Why is the AZ vaccine no longer being offered to under 30s?

[Icancelledthecheque]

Just wondering if I need to be concerned... I potentially have an AZ vaccine tomorrow and I’m 32, so not much older! Does anyone know please?

@pinkearedcow

This is a strange thread, OP. Have you been living in a cave for the past few weeks?

If you listen/watch/read the news, the reason for this was broadcast constantly for a few days.

You are clearly a regular MN user, there has been thread after thread after thread about this.

I was thinking that all the fear mongering posts about AZ had calmed down recently...maybe not

Actually, I largely stay away from the news, and never visit the CV board - I only came here to post, rather than posting an unrelated question on the boards that I actually do frequent. There’s nothing fear mongering about it - it’s a genuine question, and whilst I understand it’s down to a clotting risk, I don’t understand why that risk is perceived to be greater in the under 30s and magically less risky once you hit your 30th birthday.

That aside, thank you to everyone who has posted helpful replies.

AppleJane

The problem with 'tiny risks' though is that it WILL happen to someone and no-one can know who that will be. Not everyone is happy to play Russian roulette, especially if they are happy to continue to self isolate until further information comes out.“

Please stop scaremongering.

A 32 year old woman is more likely to die in childbirth in the UK than she is to develop a fatal blood clot from an AZ vaccine, especially if she is in an ethnic minority group. Should we stop having babies?

However you will be doing riskier things on a daily basis for all sorts of reasons and there is no substantial cause for concern whichever age group you are in

I think there’s cause for concern that healthy, young people are asked to take risks to save an older, unhealthier population (COVID hits men harder too, while it seems more women are affected by these side effects).

By all means, take the vaccination if the personal risk factors make sense (I have had one shot of the MRNA purely for travel reasons)

Given that there are also social benefits to being vaccinated in terms of preventing infections from spreading and helping to bring the pandemic to a swifter close

Pandemic is not coming to a close, COVID has become endemic. At least that’s what the Pfizer CEO has said, and they’d be the ones to know presumably?

Vulnerable people will probably need yearly shots tweaked for whatever is going around, much like flu shots. It’s likely going to be too risky for young people moving forward.

I think there’s a real conversation to be had about vaccine requirements when it shifts some risks like that.

Already some college campuses in the US want to make vaccines a requirement for in-person attendance, which will cause some deaths for sure.

Pandemic is not coming to a close, COVID has become endemic. At least that’s what the Pfizer CEO has said, and they’d be the ones to know presumably?

Do you have a link for this please?

Oh, I have found something, I now understand what it is he was saying - your post confused me a little.

I'm sick of being told I'm scaremongering and I'm more likely to die of 'insert random statistic' just because I'm trying to decide what I want to do. I've already said I'm pro vaccine, I just don't like how our country is proceeding with AZ and I know that's what I'll be offered. I want more information and in the meantime I'm continuing to adhere to all rules and more. Why is that so wrong? All this 'civic duty' nonsense when I've stuck to the rules more than anyone else I know. It feels like being bullied into doing something my gut tells me not to.

It's amazing how many threads you're able to join saying the same things again and again despite being "unwell" @anyoldtime. Who are you to encourage people not to be vaccinated and run the risk of covid and long covid? Why are you conducting this campaign anyway?
Likewise your name pops up repeatedly telling people to disregard risks and ignore any negative outcomes despite TWENTY FIVE PLUS countries deeming it unsafe to use on under 50s/60s or at all!

You waited for one person to say "scaremongering" to say you feel "bullied", but you haven't engaged with the other posters who've politely given you information and responded to specific questions, so it's worth considering why that poster replied how they did.

You can get vaccinated or not, it's up to you. All that you can't do is pick a specific brand when you're being offered one that's considered by the JCVI to be appropriate for you. If you were in one of those other countries your choice would be "no vaccine yet", in the UK it might be AZ, Pfizer, Moderna or Novovax. Because you might not even be offered AZ anyway! And actually every one of those vaccines is both safe and effective, which is something that's worth researching if you're concerned. You should try to base your opinion on scientific facts rather than whether one or another country is doing things differently though.

I don't tell anyone to disregard risks @anyoldtime, I post factual information about the actual incidence of risk so that people can judge for themselves based on the figures. I have also posted about the symptoms to be aware of. As an example, why not read what I've posted on this thread? Let's compare that with an unsubstantiated "I've been unwell ever since" to see who is using facts and who is trying to emotionally sway opinion.

You're being unfair @MRex I have not waited for anything. I have read and read for days trying to find why my government thinks it's okay for me (in my 40s) to have AZ when other countries don't. No one on this thread has given this information for me to 'disregard'.

I know you all want to desperately get back to your 'normal' lives but I've already accepted that's not likely. I've been trying to find the yellow card information for the last few weeks but presumably it hasn't been released yet. I'm happy to isolate and wait.

The problem with 'tiny risks' though is that it WILL happen to someone and no-one can know who that will be. Not everyone is happy to play Russian roulette,

Ditto serious Covid or long term complications from Covid.

especially if they are happy to continue to self isolate until further information comes out

Its not all about you though. Think about all the people who are out and about, taking risks, to facilitate your 'self isolation'. We all have a part to play in stopping this thing.

And we all have a part to play in climate change but how many on this thread have given up eating meat? Don't guilt trip me.

And we all have a part to play in climate change but how many on this thread have given up eating meat? Don't guilt trip me.

Pure whataboutery.

If you want a thread on climate change, start one.

I don’t understand why that risk is perceived to be greater in the under 30s and magically less risky once you hit your 30th birthday

Aside from the fact that there are millions of words available via google on this you must be aware that age is a factor in al kinds of medical issues and no one thinks that there is a magic switch that clicks over on a birthday. How else would you suggest that a workable population level cut off is acheived?

I don't. I merely want to know (without being guilt tripped or called names) why it is 30 in the UK and 50 elsewhere. That is all. I have constantly said I am happy to be vaccinated. I just want to have all the information to hand as to why the discrepancy. It's actually quite worrying the reaction on this thread to someone who has repeatedly stated she is not anti vaccine.

@AppleJane

You're being unfair *@MRex* I have not waited for anything. I have read and read for days trying to find why my government thinks it's okay for me (in my 40s) to have AZ when other countries don't. No one on this thread has given this information for me to 'disregard'.

I know you all want to desperately get back to your 'normal' lives but I've already accepted that's not likely. I've been trying to find the yellow card information for the last few weeks but presumably it hasn't been released yet. I'm happy to isolate and wait.

You carry on being happy to isolate, don't expect everyone else to carry on doing it on your account. When you say you've already accepted that things won't go back to 'normal' for some time, what exactly are you envisaging life to be like for the next year, two years? Do you think this government is going to want things to continue as they are for a second longer than necessary? They want the economy to recover, and they are also a populist government who make decisions based on what is popular at the time, and it's clear that the voices of those who want to get back to normal are becoming louder all the time- unsurprising given the number of people who have now been vaccinated.

There's a little clue right there- they want you to be vaccinated so life can 'get back to normal' as soon as possible. But I don't think they will delay to protect those who refuse AZ. Oh, and they're happy for you to have AZ in your 40s because the risk to you from the vaccine is absolutely minuscule compared to the risk from coronavirus. I'm 33- not far from the age group who will be offered an alternative and I am 100% happy to receive AZ, the sooner I get it the better.

The inability of so many people to judge risks and benefits is staggering.

Because other countries have taken a different call, based on the mix of vaccines available to them, their current levels of infection, extent of and public support for lockdowns/border closures, capacity of health service to cope, concerns about liability/litigation.

Each country is in a unique position, it may not be particularly helpful to compare them. Obviously, if you only have a very limited supply of AZ to begin with, it might make sense to limit it to an older age group where the risk/benefit ratio is very strongly in its favour. The UK isn't in that position.

The information about the risk to you is out there. Any decision made should take into account 1) the relative risk of Covid as a comparison point 2) you may not get offered an alternative and certainly not for a long time 3) your own self isolation is only made possible by others being out and about taking risks themselves.

AppleJane

Ignore the same posters who join every AZ thread telling people AZ is fine.
The KeatingFive lives in Ireland and won’t be offered AZ so she won’t be taking the risk herself. All well and good to tell others to how minuscule the risks are!
I live in Ireland and am a healthcare worker who did take it before it was stopped for under 60s.

I follow threads where people ask for side affects/ issues with AZ as I’m personally affected. MRex is on every thread disagreeing with there being any negative criticism of AZ.

The KeatingFive lives in Ireland and won’t be offered AZ so she won’t be taking the risk herself

I’ve emailed my TD and told him I’m willing to sign a waiver to take it. So be careful of the assumptions you’re making.

The impact of COVID and/or ongoing lockdowns are far more concerning to me.

Thank you @anyoldtime you've put a lot of things into perspective for me with that comment. I'm stepping away now.

@AppleJane

I don't. I merely want to know (without being guilt tripped or called names) why it is 30 in the UK and 50 elsewhere. That is all. I have constantly said I am happy to be vaccinated. I just want to have all the information to hand as to why the discrepancy. It's actually quite worrying the reaction on this thread to someone who has repeatedly stated she is not anti vaccine.

Isn't it easy to understand it comes down to what vaccinations are available balanced against the risks vs benefit analysis? Rightly or wrongly the UK government ordered much more AZ than any other vaccine, and some of the other vaccines ordered are not ready and approved yet.

The supply of Pfizer and Moderna is simply not enough for everyone under 50 to have those. Nothing they can do about that as it's not a case of just buying a twenty million more doses. At this point the only alternative would be no vaccine at all for the majority of people between 50 and 30. There are supply issues as it is, and the rollout is not going as quickly as it was some weeks ago. The risk of serious illness and death from covid is much, much bigger in these age groups compared to the risk of a rare side effect.

Other countries were mostly relying on Pfizer and Moderna, so it's much easier for them to say ok, let's not use the small amount of AZ we have ordered for the under 50s or 60s.

@AppleJane

You're being unfair *@MRex* I have not waited for anything. I have read and read for days trying to find why my government thinks it's okay for me (in my 40s) to have AZ when other countries don't. No one on this thread has given this information for me to 'disregard'.

I know you all want to desperately get back to your 'normal' lives but I've already accepted that's not likely. I've been trying to find the yellow card information for the last few weeks but presumably it hasn't been released yet. I'm happy to isolate and wait.

The yellow card information is publicly available and updated weekly. Here it is: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting.

The latest yellow card report was released today and covers data up to 14 April. AZ blood clotting risk is now 8 in 1 million but advice remains unchanged that people should have the jab if they are over 30.

Interestingly, some German regions have now decided to scrap the age limit of 60 and over and are now offering AZ to all adults who want it. They are desperate to get on top of their current Covid wave.

Similar is happening Canada where they have lowered age limits and I think Philippines has also resumed AZ vaccinations.

It really is an evolving story. Not sure if it makes anyone feel better but I was slightly reassured by the news that other countries are giving AZ to younger people again.

IIRC the last yellow card data showed 22 blood clot deaths up to 5th April. The information now goes up to 14th April with 32 deaths. So a further ten deaths recorded in those nine days?

That’s the question... they refuse to give any more detail.