Under 40 will be offered an alternative vaccine

[CovidHalloween]

www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-astrazeneca-blood-clots-cases-latest-b1842455.html

They made sure they waited until all 40s have been jabbed until they released this piece of news.

I’m still grateful for my jab nevertheless.
In other news, many cluster of Indian variant are scattered across the country and about to become a variant of concern, but of course they buried this news because its Election Day today. I’m fed up of this mess and this reactive nonsense. Why not be proactive and make sure our border defences were more robust. It’s like I told you so?! Who would have guessed?!

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/06/new-concerns-indian-covid-variant-clusters-found-across-england-ongoing-risk-high

The blood clots are pretty much all after the first dose though aren't they? The second dose should be absolutely fine.

6 so far after the second doses, up 2 from last week, but a lot of people who have had the second AZ dose will still be within the 4 week period.

People need to calm down! Read the possible side effects of all prescribed drugs or drugs you can buy over the counter there’s 1000s of side effects- yet most of us wouldn’t think twice to take them!!

@Onceuponatime1818

People need to calm down! Read the possible side effects of all prescribed drugs or drugs you can buy over the counter there’s 1000s of side effects- yet most of us wouldn’t think twice to take them!!

I don't think it's unreasonable for people to be concerned given the speed at which the data is changing.

The overly cautious doom monger inside me has a niggling feeling we are back at the stage of end of Jan last year. They know the Indian variant is a risk to vaccine roll out success and that AZ carries risk in itself, it’s all about the votes and meeting that May 17th deadline to keep everyone happy- until the autumn.

God I hope I’m wrong.

@beguilingeyes

The blood clots are pretty much all after the first dose though aren't they? The second dose should be absolutely fine.

Too early to really tell. I think I read there are a few more cases, so I expect this will continue to evolve as more people have the second dose, the same as we've seen with the first.

I'm fuming. I have a medical condition that -in civilized parts of the world- means I could only get mRNA vacc. I'm over 45, so here a healthy 39 year old will be vaccinated sooner than I will ever be. Because the bloody gp won't give me a letter of recommendation and by jcvi rec I can only get AZ.
I really want to get vaccinated.....
Almost all of my friends, acquaintances got at least a first does, and I'm still nowhere. Up until now I held up, maintained close-to-normal spirit. But now I am just depressed and want to give up.

@TheSunIsStillShining

Surely, if it were medically vital you had a certain type the GP would write the letter of recommendation?

Good. This is the right decision. Fwiw I think AZ is probably not particularly unsafe relative to the other vaccines available, but it has a terrible PR problem.

If our end goal is to get as many people to accept the vaccine as possible, then identifying the age groups who are a) least likely to be badly affected by covid itself and b) most likely to be affected by a dangerous side effect of a particular vaccine, and therefore hesitant about accepting it, and allowing them to choose an alternative, makes excellent sense in public health terms.

Surely, if it were medically vital you had a certain type the GP would write the letter of recommendation?

GPs are not necessarily as up to speed as you'd think, and that can leave people in the lurch in a situation where things are changing quickly.
Many people with health issues will know a great deal more about their own issue than a GP will. If you're lucky, you'll get one that acknowledges that and is prepared to educate themselves further. If not, you're left high and dry.

I'm in a position what @MaxNormal described.
Gp says they'll be fined for unnecessary exemption letters and that "I can surely understand their position". No, I can't. It's my life they are toying with because they are general practitioners who can't be arsed to look stuff up.

TheSunIsStillShining can you try to book at a centre that is doing Pfizer or Moderna? You can find out many of those locations based on posts here on MN and on Twitter. I think with this announcements for the 30s age group, the stockpile of Pfizer currently held in the UK will also be distributed to vaccination centres so there should be more availability in the coming weeks.

Today is an interesting day for them to make this announcement as it's pretty buried under the wall-to-wall election coverage... Anyone who isn't following vaccination news closely can miss it even easier now. That may well be the intention as to not impact confidence in AZ among anyone older still waiting to be jabbed...

@TheSunIsStillShining

I'm fuming. I have a medical condition that -in civilized parts of the world- means I could only get mRNA vacc. I'm over 45, so here a healthy 39 year old will be vaccinated sooner than I will ever be. Because the bloody gp won't give me a letter of recommendation and by jcvi rec I can only get AZ. I really want to get vaccinated..... Almost all of my friends, acquaintances got at least a first does, and I'm still nowhere. Up until now I held up, maintained close-to-normal spirit. But now I am just depressed and want to give up.

I think if it’s important to you you need to make a pest of yourself. Talk to your local centres and see if you can chase down a Pfizer dose when they are next available. Don’t just get depressed, be proactive!

I'm in my thirties and was due to get mine next week but I'm unsure now. There just seems to be more information and changes every week and I don't know what to think about it. I know they are offering an alternative but I don't particularly trust any of them at the moment. I might just wait a bit longer and hopefully more information will be released about blood clots and any other side effects. I know millions have had it already and are fine but that's no good to the unlucky minority who have died.

@nordica

Today is an interesting day for them to make this announcement as it's pretty buried under the wall-to-wall election coverage... Anyone who isn't following vaccination news closely can miss it even easier now. That may well be the intention as to not impact confidence in AZ among anyone older still waiting to be jabbed...

Been thinking the same.

This is exactly what I predicted would happen a few weeks ago when the announcement about under 30s was made.

IMO it's unethical to require anyone to accept AZ when Covid infection rates are so low, and there are available alternatives that are just as effective, if not more effective. But because the government has bought lots of doses of AZ, and politically they want to meet their target for offering all adults a vaccine by a certain date, they pushed ahead and through the timing of this announcement have effectively forced 40-50 year olds to accept AZ.

It was quite different back in January when infection rates were sky high and there was limited vaccine availability. In that situation it was right to offer AZ, particularly to people at high risk from Covid.

I'm 41 and had my Pfizer vaccine yesterday. I'm grateful to the other posters who shared information about which centres were doing which vaccine - without that info I would certainly have ended up having AZ. The vaccine centre I went to was super busy and the vaccinator said it was because so many people were refusing AZ.

At this point they should just offer everyone a choice, that would be better than having loads of people refuse vaccination entirely.

Yes they should offer everybody a choice. A 41 year old’s risk is no different to a 39 year old’s. I’m booked in a Moderna hub for Monday and wish I could confirm it will still be dispensing to over 40s then as I don’t want to waste an appointment that could go to someone who wants AZ.

Where do I find out is doing pifzer?

@IceandIndigo how are you doing after getting your jab yesterday? Looks likely that I'll be getting Pfizer and haven't seen as many people commenting on the side effects from this as AZ.

@justanotherneighinparadise
That was not helpful. I get your good intentions (and thanks for that), but I have been making a pest of myself for more than 5 weeks now. I should be in the vulnerable group, but since dec I couldn't even get that done.
My condition is non-curable, but was diagnosed in another country 20 years ago. I am running into walls everywhere I turn.
get re-diagnosed here (yeah, right with the NHS this should not be a priority), get english official papers from origin country - that's never going to happen; prove that you have this condition - yeah, right - again I can prove it with non-english medical papers from 3 hospitals.

I'll get back on my feet and be proactive, but today I am just depressed, venting and feeling sorry for myself on a huge scale.

Things will be better tomorrow :)

@IndigoC

Yes they should offer everybody a choice. A 41 year old’s risk is no different to a 39 year old’s. I’m booked in a Moderna hub for Monday and wish I could confirm it will still be dispensing to over 40s then as I don’t want to waste an appointment that could go to someone who wants AZ.

where did you book?

I called 119 - they told me GPs know where Moderna is. Called gp - guess what? 119 should know where M. is distributed. fucking fed up.

@TheSunIsStillShining

At the Business Design Centre in Islington. Supposedly StoneX and Guy’s Centre 1 are currently doing Pfizer as well. But all of this is subject to change.

:/ where on Twitter and here can you find out which hub is doing which vaccine? North east and only heard of AZ at all of the hubs

God knows how the logistics for this are going to work for the under 40s. They won't be able to have scores of people turning up and the not taking it because it's AZ, so whilst at the moment the info isn't forthcoming on which centre has which vaccine, going forwards, there will have to be, or all centres to have both?