Has anybody managed to get Pfizer instead of astra zeneca?

[Crovine]

If so, please share strategies.

I have a number of issues including sibling medical history that have led me to not want astra zeneca. None of these are on the list of official reasons to avoid it. But I don't want it. I went to my vaccination appointment today and explained this. They said I could have astra zeneca and that it was safe. They said they would not offer Pfizer (which people six feet away were having) because all the doses were allocated. I was advised to get a letter from my GP. However it was my GP who told me to go to the appointment and discuss at the centre. So I left without being vaccinated.

It seems like an impasse.

Has anybody managed to find a way through this?

It sounds like you have no clinical need to have Pfizer. Which is why you are not being offered it. Your "need" to have it is in your own head and due to your lack of trust - that is not a reason and you are being irrational.

@Totalbeach she absolutely doesn’t have to have the vaccination. That’s her choice. However, to constantly book and re-book to try and get the vaccine she prefers is shocking behaviour. All vaccinations have risks. All of them. She has a perfect right to assess these risks and refuse. I do not think it’s acceptable to keep wasting people’s time and medical resources.

Remember at the beginning when a tiny number of people had significant side effects from the Pfizer vaccine? Everyone then wanted AZ because people were fearful about the risks posed by the Pfizer vaccine for certain groups. Now it’s the other way.

There are potential side effects from both. People I know who have had AZ might have had some mild flu like symptoms after the first vaccination. People who had Pfizer tended to experience some mild symptoms after the second vaccine.

I work in healthcare so know a lot of people who have had both vaccinations. Nothing serious reported from any one of them including those with long term health conditions.

I am appalled that people are demanding and entitled enough to book precious appointments then decline what they are offered. How long are you going to keep this up? If your GP thinks you are vulnerable enough to require a specific vaccine they will request that for you. It is based on clinical need alone.

If the NHS messed around asking people what they wanted we would still be vaccinating the early groups and would probably still be in lockdown.

I despair.

You sound wonderful OP. Swearing in every post. 👍

After looking at the data you can't blame people for wanting one of the other jabs
But I don't agree in booking multiple appts As that may stop someone else getting
I have had my first AZ and i had zero symptoms but of course I am still concerned about 2nd jab and keeping an eye on the data , I know covid carries a higher risk but I am not going out to deliberately get covid where as an vaccination I am seeking so its a little different.
I think it is understandable that people are concerned and also realise that due to Az we are further in our vaccinations than others so I can see both sides.
Hopefully they may figure out why this happens and maybe some more choice will be offered when supplied are better although I would imagine this is some time off.
But I think there will be a slight delay now as people will refuse it and that is likely expected by the government

@RaspberryCoulis

I don't agree that members of the public should be able to choose.

But it's also wrong to say that all Pfizer at the moment is second doses. I had my first jab on Tuesday in Glasgow and it was Pfizer. According to the stats there were 6832 first doses given in Scotland yesterday - 5256 were Pfizer which is 77%.

Can you please share where you found these? I can’t find it!

[quote worriedatthemoment]@Schulte do you have stats for other vaccinations as well ? [/quote]

You keep asking this question but I've already linked the yellow card data that details all the vaccines. You just need to read it.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting

If it's blood clots you are worried about then you must see this. Someone posted this on another thread.

This is a real interesting analysis of the mRNA vs AZ vaccines - this is covered in the last 5 mins of the video.

Apparently the AZ risk of cerebral clots is 1.2 higher per million compared to mRNA
BUT the risk of Portal clots (stomach) is ~40 times higher with mRNA compared to AZ

Be fully informed before you choose! Don't go by what the media says.

Most people know that 41 people have died with the AZ blood clot issue (average age 47)

But there have also been a further 685 deaths recorded against AZ which we have no information for because they are being discounted as 'old'.

The odd people on the data thread are trying to compare each week's data because the full information is not being released. For example, this week's data records another 9 deaths and the average age has remained the same so perhaps we can assume they all relate to the current people being vaccinated. We don't want to assume. We just want transparency so people can make an informed choice. We are not anti vaccine.

@AppleJane

Most people know that 41 people have died with the AZ blood clot issue (average age 47)

But there have also been a further 685 deaths recorded against AZ which we have no information for because they are being discounted as 'old'.

The odd people on the data thread are trying to compare each week's data because the full information is not being released. For example, this week's data records another 9 deaths and the average age has remained the same so perhaps we can assume they all relate to the current people being vaccinated. We don't want to assume. We just want transparency so people can make an informed choice. We are not anti vaccine.

People do die of other things every day, especially the oldest and most vulnerable. There have also been reports of animal bites, insect stings and other clearly unrelated items on the yellow card scheme. It's interesting that you didn't do that as a percentage of how many were vaccinated, compare it with the percentage of those who've died after getting Pfizer and then compare it with the percentage of population who usually die. Facts are obviously a bit too inconvenient for your narrative.

There's no good argument why someone can't have a safer and more effective vaccine
Because there is none available. What there is has been allocated to other people who need it more.

We just want transparency so people can make an informed choice.
The yellow card data is available to everyone. Specific clot incidences have been listed by age. How on earth can you claim it isn't transparent?

@MRex you obviously missed the bit where I said transparency and proper facts is all we want. I don't know why that's controversial.

Because it's not being broken down into age, biological sex and health.

[quote AppleJane]@MRex you obviously missed the bit where I said transparency and proper facts is all we want. I don't know why that's controversial. [/quote]
The information is fully.transparently available. Your "all we want" has been made public every week for the past 4 months. It's "controversial" to insinuate that the information is not available when it is.

@MRex 41 people have died aged 18 to 98. Where in the data does it tell you the sex and ages? It lumps all the info together with the 209 clot issues. There is no individual death statistics.

@AppleJane

Because it's not being broken down into age, biological sex and health.

Age and sex are available in the yellow card report, while the risk factors clearly highlighted the differences by age on the van tam slides presented to the public. Personal health information is confidential and will contain irrelevant information too; clearly the new advice on who shouldn't have the vaccine has relevance and it's up to GPs to take that forward with affected patients.

You can't honestly think that transparency requires public release of people's full health records, that would be bonkers.

In table 4 here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting.

But there have also been a further 685 deaths recorded against AZ which we have no information for because they are being discounted as 'old'

They’re not discounted as ‘old’ they’re discounted because statistically those deaths would have been expected within the parameters of normal in the same timeframe for the same causes of death (including age). If those numbers start to exceed expected fatalities of the same cause in a given timeframe it’ll alert people to a problem.

I’m not claiming to be an expert but if you’re not even trying to look at these statistics with even a basic knowledge of how they’re used then you probably shouldn’t be looking at them at all.

OP I’m sorry that your brother died and you feel so abandoned by the health system but you have to be realistic. Working yourself up into a fury is only damaging you and won’t actually achieve anything.

By all means research which centres are more likely to offer an alternative to AZ (not a task I fancy personally but some have success with it) but you do need to accept the choice is what’s being offered or wait.

You need to understand that there is a massive global demand for these vaccines and each dose has already being purchased long before it’s made, they’re being distributed based on large categories of suitability because that’s the most efficient way to do it on such a massive scale but that does mean there’s very little room to tailor the programme to individual circumstances. They’re basically a very precious resource that everyone in the world needs a share of.

I personally don’t think these vaccines are going to be available privately for a long time in the UK so you need to reconcile the fact that you have a high chance of not being successful within the time limits that you have set in your mind. One option is to investigate countries that are allowing private purchase of a vaccine and whether that’s a realistic option for you. I don’t think anyone inside Europe is but I could be wrong.

@MRex it is not there. Do you think it is unreasonable for the public to know if the 9 extra deaths recorded in one week's data were all women in their late forties? When you look at one week's figures from the next the overall women figure has increased far more than men.

Is there a distinctively British attitude to not encouraging individual healthcare choices? Maybe it’s just a reflection of how the NHS works and how used people are to it. In France it’s the complete opposite - all about having a chat with your doctor about what option is best for you, sheer horror at the idea of mass vaccination centres or vaccines administered by volunteers.

Well, yes, that would be the ideal scenario wouldn’t it. The sticking point is that it relies on their being enough of everything so everyone gets what they want. That’s not the case with this scenario so no idea why you felt it an appropriate comparison?

Sure, the odd centre here and there may have a few extra of Pfizer for a first vax as some people didn’t turn up and storage issues, better than it going to waste but that’s not generally the case. So it’s prioritised for priority groups that will benefit most. If that’s not you then that’s that. Unless you expect a Copperfield magic show and for someone to pull vials that just don’t exist out of their arse?

@AppleJane no I don't keep asking at all and I have now read from someone elses link
Why be rude , I never see your link
And I am trying to find out about all vaccines not just Az

[quote AppleJane]@MRex it is not there. Do you think it is unreasonable for the public to know if the 9 extra deaths recorded in one week's data were all women in their late forties? When you look at one week's figures from the next the overall women figure has increased far more than men. [/quote]
Table 4 says 30 people age 40-49, 4 of whom sadly died.

Female total of 120 cases to male cases 87 means 58% female; as more women have been vaccinated in every age category and especially in the younger age categories that isn't statistically significant.

It's ok if you don't want to get vaccinated right now because you're nervous @AppleJane, it's absolutely your choice. What would be helpful though would be to put your questions openly e.g. "I want to know the total number of cases for my age group 40-49", rather than stating information is not "transparent" simply because you can't find it.