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.

No @GappyValley they are not. It causes multiple clots and a 40/50% chance of death.

Pill has been out for a while though. We know what the risk is and what the risks factors are. I'd guess that's the major difference.

This is newer and the vaccines have been big news for understandable reasons.

Re: the stopping first vaccines from tomorrow. Wasn't this announced a while ago due to shortages in supply. I don't think it is news today, just co-incidental. Particularly given the age range they had got down to.

@RafaIsTheKingOfClay apparently AZ deny supply issues.

Figures released by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency show 14 deaths involving the Pill since 2015, including eight involving blood clots in the veins. There have been 1,960 reports of suspected adverse reactions to the combined contraceptive.

In England more than 1.5 million women are on the double-hormone combined contraceptive pill.

Of these, between 750 and 1,800 each year are at risk of developing a blood clot in the leg or lung.

blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2021/03/30/blood-clots-and-the-az-vaccine-revisited

@DoodleDJ

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?

Deaths are investigated and reported regardless of what you are later found to have died of, they don't need to ask you if you're alive or not.

@Nofriend

It it’s a rare type of blood clot that is occurring in statistically significant numbers, why haven’t we seen that in the UK? We’ve almost certainly vaccinated more young people with AZ than Norway has.

@daisiesinmay

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

I don't think there's a link. I thought the clots were affecting people under 55, not 50?

Loads of under 50s have already had it. Lots are in the vulnerable group or unpaid carer, and some areas are already inviting under 50s ahead of schedule. There's a thread on here on people in their 40s who've had it.

I'm slightly concerned but on balance I'm glad I've had it. I want to avoid long covid.

I'll be having my second dose in a few weeks without a second thought. The tiny risk of a blood clot is preferable to me than the small risk of hospitalisation/death from Covid and the medium risk of long Covid, which I really don't want and can't afford to get.

I thought that was for the domestically produced supply not the delayed AZ supply from India Benji although I can't keep up.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/17/nhs-covid-vaccine-rollout-under-50s-delayed-major-shortage
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56438629

Guardian and BBC stories from 17th/18th March. Including where AZ say there is no issue with domestic supply.

Or indeed the small risk of a blood clot from covid.

@Benjispruce2

No *@GappyValley* they are not. It causes multiple clots and a 40/50% chance of death.

It’s totally untrue to say ‘it causes’

It’s currently little more than a thesis...

I'm under 50 with underlying health and got my invite at the end of January. Allergies, ill health and consultants all said no.

I've posted this before on other threads, but let's try again in case anyone reads it. This particular blood clotting is actually quite prevalent with covid-19. Here's some research (I've posted other articles before, there are a lot from back when covid was new): pn.bmj.com/content/21/1/75.

1. This all pre-dates any vaccines
2. Nobody appears able to confirm yet that these people had not had covid, it's a very obvious question especially of healthcare workers
3. Is this an antibody response, i.e. would have happened eventually from covid or any vaccine
4. Are countries that have had lower covid prevalence just less aware and not ruling out cases that would be clearly linked with covid elsewhere
5. (The one that worries me - is there a link with the Breton variant that can't be detected on PCR tests but is known from hospital tests to be in Scandinavia, France and Germany?).

Bad choice of words but you know what I meant.

That's interesting @MRex.
So it's possible these clots are caused by covid rather than the vaccine. That could make sense as the 4-20 day window for symptoms is pretty much the same as for covid following exposure to infection.

Am I the only one feeling a dejavu every week. 1 week block 2 week clots. 3 week block. 4 week clots.

The condition causes the multiple clots, not saying the vaccine is responsible.

Eh? @EasterIssland

@Benjispruce2

Eh? *@EasterIssland*

Germany has also blocked it. Like few weeks ago. Seems to me like week after week az keeps getting bad press : blocking exports or causing clots

@RavingAnnie how would we go about doing that? It was only a few days ago.

@EasterIssland I know what you mean
I think its time we get to see figures from all countries and numbers as it seems strange that the uk haven't seen more and some countries have had a couple instances close together ? Yet you would think the uk has given more doses , all else has used it in great numbers ?

1. There are a large number of people due to get second doses of AZ in April, I happen to be one of them.

1. If AZ supply remains constant then the large numbers getting a second dose means not many left over for new first doses.

1. The government were probably expecting more Pfizer this month, so they could keep doing first doses, that may get held up.

1. Covid causes blood clots and in larger numbers of people then any number being reported anywhere. Did these people with rare blood clots have covid or catch it when being vaccinated?

The reports would certainly make me think more carefully if I was under 50 - but I havent seen anything suggesting the risk is worse than the risks of covid.