Canada pauses AZ vaccines for under 55s (and says women most at risk)

[Boringlynormal]

Please tell me this isn’t something to worry about: www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/30/canada-suspends-use-of-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-for-those-under-55

Speaking as a woman in her 30s who was immunised 4 days ago (article tells us the risk is for young women 4 - 20 days after vaccination), I’m panicking now. Yes I know it’s rare but so is dying of Covid in my age group so I’m wondering if I’ve made a huge mistake.

By the way I’m very pro vaccine and leapt on the chance to get one. I’m just feeling so anxious now.

@boringlynormal i completely agree and i definitely would not have had it if i had known any of this

@boringlynormal i completely agree and i definitely would not have had it if i had known any of this/

I wouldn’t either.
And I have not taken the pill for over ten years.

In Ireland they have changed the rollout from being priority workers to strictly by age only now. Another worrying indicator that it isn’t safe.

Day 14

@mudpiesfortea, would you please let us know how your friend gets on?

As much as no one would want to end up in her position, it would be a bit comforting to know that it can be treated.

It’s scary though, it sounds like she got the symptoms over a month after having the vaccine, since you say you both had it in February.

[quote TimeQuest01]@mudpiesfortea, would you please let us know how your friend gets on?

As much as no one would want to end up in her position, it would be a bit comforting to know that it can be treated.

It’s scary though, it sounds like she got the symptoms over a month after having the vaccine, since you say you both had it in February.[/quote]
She had her vaccine last week. Her symptoms started approx 4 days post.

I'm inbetween 4-20 days since first dose and feel a bit sick today. That's because I overdid it on extra Easter chocolate. It feels good being able to enjoy Easter knowing I'm on my way to being protected against long covid. Being a woman under 55, I'm in the high risk group for it.

@mudpiesfortea,
Oh sorry, I’ve misread your posts. I understood she had it 4 days after you and you said you had yours in Feb.

Best of luck to her, hopefully she’s in good hands.

also apparently you can't book online now as unpaid carer its changed

i think the unpaid carer option has been taken off as many people were taking advantage of that , it’s not been there since last weekend

Isn't it the case thought that if you get prescription for the pill, a GP will go with you through the various side effects possible. I took the pill years ago and remember very clearly all the time it took to go through the possible side effects, including increased risks of blood clots. I stopped the pill at 40 specifically because of the increased risks - my GP said she wouldn't prescribe it to me anymore and I've had a coil ever since. It's also on all the written documents you get with the prescription.

I had the AZ vaccine last Tuesday and not a word of warning. No details about possible symptoms of blood clots. What to look out for. What to do. Nada. I'm 49 and in the slightly more at risk group.

Is this normal?

@Mumtwoboys90

also apparently you can't book online now as unpaid carer its changed

They changed it due to abuse of the system - too many people pretending to be carers in order to be vaccinated (ironically).

They changed it due to abuse of the system - too many people pretending to be carers in order to be vaccinated (ironically).

Where are you getting this information from? I haven't seen anything about this.

I’m 2 weeks post my second dose and not remotely worried. Think this thread is slipping in to antivaxer territory unfortunately.

@QwertyGirly Exactly. I can't get prescribed the pill because of a minor condition I had over a decade ago.

It's not right to say 'All vaccines/medications have side effects' because not all of them are advised for every single person. A medication I take daily could really harm someone with a condition I don't have, so they would never get it, but its fine for me. Same as it looks like SOME people are at risk of harm from the AZ vaccine. Who? That's all I want to know.

@QwertyGirly shocking. They should be warning everyone of the side effects to look out for. Yes, it's very rare but when we are vaccinating this many people there WILL be some cases. Don't know how much information is being given to doctors about treatment. This was published in Germany, it gives the diagnosis and treatment plan:
covid19-sciencetable.ca/sciencebrief/vaccine-induced-prothrombotic-immune-thrombocytopenia-vipit-following-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccination-interim-guidance-for-healthcare-professionals-in-emergency-department-and-inpatient-settings/

@RoseWineTime in that case the health authorities of Canada, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Germany and France are all anti-vaxxers. Because we're not saying anything they aren't.

But the WHO, EMA and our MHRA all say that the benefits outweigh the risks. Looking at the amazing decline in our covid cases and deaths makes me think they must be right - especially if we look at what is happening in the rest of Europe.

b-s-h.org.uk/media/19512/guidance-version-10-on-mngmt-of-thrombosis-with-thrombocytopenia-occurring-after-c-19-vaccine_20210401.pdf

Yes U.K. Drs are being advised of this rare syndrome and how to diagnose, treat and report it as per the link above

From that it seems it would be very easy to exclude by a GP with a couple of very routine blood tests (an FBC and a D dimer) so if anyone is worried then they should consult their GP and maybe even ask for those tests as they are very quick, simple and cheap.

Oh and I have previously had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung).

@RoseWineTime agreed, benefits do outweigh risks for most people. But that doesn't mean the rare side effect doesn't exist - people need to be aware of the signs so that they can seek medical advice and get the right treatment.

The benefits of AZ outweigh the risks for the overall population, but increasingly that does not appear to be the case for younger women. When other vaccines are available that do not cause this clotting disorder, it seems a no brainer to offer those to women under 55 instead.

@CovoidOfAllHumanity good to know UK Drs are being told

It's not being warned of routinely because it's not clear yet that it actually is even linked to the vaccine far less being listed as an official side effect.

Nor is it clear what the risk factors are so as to warn anyone specifically. There is nowhere near enough data, certainly in the public domain, to even confirm any age or sex link. It is all speculation at this point.

The only condition that would be a known contraindication would be a previous history of heparin induced thrombocytopenia which is also very rare. I am sure you would be well aware if you'd had that and you would be advised not to have it if you had that particular condition.

It's not to say that it won't eventually be confirmed as a side effect but equally it might be disproved. The apparent association could very easily be due to chance, sampling bias or confounding.

I am happy to await the U.K. and EU regulators to do their job and examine the data. I do not think it's naive to trust agencies that are specifically tasked to do this job.

@Sakura7 yes. And I think that's why there's been a lot of talk in the media recently about Johnson & Johnson being rolled out to millennials.... Moderna will be available soon as well I think.

What I suppose will happen is that the tabloids will eventually dig up more information on this in the UK. And I hate that because I hate the tabloids power in the UK. But eventually someone's family will go to the press and it'll come out in a much more sensationalised way than it needs to. I'd far rather see the facts calmly presented alongside the risk/benefit analysis as we know it, even if it then changes.