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.

I’m desperate for someone to come along and explain exactly how I’ve got this all wrong. I’m so freaked out.

Thousands and thousands of over-40s have been given the vaccine in the two weeks since they announced the supply issue. They haven’t stopped vaccinating this age group

I don't think people are knowingly being put at risk, Boringly. An increased risk of a rare event can still be a rare event and might still be a lower risk than you getting covid.

And it makes perfect sense that this would have been picked up in some EU states before being picked up in the UK because of the decisions some of those countries made about which vaccines were being used for different groups.

And while a causal link hasn't been ruled out, it hasn't been proven either.

I wonder now if the passport nonsense is going to be scrapped.

We should be told the potential risks of Vipit. Just like we are advised about clotting for the pill etc.

How can people make informed choices about their own health if all the information isn't given to us?

Hmmmm I hadn’t heard AZ deny it. Has this been put to Hancock or any of the government?

@DarceyDashwood under 50s can’t get it unless they’re vulnerable or health worker or cater etc

Carer

@Boringlynormal

It hadn’t occurred to me that the U.K. has also stopped giving it to most under 50s as of tomorrow. For a reason that nobody seems to know. That really is worrying.

Hmmm, no. Add up the known figures of AZ 2m/wk UK, 20m Pfizer (have to save for second doses), 1m AZ from EU and 5m AZ from India. Supplies are just low. They've been rushing through the Group 6 like me on AZ remember, mostly under 50 as otherwise it was easier to get booked in by age group! It isn't being held back. What's also not held back are all the yellow card reports. The data on side effects actually can't be held back in this process.

@Boringlynormal

I’m desperate for someone to come along and explain exactly how I’ve got this all wrong. I’m so freaked out.

I don't think you've got it wrong and I think the risk is incredibly small, but I'm cross that the government might not be being completely upfront about it.

As I said, I was gutted the rollout paused and would have the jab tomorrow. And I have a history of health anxiety. Long COVID is a worry as much as the initial symptoms, and I'm much more worried about that.

What the UK government must not allow to happen is for it to seem as though they are trying to avoid discussing this. They need to be open and honest.

The only problem is they are incapable of being honest!!

I would also factor in worry about long covid on the 'reasosn to have the injection' side.

[quote Benjispruce2]@DarceyDashwood under 50s can’t get it unless they’re vulnerable or health worker or cater etc[/quote]
I appreciate that is the “official” line but that simply isn’t actually the case in reality as many many many under-50s with no underlying health conditions have been called for the vaccine (my DH being one of them last week). There’s loads of people on this board who have reported this - esp over the past couple of weeks.

@DarceyDashwood I just turned 50 and had it by booking online. DH is 48.5 and I can’t book him in.

@DarceyDashwood I believe the letter to GPs simply said to stop from April, and online booking never hit the under 50s. It depends whether you think GPs would be told that there was additional research required into AZ, or whether they would be given the PR line too.

With the caveat that I saw this on Twitter...

But I read something that said being on the pill is proven to have a risk of causing clots which is 100 times higher than even the worst case scenario of the suspected post-vaccine clots being reported.
So even if every post-vaccine clot was caused by the the vaccine, and there is zero proof, it would be 1% if the risk of being on the pill.

The pill is dished out for everything from contraception to acne without these endless threads about weighing up risks and worrying.

What am I missing..?

@Benjispruce2 I know a few under 50's now been called without underlying conditions supposedly as in areas where through groups quicker ? Or maybe admin error who knows but know a fee now
I had it at 45 although I fall in the vulnerable group just ,

The low platelets cause blood pooling in that region and correspondng clotting elsewhere in the body I believe is the mechanism.

I am 48, I had AZ about 6 weeks ago - no issues. I have no underlying health conditions and am not on the pill. I had a headache for 2 or 3 days as did virtually everyone I know who had either vaccine. I wonder if the risk is increased for women on the pill?

Very interesting thread OP. It does seem a coincidence that under 50s seemingly won't be getting it in April at all now, given the Government previously said they could do first jabs alongside the second ones. And as pp said, talk seems to have switched to the Moderna one.

Having said that, the risk seems to be incredibly low and that's worth remembering, especially compared to the covid risk

@GappyValley but I was advised to stop the pill once over a certain age and because being overweight due to increased risk so maybe their are other risk factors who knows , it would be good to have more info and data but guess this all takes time

@daisiesinmay but surely they would of stopped before as I know few people being called in last week or so
We always expected moderna in april didn't we ?

It kind of irks me that 2 months ago I was saying I was a bit uneasy about taking a brand new vaccine that has been tested on a RELATIVELY small number of people over a short time period, and most of mumsnet jumped down my throat with all their

TRUST THE SCIENTISTS
VACCINES DON'T EVER HAVE MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS
IT'S BEEN TESTED TO THE SAME LEVEL AS ALL VACCINES EVER MADE
YOU'RE AN IDIOT
ETC.

As if there was just 0% chance of any risk of anything whatsoever. And now this.

@GappyValley it’s not a normal blood clot like the ones the pill causes. It’s a rare type.

As it seems like I must have been amongst the first under 50s to get the AZ - wouldn't they have contacted me to see if I was ok if there was some on the quiet pause in the UK due to blood clot concerns? I find this hard to believe. My partner is CEV and gets weekly letters and texts. Surely they would have sent me a quick "are you still alive?" letter or text if this really was happenning?

[quote Knowingitsallover]@GappyValley but I was advised to stop the pill once over a certain age and because being overweight due to increased risk so maybe their are other risk factors who knows , it would be good to have more info and data but guess this all takes time [/quote]
Advised to stop, not national announcements to stop all prescriptions...

If we can live with a proven pill risk of 100 relative to the potential unproven vaccine risk of 1, either governments are being incredibly reckless to allow the pill to carry on being prescribed in vast quantities, or they are being incredibly over cautious to pause the vaccine roll out when the risk of covid eclipses everything else right now

[quote Benjispruce2]@GappyValley it’s not a normal blood clot like the ones the pill causes. It’s a rare type.[/quote]
From what I’ve read, while they are different types of clots, they have pretty much the same risks to health, chance of death, ease of detection etc