If I refuse AZ which vaccine am I likely to get?

[DandelionSprout]

AZ jab is currently available to book but there are the obvious concerns. It sounds like J&J has similar problems. My GP said Pfizer for 1st doses is literally non-existent, Moderna is only available at a few selected sites and in small amounts, and Valneva won’t be rolled out for months. So if people refuse AZ what alternative are they realistically likely to get?

Isn't the reason AZ is cheaper is because they aren't making any profit from it at all, unlike moderna/pfizer, who are making huge profits?

Yes.

@thegcatsmother

Whichever vaccine, there is a risk. It has been widely underreported that there have been issues with Pfizer and I think Moderna in the U.S. causing a catastrophic loss of platelets leading to bleeds on the brain.

As someone with very few platelets, I had AZ, and am waiting for my second jab.

Can we keep repeating this on every vaccine thread, because it gets ignored?

There are also issues with Pfizer

My GP said they can’t provide Pfizer or Moderna because they don’t have the cold storage facility. They have to refer you elsewhere to have those, and they won’t refer you unless there’s a clinical reason. And I can’t book direct because the NHS website says I’m not eligible, even though I am.

I can’t even find a list of the sites that are offering Moderna, does anyone know?

I'm sorry if I'm repeating a PP, but frankly, if you make the choice to turn down a vaccine, I'm wondering why you think you can pick and choose from what's available (assuming it is, in your area?)
The risks are minimal, as has been outlined here by many posters. If you don't want to have it, that's your choice, but remember not to gripe about it if you do end up catching COVID.
You put yourself in that situation if you do.

As someone said upthread I’d be amazed if we didn’t eventually have data showing that all the mRNA vaccines have the potential to cause the same side effects.

Well, yes and no - AZ isn't an mRNA Vaccine! I looked up the figures for Pfizer and they aren't much better (I had Pfizer) But this is just statistics. There is as yet no scientifically proven connection.

Does anyone know if it is more risky to have the AZ jab for people who are taking the contraceptive pill?

And this isn't a 'pick-and-mix' situation! It's a global pandemic, so you take the vaccine you're given.

Afraid it isn't nonsense because AZ and JNJ use old technology hence lower effectiveness not to mention side effects.

This video explains why you shouldn't pick a vaccine based on its apparent efficacy....

Why you can't compare Covid-19 vaccines

@nordica I think you’ll find the GP can do just that. I know many people who were given a choice. My own GP’s website states that there is a choice.

Clots seen with Pfizer are typical, clots seen with AZ are not typical and seen in much younger people.

If everyone took the approach of refusing a vaccine and trying to shop around, we would as a country, be fucked.

What is going to happen to the under 30s who have already had the first does of AZ? Will they be given the second AZ dose?

Listen to more or less - bbc sounds. They explain the risk very well. Bottom line the risk is similar to a long haul flight and a lot less risky than the contraceptive pill. Both myself and my dd had AZ without issue and she's in the age group they are no longer using AZ for (cv)

I think it's probably a bit of a postcode lottery, OP, but in some areas, it will almost certainly be AZ or nothing.

I'd take the AZ vaccine, personally.

What is going to happen to the under 30s who have already had the first does of AZ? Will they be given the second AZ dose?

Yes, they'll get the second dose. My friend's 18yo dd is in this category due to being CV. Her risk from covid is greater, so it makes sense for her to have it.

[quote Doireallyneedaname]@nordica I think you’ll find the GP can do just that. I know many people who were given a choice. My own GP’s website states that there is a choice.[/quote]
Do you think GPS have vaccines stored in abundance under their desk like a pick n mix? Its very much on an accessibility/delivery basis. There may be occasions when for medical need a GP may recommend a specific vaccine and is able to secure it for that specific patient but in general you get what your given and what's available at the time. If everyone gets a choice then it will inevitably slow the vaccine process down which is not what we want at all.

Spoke to gp today, he said all under 30s will have moderna, pfizer only for 2nd doses , everyone else now astra zeneca.

"If everyone took the approach of refusing a vaccine and trying to shop around, we would as a country, be fucked."

This sums up my point of view perfectly!

We are in such a privileged position to have a vaccine, I hate to think what position we'd be in otherwise (thinking back to last year when it was an 'if we get a vaccine' not a 'when'). People refusing and spending time discussing options with medical practitioners is just going to delay the roll-out further (with apologies to those with legitimate concerns due to pre-existing vulnerabilities) as well as taking up their valuable time.

I have mine booked for this weekend and am fully expecting to receive AZ. And I am very grateful to be receiving it so much sooner than expected.

@Timeforredwine Sorry, a random GP will not have a handle on the Government overall vaccine strategy above what they info communicated to them. Plenty of people in their 40s this week have been having Moderna this week already.....

I am a vaccinator and if you have no medical reason to not have a specific vaccine and its the one available on the day of your appt you are removed from the list.
Sadly you cannot pick and choose.

Take the AZ if it is offered to you.

The way it's working the supply to vaccination centres is very tightly centrally controlled and it's not necessarily even known in advance when you book which one it will be on the day you attend so I can't see a way that you can somehow 'game the system' and get a particular one.
I don't think GPs have any control or choice in it any more than Joe public. There must be a way for them to refer people who have some real medical contraindication eg anaphylaxis or actual heparin induced thrombocytopenia but again I would imagine the referrals are heavily scrutinised

If the regulator says it's safe for your age group then there is no obligation to offer another choice the same as any other medicine. If it was a beta blocker or a PPI you get the cheapest licensed option whatever your preference.
Obviously you always have a choice to refuse.

if you have no medical reason to not have a specific vaccine
I do have a medical reason not to have AZ. I don’t want a blood clot. Other countries recognise the risk and have decided that younger people won’t have AZ. The UK for some reason is going against everyone else and telling me that AZ is my only option. Why am I worth less than a 29yo?

If the regulator says it's safe for your age group then there is no obligation to offer another choice
The point is that the regulator should not be saying it’s safe. Because the regulators in every other country are saying the opposite.