Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

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

197 replies

DandelionSprout · 13/04/2021 17:44

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?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
nordica · 14/04/2021 15:04

For those particularly worried about the AZ vaccine, there was an interesting article in the Guardian yesterday about the doctor who made the link and discovered the right test to use to diagnose what was happening. While it does seem to confirm the connection between the vaccine and the blood clots, it is also reassuring to know they understand a lot more about treating it already and the information is widely shared between doctors and hospitals. Hopefully, should you be one of the extremely unlucky ones, the treatment outcome would be a lot better now than it was a few weeks back.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/13/how-uk-doctor-marie-scully-blood-clotting-link-astrazeneca-covid-jab-university-college-london-hospital

Rillington · 14/04/2021 15:09

None.

Ineedaduvetday · 14/04/2021 16:17

So if people refuse AZ what alternative are they realistically likely to get?

Not rtft but I'd say your best option is to ask what vaccines are in use at the various centres in your area. There's no guarantee but it might give you an indication of where to book if you hope for a different vaccine to AZ.

Abraxan · 15/04/2021 10:17

It depends where you go, but even some hubs are using Pfizer.
Our local GP hub (in church hall not surgeries) using a mix of AZ and Pfizer. They tell you on the door which they are using that day. They'd rather you didn't call to ask, but will tell you as you arrived before you go in.

Both me and dh had Pfizer, separate days a few weeks apart and both same age. I'm group 6 and dh (40s) got an end of day spare. Friend went day before dh and has AZ.

Our larger hub is using mainly AZ, though has the odd day with Pfizer and I believe is due to get Moderna soon.

I'm not sure what happens if you turn up and refuse it at the door. Presumably marked as no show. Not sure if you can then just rebook or have to wait.

Abraxan · 15/04/2021 10:20

@kowari

Aren't the blood clots mostly affecting women under 60? So we could give men the AZ and save Moderna for women?
I think the rate of it potentially affecting was the same for men and women. There were just more cases in women as more women (mainly due to the nature of the occupation/carer jobs) had been vaccinated.
AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 15/04/2021 10:20

I didn't have a preference for which vaccine I received, but last week the one I was jabbed with at the local mass vaccination centre was Pfizer. It was a first jab. Due to the huge batches they're defrosted in, I can only imagine everyone had a Pfizer jab that day.

Abraxan · 15/04/2021 10:24

Because the regulators in every other country are saying the opposite.

This is not true.
It is being used for all age groups in some countries.
In some other countries it's use has been restricted.
In some its use has been paused.

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 15/04/2021 10:36

@DandelionSprout

What medical condition is this It’s called “I don’t want to die and no other country is giving this vaccine to people my age”.
The risk of getting a blood clot is higher from taking the contraceptive pill than having the AZ vaccine

You also don't seem to be factoring in the risk of death or long term illness from COVID.

IstandwithJackieWeaver · 15/04/2021 11:54

I'm in my late 40s and have had my first vaccination. AZ - absolutely no side effects whatsoever. My slightly older partners has also had the first AZ jab and felt slightly fluey the day afterwards.

For me, getting vaccinated the sooner the better was important. I wasn't going to ask to pick and choose what vaccine. Does anyone do that with the annual flu jab? No. That changes every year and I have no idea what any reported side effects of that are. The only reason the very small risk of blood clots is in the news is because the aim is to vaccinate the entire adult population.

I also, cynically, think it's interesting that the vaccine getting the bad press is the not-for-profit one.

PandoraP · 15/04/2021 11:57

The blood clot from the pill is not the same type of event as caused by the vaccine. Also Danish health authorities estimate that 1 in 40,000 will get this clot from the vaccine. That’s quite a high number.

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2021 12:02

That’s quite a high number.

Not compared to fatality rates from COVID it isn’t

PandoraP · 15/04/2021 12:04

It is when you consider the age group most likely affected. Also do you not think there are ethical questions attached to this number at all?

MarshaBradyo · 15/04/2021 12:14

@PandoraP

It is when you consider the age group most likely affected. Also do you not think there are ethical questions attached to this number at all?
I’m getting the vaccine tomorrow I know the relative risks and I don’t want this option withdrawn.
TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2021 12:19

It is when you consider the age group most likely affected

No, it isn’t. FR in, say 30-40 year olds from COVID are about 1 in 2,000/3,000.

Also do you not think there are ethical questions attached to this number at all?

What does this even mean? It’s not risk free no. Life isn’t. If you crunch the numbers, it’s quite obviously a better option than catching COVID and taking your chances.

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2021 12:20

I’m getting the vaccine tomorrow

That’s great news Smile

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2021 12:21

Let’s not forget that no ones being forced to take AZ if they don’t want it. Surely, with such minimal risks it should be an option, freely taken or rejected by the individual.

MarshaBradyo · 15/04/2021 12:25

Thanks Keating Smile

I agree it’s not mandatory. Personally I want this option and hope people will look at risk properly and we get out faster but no one has to take AZ.

beguilingeyes · 15/04/2021 12:42

@DandelionSprout

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?
Have you ever been on a plane? Taken the pill? Both are a thousand times more likely to give you a blood clot that the vaccine. I work at a Vaccination Centre and spoke to a Doctor about this yesterday. The words she used were 'vanishingly rare'.

The UK has got it right IMO. The WHO agrees. We need to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible. Everything comes with a risk. Have you ever read the leaflet that comes with a packet of paracetamol?

BTW I've had two doses of the AZ...so has everyone who works there (hundreds of people).

PandoraP · 15/04/2021 12:44

Oh how many times- this is not the same type of clot as the one you get from the pill (though they are serious enough)

Well in Norway around 700 people have died from Covid mostly elderly people. 4 women under 50 (I think one was 37) has died from clotting disorder associated with the vaccine. From these numbers you can understand why Norway will pause the vaccine especially as there are alternatives.
The U.K. has just mismanaged the pandemic so badly people have a different perception of risk.

PandoraP · 15/04/2021 12:45

I disagree the U.K. has got it right. The U.K. is behind again. In a few weeks they will change their tune on this and fall in line with other countries. 100%

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2021 12:47

Oh how many times- this is not the same type of clot as the one you get from the pill (though they are serious enough)

Why does it matter if it’s the same type or not?

It’s a rare/serious side effect that most deem a risk worth taking. Exactly like this.

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2021 12:49

Well in Norway around 700 people have died from Covid mostly elderly people. 4 women under 50 (I think one was 37)

Norway have unusually low COVID deaths. They are outliers.

Globally, COVID deaths are knocking on the door of 3 million. How does that compare to bloodclots?

TheKeatingFive · 15/04/2021 12:50

In a few weeks they will change their tune on this and fall in line with other countries. 100%

Bit late for that, they’ll have more than half their population vaccinated by then.

MarshaBradyo · 15/04/2021 12:50

@PandoraP

Oh how many times- this is not the same type of clot as the one you get from the pill (though they are serious enough)

Well in Norway around 700 people have died from Covid mostly elderly people. 4 women under 50 (I think one was 37) has died from clotting disorder associated with the vaccine. From these numbers you can understand why Norway will pause the vaccine especially as there are alternatives.
The U.K. has just mismanaged the pandemic so badly people have a different perception of risk.

Great for them but we are where we are and dissuading people from taking a vaccine which will get us out of it is no help.
beguilingeyes · 15/04/2021 12:53

It doesn't matter if it's a different kind of clot if it's going to kill you either way.