I'm due my 2nd dose of the AZ vaccine in May, what will happen if the UK decide to suspend it's use due to the blood clot issue?

[Ashleys63]

If the blood clot cases go up and a link is found they'll have to surely?

what happens then? because you can't mix vaccines apparently.

They haven't suspended it so far, so I'd be surprised if they did now, after it has been looked into and found to be safe.

I doubt it. They may advise taking aspirin ot something to minimise risk of clottting if there is a link found.

In Germany the plan is to give a second shot of a different vaccine. There hasn't actually been proof that mixing vaccines is harmful. It's obviously not recommended by the manufacturer but there have been tentative theories that it might even be more effective due to stimulating the immune system in a different way. Again, very early days unfortunately so they will only be able to tell once the first cohort of mixed-vaccine groups are done.

Thank you, and that's really interesting about Germany's plans.

in my opinion the suspensions are unjustified because a. there's no actual proof the vaccines have caused the clots (clots happen anyway) and b. there's no doubt IMO that having a vaccine is safer than hoping for the best if you have covid (where other things being equal the chances of dying might be 1-3%).
I'd be surprised if it was suspended here but even more surprised if they suspended 2nd doses.
It might be the case that they identify a small batch of people that shouldn't have it.

Mixing vaccines is not likely to be dangerous. But is unproven thus far. If I'd had one dose of az I'd rather another dose of the same personally.

Worst case scenario that they stop using it all together, I think they'll either start a new two dose course at a later date (you'll have some protection from AZ anyway, or by that time we might know more about having two different vaccines (as two doses) and how that works.

The Novovax will be available in September for the top four groups, some of whom won't get their second dose until May, meaning their vaccines could be five months apart. Other than the health and social category, all of the people getting the second type of vaccine will be elderly or vulnerable. They obviously thought this is ok as they're proposing it.

There is already a trial underway on taking one shot of AZ and one of Pfizer, another on combining AZ and Sputnik, and probably more. I think the Az/Pfizer trial is due to report in June.

I think the chances of it being suspended are miniscule. The risk from Covid is many times greater than the vaccine. These things are always a balance.

If the blood clot cases go up and a link is found they'll have to surely?

Nope. Lots of common drugs carry a risk of blood clots, including the Pill. We carry on using them because the benefits outweigh the risks.

Flyingcarries a risk of blood clots. Sitting a long time for any reason, in fact. So does smoking.

So does covid.

On the basis of the evidence we have blood clots are, at worst, an incredibly rare side-effect of vaccination. They might not be linked at all. Even if they are linked, you're very very much safer having the vaccine and the protection which comes from covid, than not having it.

The evidence base just might shift on that (this is all new science) but I would be surprised.

@Motorina, but these are a different type of clot. Nothing like the ones you mentioned.

[quote Tootsey11]@Motorina, but these are a different type of clot. Nothing like the ones you mentioned.[/quote]
The principle is the same though. We happily prescribe the contraceptive pill despite the risk of fatal blood clots, and that's not even to prevent an illness that can be fatal! Look at the risk of taking paracetamol - could kill you, but we still take one when we get a headache without a second thought.

@Tootsey11, exactly what @titchy said. All drugs carry risks. Many of them carry very much higher risks than it is suspected that the Covid vaccine might. Many of those are drugs in common use.

We carry on using them, because illness carries an awful lot more risks.

I genuinely don’t understand the point I’ve seen on a few threads now that the clot risk associated with the pill vs as yet unproven clot risk associated with the vaccine are different types of clot. What difference does the type of clot make - they can both be fatal clots.

I get the point that the clots being seen are an unusual clot and that expectedmess in the population can’t be compared to ‘ordinary’ clots. But that is a totally different point.

@ACovidofWitches

I think the chances of it being suspended are miniscule. The risk from Covid is many times greater than the vaccine. These things are always a balance.

This. It feels like there's a smear campaign against AZ.

What difference does the type of clot make - they can both be fatal clots

For practical patient purposes it doesn’t really does it? I personally think the thing that initially attracted so much attention was (as I understand it) was two incidents of this SVT and blood clotting disorder occurring in short succession in one locality. This is looking more and more like a statistical anomaly because sometimes two rare events will occur close together if you’ve a large enough sample.

If all clots were grouped together (DVT, PE and SVT), without checking, I’m pretty sure people generally wouldn’t even be aware of the numbers affected let alone giving it this much headspace.

I’m glad that concerns raised are being investigated because it’s right that process happens but I’m unconvinced it’s going to be concluded to be statistically significant based on what’s currently known.