Alternatives to AZ thread

[Sebw]

I've just started this thread for people who have decided to refuse or delay AZ until more information becomes available. Other threads seem to full of people saying to have it and bashing cautious people.

I'm 48 and I've decided to hold off on vaccination until more info comes into the public domain. I am happy to have an alternative and know this will send me to the back of the queue.

Anyone else

@Sebw

I've just started this thread for people who have decided to refuse or delay AZ until more information becomes available. Other threads seem to full of people saying to have it and bashing cautious people.

I'm 48 and I've decided to hold off on vaccination until more info comes into the public domain. I am happy to have an alternative and know this will send me to the back of the queue.

Anyone else

How is this an alternative to the threads that already exist.

It’s just another version. Do what you want. Just don’t assume there is another vaccine queue to get into. There isn’t at the moment.

Me. I'm very concerned about the AZ jab and don't feel happy that there is enough info yet (or that is being put into the public domain yet) and it makes no sense to me why I should have to accept a risk with one jab that isn't there with another no matter how small that risk is, especially if I wouldn't be offered this jab if I lived in a number of other countries as I'm under 55/60.

On a personal level I suffer with migraines so have been unable to be prescribed the pill for a number of years due to increased clotting risk. I don't feel reassured enough that a similar link with this jab has been looked at or dismissed. I also have health anxiety and I cannot cope with the worry for 4 weeks after each jab that every headache or ache might be a bad reaction. Given that GPs have dismissed looking at any cause for my migraines/low iron that lead to me being almost unable to function/low vitamin D levels and just said it's one of those things and left me to work out what dosage of iron/vit d for myself I am not convinced that if I had any reaction I'd just be fobbed off with well you get migraines so it's just that.

My mum recently passed away from a bleed on the brain (she was 69 so older but not what I'd say is old and she was active and healthy until I found her gone.) It has been the most traumatic time of my life so a vaccine that causes brain clots/bleeding is just too close to home.

And on a statistic level of course I understand it's a 1 in a million etc but again on a personal level my dad was a 1 in a million for getting a certain type of cancer which ultimately killed him at age 44. I'm 43 now so again it's just hitting too close to me personally right now.

I just feel so stressed and angry that I'm now seen as selfish and stupid for not accepting any vaccine offered. I'd love to be able to talk it all through with a GP but it is simply impossible to be seen/get an appt at ours. I had to beg them to even do a phone call to talk about my 11 year old having abdominal pain for a week.

I'm absolutley not anti vaxx and I am worried about covid and long covid but I'm also entitled to be worried about a vaccine when there are alternatives available that I would happily take. I feel terrible knowing that when I get the call to book, I'll do so but I might end up wasting an appt as there is no way to find out what is on offer beforehand. Having now seen that they are considering no AZ for under 40s it just feels more like being a 40+ woman doesn't matter and we're just collateral and personal opinions/reasons for wanting something else are irrelevant. If someone under 30 or even of any age is more than happy to accept AZ then great let them - everyone has their own level of acceptable risk. But don't villify those of us who have concerns/anxiety and would rather have the alternative that would be offered if we were a different age/lived elsewhere.

@chocorangeaddict77 my situation is similar

I'm waiting for more info/an alternative. I've not been allowed the pill since I was 20 due to migraines with aura. I watched my mum die last year at 65, probably due to a brain bleed. She had cancer, not covid but it was a traumatic thing to watch happen.

I also had surgery for a brain clot at 3 years old. I am not comfortable with this risk. That is entirely my decision and I am not trying to convince anyone else to make the same decision.

It’s an emerging situation. In the FT today a senior UK haematologist said they have now seen close to 100 clotting cases and 80% were under 60. I think there is more to come. Won’t rush into having AZ but would bite someone’s hand off for a Pfizer jab. I’m 47.

Everyone makes their own choice of course. But there is no guarantee people who refuse a certain vaccine will be offered any alternative at any time. Of of course that rare side effects could come to light for any vaccine.

If lots of people start refusing AZ, surely something must happen? After all the government wants us all vaccinated.

‘Waiting for more information’ is not the same as refusing though.

I'm keeping an eye on both J&J because its only one shot = fully vaccinated, and Valneva as it's made the traditional way with inactivated virus so there's at least the possibly that it won't induce the same reaction.

nypost.com/2021/04/08/second-vaccine-site-paused-after-adverse-reactions-to-johnson-johnson-shots/amp/

I wouldn’t rely on J&J - two vaccine sites have been closed down after 1% of recipients had an adverse reaction.

Johnson & Johnson jab now being investigated too:
apple.news/A8S5Gi3jLSMaw1AKHC82eSw

There's association with clots with all vaccines ! It's because covid it's self causes clots from what I'm hearing. The good news is that the risk is low with all vaccines and they are safer than getting covid! We have all had AZ and my DD's are in their 20's. Stop scaremongering

Thats a shame on J&J.

How's Valneva looking?

So sorry choc and peas
I have also had family members die of sudden clots in their 40s (although I was very young/not super close) and have a clotting disorder myself

I was umming an ahhhing but it was pointed out to me that at 4 per million... even if the entire UK population had az jabs that 268 would likely die of blood clots in total .... considering 2000 people a day were dying of covid in January it seems crazy that this has even become and issue.

I never wanted AZ, and I had Pfizer. I’m 32.

@moochingtothepub Not true. There have been some reports of a few low platelet cases (easily treatable) associated with the Pfizer vaccine but not CVST alongside that! The brain blot clots are the dangerous part. Not surprised by J&J since it’s so similar to AZ.

I think they should pause for premenopausal women at least till more is known. Maybe an opt in for those who cant have pfizer.
They dont seem to have a handle on causes or who it affects or why.
Ive had it but even though im scared of covid i might not like this.
Because feel a bit misled about how many cases in uk.
Nhs is unlikely to find quickly and treat quickly more likely to be fobbed off till too late.
Need to have second dose and if they withdraw it then stuck mix and match.
Need for top ups of AZ so potentially taking the risk muliple times.

Its Just bad luck could have happened to any of the vax.
If it is on all then that is a risk to take but there are ones that arent causing strokes

It may not be as low as 4 per million. Norway says 1 in 20,000 suffer “serious side effects”. They’re now saying they probably won’t use AZ at all from now on: sciencenorway.no/covid19-vaccines/this-is-why-norway-is-still-saying-no-to-the-astrazeneca-vaccine/1832874

It does give the impression that we’re keeping AZ for all over-30s because we bet the farm on that particular vaccine, and our rollout is stuffed if we start being more picky about who gets it. Many of us in our 40s would prefer a period of further consideration from the authorities in this country. It’s very likely to be an emerging situation.