding your own RR between covid and a vaccine.

Meantime try to understand that your interpretation of the information you have read is flawed, leading you to catastrophise.

My sympathies as it can't be easy to live with those fears at this time.

They do ask at the appointment if you are on any blood thining medication. I expect it's because they need to have an inr blood test shortly afterwards like they do when having a flu jab or antibiotics.

This isn't true.

@Viviennemary

It's rubbish. All part of the EU plan to discredit the AZ vaccine.

Yes, Viviennemary.

How dare NORWAY discredit the AZ vaccine.

www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-norway-idUSKBN2B50GZ

Of course, the fact that Norway isn't even in the EU is........................completely beside the point!

CuriousaboutSamphire

Thank you for your very much condescending sympathies.
Were you trying to insult me or reassure me?
I have a disorder which means I can go into cardiac arrest whenever. I have to factor this into every healthcare decision I make. I'm not afraid because of it, but I am a little more burdened than the next guy.
My DH has reassured me. We've had the talks. But I also have this pesky thing called 'my own opinions' which I take into consideration inside another pesky little thing called 'my own mind' based on information my DH and my cardiac consultant have generously given to me. Are you a medical professional or a keyboard warrior?
Still, I worry. I think you would to if you had my disorders.

Most of those vaccined so far in the EU would not be of the pill-taking age! They would be older.

The cases in Austria involve a 49 year old who died; a 34 year old with a pulmonary embolism (both staff at the same hospital, both received the vaccine from the same batch)
One of these women had previously had a thrombosis in a leg vein.

A third woman, 51 years old, had a pulmonary embolism. She was vaccinated in another hospital but with the same batch of vaccine.

A kindergarten in Austria had to close last week because all of the personnel were vaccinated on the same day and nearly all were unfit to work for a couple of days after the vaccine.

The Austrian strategy is to vaccinate all medical personnel and all teachers first. This means they are vaccinating a lot of younger people whereas other countries are still vaccinating the over 60s.
It would seem as though younger people are having a stronger reaction to the vaccine than older people. There is not enough data on this to draw conclusions yet.

If you have no stomach concerns take a third aspirin every day or other day - will thin your blood. Or get the 75 img ones which people are prescribed.

I'm a pro-vaxxer but I find it quite strange that cases of blood clots following AZ have popped up in virtually every European country but in the UK it's absolutely taboo to even speak about the possibility of a connection. Many posters here are like children with their fingers in their ears going LALALALALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU.

While screaming anti-vaxxer at anyone who dares to ask a question or express any kind of concern.
Or typing stuff like "You're sadly misinformed" (with accompanying head tilt)

Anyway..... back to the blood clot issue. I read in an Austrian newspaper that there's a possibility that the AZ vaccines produced in the EU are affected whereas those in the UK are not - there might be a difference in batches produced in different plants. However, I cannot find any reliable information on this.

Vanguard bloody hell! I was being sincere. But you can take that anyway you like!

I too have a bag load if possible contra indications and that if anyone of them is triggered by the vaccine I am fucked. Back to being bed ridden, a complete burden on DH . I know how scary it is.

But I am not ignoring my invitations, I will have the vaccine because I have talked about it, read widely about it and am trying very hard to ignore the anxiety that naggles the back if my head. Mainly because I know it is being fed by headlines, misinformation and fear.

I had my first jab this morning! So far, so good! They asked me several medical questions, including whether I was on blood thinners, before giving it to me.

Oh, and I am not a medical professional but do have a couple of degrees in health and physiology.