AstraZeneca - yes or no?

[merrymelody]

Our local pharmacy is offering the AstraZeneca vaccine. I thought I would jump at the chance to be vaccinated but somehow, I don't feel comfortable about this brand. Am I being silky?

This is beginning to feel like an anti vax thread...destined to scare people into not having a vaccine. I wonder to what ends people wish to stop others from having a life saving vaccine?

I have had AZ, as has my partner and most of my family. A couple of people felt a bit rough for a day or two afterwards, but that’s to be expected. We are all completely fine and will all be having our second doses when the time comes.

What do we know about the people who suffered from the rare blood clots? Did they have pre existing conditions which made the clots more likely?

This will have huge implications for the UK vaccine rollout,potentially as big as the MMR fiasco.

You mean when people refused the vaccines because of fear mongering and false information - like what you are suggesting OP does.

I also cannot believe people's blind faith in science, either.

Blind faith in Science? Science = facts. Science is the only thing you should have faith in when it comes to medical decisions, nothing else.

Especially as some of the posts are challenged, and then they disappear and never reply. Odd.

Also what pharmacy do we know in the UK where you can just rock up and book a vaccine at any age? Do we know of any? As far as I am concerned everyone is invited, and it is strictly controlled.

I jumped at the chance to take my Astra Zeneca jab.

Why,
My chances of dying from Covid are about 1%
My chances of dying from a blood clot are about 1 in a million.
(Massively less than the Pill, which most women don't give a second thought to having)

By far our biggest risk is not enough people being vaccinated to minimise the chances of a variant... THAT outweighs all else in my mind.

Please get your vaccines regardless of which one.

😅 dramatic

Misleading who - not leading anyone. Don’t need to be clear about anything. Personal risk is taken by all so they do their own research and make up their own mind hopefully.

@Roonerspismed

I’m following this with interest but no. But not just because it’s AZ but because I want to see longer term data on them all.

In relation to the AZ I am confused. The data seems to show no particular pattern but there is talk of avoiding it in the young. So it must come down to your own particular risk from covid. If you are young and a low BMI with no risk factors then that to me is different to the obese asthmatic.

I hope you don’t get Covid in the meanwhile. If everyone thought as you we would never get out of this mess and the economy would be shot. 7 cases of blood clots in 20,000.000!!!

@Hellohello53452
No, no, and no. Your post reads like a batshit bingo card

Yes you are being silly. I've had mine, and waiting for the next one. No problems at all!

😂😂😂😂 hysterical 😩

@Itsalonghaul

Also what pharmacy do we know in the UK where you can just rock up and book a vaccine at any age? Do we know of any? As far as I am concerned everyone is invited, and it is strictly controlled.

The OP has said she's in Canada.

People's ability to gauge risk is shockingly poor.

https://www.dsru.org/rare-blood-clots-with-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-in-women-under-55/
This media release based on some initial examination of the data makes it clear that we shouldn't be making assumptions of risk based on the number of clots in relation to total jabs given of az in the wider population- but rather the total number of az jabs given to women under 55 as these are who are having the rare clots, not the wider population. This narrows down, and increases somewhat, the risk.
Interesting report worth reading.

People like you get on my tits. THE VACCINE IS NOT THE WAY OUT.

What a ridiculous argument.

Of course there will be another disease after this one - there has been disease after disease throughout history. We adjust and vaccinate or prevent the majority of them happening. The deadliest diseases are the ones we don’t have vaccinations for because we can’t prevent them only treat them which is often ineffective.
A small cut can be deadly if it gets infected but luckily we have antibiotics to cure it - it doesn’t mean you won’t ever get an infected cut again so there’s no point getting treatment for it

Do you think we should just leave it to the survival of the fittest? Where no one gets any vaccinations or goes to the doctors to get treatment?

I am BAME, have a clotting disorder and autoimmune disease and personally decided to have AZ. Reason? All of those reasons make my probability of having severe covid very high.

I think people looking at mortality rates of Covid are doing the wrong thing. It’s not death by covid you need to fear - it’s the implications of Long / Severe covid. For many over 35s severe covid will mean a lifetime of pain and disability.

I have had my first AstraZeneca vaccine, and can't wait to have my second.

Okay - if the vaccine is not the way out, what do you suggest instead?

Yes. I've had it. It was fine. No side effects at all.

Another question I haven't been able to find the answer for
Can you still get long cv with the vaccination as it's my understanding you can still get the virus just milder.

The MHRA are currently reviewing all the evidence and more information will be released later this week. The risks of clots are very small but so are the risks of covid in the younger age groups. All the name calling needs to stop. Each individual will view risk differently and that’s ok. It’s a new vaccination and some very rare but also very serious side effects have been spotted and are being investigated. It’s not unreasonable for people to be concerned and it seems unfair to call people names for being hesitant. Some people will remain desperate to get the AZ vaccination and will see the risk as tiny others will feel more cautious and decide to wait until it’s been fully assessed. AZ isn’t the only vaccination available and it may well be that it’s decided that other vaccinations are more suitable for the younger cohort. Hopefully we’ll have more information soon. In the meantime there are lots of people waiting to be vaccinated and huge numbers who are happy with the risks associated with AZ so anyone who is hesitating won’t have a negative impact on the vaccination programme.

However, @Rainbowsandstorms, it's also worth noting that in Brazil, where the virus is running rampant, it's now moving down the age groups and is affecting those under 50 more seriously. (I think that was on last night's Newsnight, but will go and check).

If we don't get vaccinated, and the virus is allowed to keep mutating, this is the risk that we face - that more people get sick, more younger people get sick and the virus mutates so that the vaccines are less effective or, worse, don't work at all on that particular variant.

BMJ link about Brazil/younger people

"Covid-19 cases among people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s are up by 565%, 626%, and 525% respectively since the beginning of January, says the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz),3 a research institute attached to Brazil’s Ministry of Health. The comparatively lower increase in the overall population “suggests a shift to younger age groups,” it concluded in a bulletin published on 26 March."