MHRA may change advice for young people receiving AZ vaccine

[IloveSooty424]

I just saw this news story on Channel 4 news tonight.

www.channel4.com/news/uk-medicines-regulator-considers-issuing-new-advice-over-oxford-astrazeneca-jab

It seems the MHRA may follow other European countries and Canada and advise that younger people should not receive the AZ vaccine. It seems the decision will be made imminently in the coming days.

I’m due to book my vaccine this week and don’t know whether to wait and see how this plays out. I’m 42. I’m also concerned that if younger people will only be offered the Pfizer vaccine it will slow down the vaccine programme substantially.

Any thoughts?

[quote PandoraP]@CuriousaboutSamphire, so all the countries who have paused or set other restrictions on the AZ vaccine than the U.K. are also not understanding, not reading the room, not listening?[/quote]
I don't think that was quite the gotcha! you may have imagined it to be!

And that topic is long exhausted, surely?

Today's press conferences were surely a reset in our understanding. A chance to re evaluate, to lose/ modify any of our preconceived ideas about AZ or any other vaccine!

[quote PandoraP]@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum, I understand that no vaccines are 100% safe. Why do people insist you must be a complete thicko of you are of a different opinion to the U.K. government approach?
Clearly many countries in Europe take a different approach. The latest is Belgium who will only give the AZ to the over 55s.[/quote]
I don't in the least feel you are thick for having a different opinion. I like a good debate. It was just a response to your post sounding like that was what you think.

I agree it would be a problem if the economically 18-49 weren't able to go anywhere without a vaccine passport, but that's why it won't happen, companies will not want to administer vaccine passports, they will let people in with crappy old lateral flow tests! The only issue may be foreign travel, but even then I'd be surprised if testing wasn't an alternative.

People are full of perceived injustice, but in reality the market dictates everything, I never downloaded Track and Trace and ate out when it was allowed, no-one ever asked me for anything, just wandered in, or if asked wrote my name and tel no on a piece of paper. Businesses will adapt to the market they have, not one public health would prefer once things open up.

[quote VenusTiger]@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum Brazil have a contract with Pfizer - what does that tell you.
If some of you turn your boxes off you might learn something.
This vax propaganda is getting seriously out of hand. They are for vulnerable NOT for young and/or healthy.
They are not immunisations.
They do not stop transmission.
Millions upon millions of ppl have had Covid and recovered, because as was originally advised, the majority aren't at risk from it, as the majority have fully functioning immune systems.
This hysteria is madness.[/quote]
I thought it lowered transmission?

Isn’t data from Israel good now due to high vaccination rate

If there is no benefit why bother? What is the point in vax propaganda as you call it. Who is benefitting?

@worriedatthemoment

What have the ema said have they updated ?

Ema spoke before mhra. They think there is a link but not because of age , sex or previous illnesss. If they call you to have az have it as we won’t restrict it to anyone Benefits outweighs risk

@Dustyboots but there are reports that they do help stop transmission not totally but reduce , not sure why people keep saying they don't stop at all
Also what does brazil having a contract with pfizer have to do with anything ?

@EasterIssland ok thanks but it seems lots of european countries have made their own call on age etc is that right ?

[quote worriedatthemoment]@EasterIssland ok thanks but it seems lots of european countries have made their own call on age etc is that right ? [/quote]
I’m Spanish. I can speak for Spain. It’s limited to 65 yo ans they’re thinking of increasing the age to higher ages. Atm they’ve not restricted to any young. Any person that has died because of the vaccine in Spain has then ruled out after a post mortem investigation (3 women)

@VenusTiger isn't their evidence to say that it does help reduce transmission now though?
Also if your looking at risks , healthy people have also died from covid , and also peoples life shortened by years at the very least who may have an underlying condition but had they not caught covid would still be here
None of us can be sure if we caught covid we would be ok 100% either

@CuriousaboutSamphire, it wasn’t meant as a gotcha. It was a genuine question. You seem to think I am a bit lacking in brains so was wondering if you think the same of countries who have still paused the vaccine like Norway?

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum, I understand there are always risks. This is about our risk appetite. A small country like my own Norway where few youngish people have died of Covid might have less appetite for the risk of the AZ vaccine than a country like the U.K. who has been ravished by Covid.

[quote PandoraP]@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum, I understand that no vaccines are 100% safe. Why do people insist you must be a complete thicko of you are of a different opinion to the U.K. government approach?
Clearly many countries in Europe take a different approach. The latest is Belgium who will only give the AZ to the over 55s.[/quote]
I don't think anyone with a different opinion is thick. That was in response to your post because it read like you thought that was possible.

MHRA have not advocated restrictions in any age group, based on their recent assessment.

However, it may be still be restricted by those making the decisions about the national vaccination programme.

Yes. That was the point we were discussing earlier.

The EMA and the HMRA have said pretty much the same thing.

Countries have made different decisions, some based in odd outcomes,.like Norway, based in initial analysis of their situation.

Others, both before and after the first reports if clotting issues, made decisions that didn't seem to be based in science - like Macron's 'quasi effective' statement.

Each will have had a different set of socio political reasons for doing so, some less fathomable than others.

And the EU stuff too!

@MarshaBradyo

lol

Yeah it’s a right laugh a minute.

Lol

Well it is certainly laughable

@PandoraP that was clearly explained today on why different countries may take different approaches based on supply , risk factor etc etc
Countries with lower cases can afford a slower roll out as such , but there are other countries in europe with high cases like uk
And so far it looks like vaccine programme is working in the uk , so guessing vaccines may of saved a lot of lifes .??
When you think what the figures were just a month ago in the uk

Well it is certainly laughable

Some will hold on to a post until the end of days.

Really who cares. Move on

Phase 3 trials on AZ showed a reduction in transmission.

"The analysis also showed the potential for the vaccine to reduce asymptomatic transmission of the virus, based on weekly swabs obtained from volunteers in the UK trial. The data showed that PCR positive readings were reduced by 67% (CI: 49%, 78%) after a single dose, and 50% (CI: 38% to 59%) after the two dose regimen, supporting a substantial impact on transmission of the virus."

www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2021/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-confirms-protection-against-severe-disease-hospitalisation-and-death-in-the-primary-analysis-of-phase-iii-trials.html

The trials in Israel are also promising

m.jpost.com/health-science/covid-19-vaccine-seems-to-reduce-viral-load-transmission-israeli-study-664181/amp

@CuriousaboutSamphire

Mancunian timing matters. Some of those decisions were made prior to any knowledge of clotting issues - which have since been seized upon to back engineer some 'proof'

Nonsense, Curious. A number of countries decided to suspend use of AZ in order to investigate the apparent clotting issues. At that point, the states involved (correction: the EU states involved) were called fuckwits/jealous etc etc.

On a different subject, I would really like to know (i) when the 19 deaths occurred and (ii) what is meant by offering under 30s an alternative to AZ "if available". Does that mean that if no alternative is available, under 30s are advised to continue to take AZ? That seemed rather unclear to me - I wonder if anyone knows the answers?

@MarshaBradyo

Well it is certainly laughable

Some will hold on to a post until the end of days.

Really who cares. Move on

Shall we both move on Marsha

Trying to be more optimistic ,Good news locally today our local hospital said they have no covid cases in, hoping it stays this way
Also I don't understand how uk and italy have much higher death rate than france who has had loads more cases are we all reporting the same ? Have more younger people had it there or a better treatment ? Does anyone know

@MarshaBradyo

Well it is certainly laughable

Some will hold on to a post until the end of days.

Really who cares. Move on

Well now I am wondering what the original post was about

Apart from that this thread makes me miss work 😂

@worriedatthemoment probably the method it is reported with, we report a Covid death as a death within 28 days of a positive death, regardless what else they had when they died. Some countries record it as "First cause of death on the death certificate", which obviously will produce much smaller numbers.

*within 28 days of a positive test

Truely is the good news one still going? Think I need to read that for a bit!

Boringlynormal

I’m mid 30s and 10 days post vaccine, very anxious.

I’m also gutted that despite cheerfully rolling up my sleeve when invited im now in a position where (assuming I’m ok from the first one as I’m not out of the danger period yet!) I either take a second vaccine shot that is either no longer advised for the age group or pretty close. Or I mix and match vaccines in a fairly untested way. So probably I’ll do neither and be less protected and I so wanted this vaccine. 😭

Try not to worry, Boringlynormal . One of the usual experts (can’t remember which, sorry) was on World at One today and said that if a person has no reaction to/side effect from the first AZ jab, it is extremely unlikely that they will react to the second.