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?

Nothing around here. Don't forget the govt is measuring stats for people being offered a vaccine. So on the ground no one really cares if you have it or not. Just so long as you are offered it. There is really no incentive for providers to encourage people to actually have it.

Why am I worth less than a 29yo?

Most people will have to have the AZ cause that's the one we've got most of. If that's the way you're thinking about this, then what makes you think you're worth more than most people?

Novavax ( pharmacy name) will be licenced in about 3 weeks. Results are great. Only mild effects following vaccination.
It works differently than others released as it cab destroy the virus if it enters your body therefore prevent transmission.
Some of it will be produced in England. The UK has already bought a fair amount

I had the AZ and am just pleased and grateful to be offered it. Any vaccine. I'd have taken it.

People taking up appointments and then refusing because it's AZ and they read a few articles is going to hold the process up.

If you've ever taken the pill or been pregnant, you've taken more risks already.

@Passthesauce

"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.

Perfect response!

I'm fairly confident that ALL the non mRNA vaccines will behave identically
Novavax is not the same type as AZ / J&J

its all risk, you need to decide if covid vs vaccination is a risk your willing to take

This a 1000 times over! If your risk of dying from the vaccine is 1 in a million but your risk of dying to covid is even less then I'd be asking myself if I really needed any vaccine at all.
I'm late 30s already had my 1st AZ vaccine no issue but I'm not the healthiest and have some underlying health conditions so for me it was a no brainer however if I was 10yrs younger and no health conditions I'd be in 2 minds if I needed to have it at all.

I think anyone who has the vaccine needs to have it if it benefits themselves medically, I dont buy into this social coercion, good of society or vaccine passport to go to the pub bollocks. Do what's right for you not everyone else.

The under 30s decision was taken not because of any judgement on the relative value of a life (FFS) but on the balance of risks. The risk of dying of COVID outweighs by a country mile the risk of these very rare blood clots and since the risk of COVID increases with age it stands to reason that the balance is in favour of having any licensed vaccine including AZ in your 40s.
The under 30s being offered the vaccine now, aren't they more at risk from Covid than me in my 30s if I haven't been offered yet?

All medications have possible side effects.

I was jabbed yesterday, AZ, no choice but I didn't care. Just grateful to have been vaccinated.

I'm the opposite, I get my jab next Wednesday and I'm hoping for astrazeneca purely because everybody I know has had it and they're all fine apart from cold symptoms a day or two after the jab.

@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?

Nothing, I hope.

Last year I was one of the ones who was a bit nervous about he vaccines and wanted to wait and see how vaccinations went for others. It was the said more than once vaccination is our only way out, and I started to realise I don't want us (not just me) living like this for the rest of our lives. I'm part of the world and it's up to me to do my bit.

So I got my head around it. I unexpectedly qualified early for a vaccine early, I was so excited I was there within 20 hours. The sense of relief afterwards was amazing, it was the best morning I had in January. I've been for my second vaccine this week, I know there's still risk (and I will remain careful) but again I feel positive in that I've done all I can to protect myself and others. I don't care I had the AZ vaccine, side effects really weren't that bad for me. There's a lot of AZ around, so many of us will have to have it. What we've got left of Pfizer and some of the Moderna coming in will have to go to the 18-30 age category. We do have an order of Novovax to come, but a lot of that will used to revaccinate the top four categories in autumn.

I'm not going to book an appointment and then refuse if it's AZ, but I think I will wait a bit and see if the age cut off will be changed. Haven't been called up yet anyway. Also, if I have one soon it might have worn off by the time I can travel overseas to see family.

@kowari

I'm not going to book an appointment and then refuse if it's AZ, but I think I will wait a bit and see if the age cut off will be changed. Haven't been called up yet anyway. Also, if I have one soon it might have worn off by the time I can travel overseas to see family.

You are wasting everyone's time and abusing the system if you do this.

I don't want my family members to wait for their vaccine because you have opinions that differ from the highly qualified Chief Medical Officer and the Uber amazing talented and qualified team behind AZ. And the idea that's you'll wait so you can go on holiday is just laughable.

@Sunbelievable Whose time am I wasting by not booking an appointment straight away?

@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?

My GP said nothing for at least 12-24 months. Once the pandemic is managed medical professionals are expecting all vaccines to be reviewed as some just won’t be available any more. My Gp expects that next year, if side effects remain the same, the NHS may end up buying the India made vaccine from SII.

Apologies @kowari I misread your reply and thought you'd be booking an appointment and then turning up and refusing it if it were AZ. I know people IRL who are doing this and it makes me arghhh.

Only time will tell about consequences and that is the truth. For now people should just take the vaccine offer or leave it. This way you stop adding to the speculation. It is a personal choice, it is not enforced and a first world problem to be in this position.

Denmark has just stopped AZ completely.

the NHS may end up buying the India made vaccine from SII
Which vaccine is this?

In answer to your question about how to get a Pfizer, not an Astra Zeneca, vaccine (I am going to ignore the 'should you avoid it' question because personally I'd be flipping glad of any vaccine right now!) then one potential way might be to find out which centres near you tend to give out the Pfizer one from speaking to friends/colleagues locally who have had the vaccine and then go to that clinic towards the end of the day and pray they have some leftover vaccines that otherwise would go in the bin. If you're in the eligible group now then I can't see why they wouldn't give you a leftover vaccine especially if it was only going to go in the bin. I know of one particular centre near me that only seems to be giving out the Pfizer one and is directing its small numbers of leftover vaccines each day towards local teachers and police officers rather than have them go in the bin. I realise that centres use different vaccines depending on what they have taken delivery of but it does seem like this particular one mostly dispenses the Pfizer one. If you're not too worried about a few wasted trips and some waiting around you might get lucky. That same clinic I just mentioned has also had 'walk in' clinics on the odd weekend for those who haven't been able to make an appointment but are in the eligible groups (these dates seem to be fairly ad hoc so you would have to keep an eye on your local news).

Personally I will be gladly taking any vaccine available to me when my age group becomes eligible although I realise we are all different and we all see things differently.

@Sunbelievable

Apologies *@kowari* I misread your reply and thought you'd be booking an appointment and then turning up and refusing it if it were AZ. I know people IRL who are doing this and it makes me arghhh.

No, I would never intentionally waste anyone's time, I just see it as being happy to let people go ahead of me in the queue. Well, I'm 37 and haven't been contacted yet so it might be fine by then anyway.

Why is it laughable that I could wait until I need it for travel though? I may not be able to see my parents or sister until 2023 or 2024 if Australia stays closed. If I have the vaccine now I will probably need it again before then.

the highly qualified Chief Medical Officer and the Uber amazing talented and qualified team behind AZ

...who had no idea that this (rare but) deadly side effect would occur and don’t know what’s causing it or who may be more at risk.

It works differently than others released as it cab destroy the virus if it enters your body therefore prevent transmission

Novovax is a different type of vaccination:
"The Novavax vaccine uses a version of the spike protein made in the lab. The spike proteins are assembled into tiny particles called “nanoparticles” which aim to resemble the structure of the coronavirus,"
It also includes an adjuvant to increase the immune response.
Nowehere does it say it destroys the virus - that's what it's priming your immune system to do, just like all the other vaccines.

@DandelionSprout

You're not listening to anything anyone is saying. Why start a thread if you're not prepared to learn from it?