Alternatives to AstraZeneca vaccine for under 40s “will be considered” amid rise in blood clots Thread 3

[Whichjab]

New thread as the MRHA report is out today.

Note this is not an anti vaccination thread.

@RoseWineTime

www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-mixing-covid-19-vaccines-astrazeneca-pfizer-moderna-naci-1.6048152 Canada have just approved mixing and matching.

Guess they gave up on waiting for the Com-Cov study. They were under pressure after supply issues with AZ and a ban on it some provinces (age based). Notable that they’re not allowing AZ as a second dose in the mixing.

I have a feeling the UK will be the last country to approve mixing.........

I’m in the mixing Com-Cov trial - I believe initial efficacy results are due out this month. I suspect I had Pfizer then AZ bit that’s just a guess based on my reaction to both doses.

@DatingDickheads

The will only give me AZ! If I don’t take that I can’t get it.

Just cancel and rebook a different venue, then ring them to find out which vaccine and cancel if it’s AZ. I had to do that a couple of times and eventually got booked on where they were offering Pfizer. It took 6 weeks though!

I’m over 40 and have had a previous blood clot so wasn’t about to take my chances with AZ. They actually told me I did the right thing when I eventually got my vaccine.

Matt Hancock just announced today UK is in negotiations with AstraZeneca to order vaccines reformulated for the new virus variants to use as boosters.

Hopefully there'll be enough alternative vaccines available by then if boosters are offered to people outside the 1-9 priority groups.

https://twitter.com/ProfMakris

Professor Makris tweet:

There are currently retrospective audits going on in the UK of all patients admitted with a thrombosis during Jan-Mar 2021 to see if they were thrombocytopenic (ie was a VITT diagnosis missed)

@AppleJane that's interesting but wonder if the medical information will be there ...

[quote NotSoLongGoodbye]@AppleJane that's interesting but wonder if the medical information will be there ...[/quote]

Exactly. Professor Makris says "I expect it could easily be missed if a care home resident has a stroke and are not sent to hospital. I hope all patients with a stroke admitted to hospital will have a platelet count."

So we won't know for sure but it doesn't feel logical to me that there would be such a sharp cut off with regards to age and vaccine implications. It makes far more sense that it is being missed in older people who already have health issues.

For anyone who gives a toss (!), I’m going for my second today. Once I made the decision to get it (versus skipping second dose or trying to get mRNA which if I failed would mean I got second AZ very late and close to a holiday that I don’t want to be worrying on), I have found it easier to not think about it (much!).

Wish me luck!

Good luck @MiniMaxi might be best to take a break from this thread too for a while. Drink lots of water and treat yourself to something nice!

Thanks @AppleJane! Yes indeed, especially as the new data will come out just before my jab!

I was meant to have my 2nd dose last Tuesday but I had a massive emotional breakdown in the nurses room and couldn't go through with it. I have it rebooked for tomorrow but I'm really scared. I spoke to my gp yesterday about my worries and he said I am much more likely to catch coronavirus and it would be a much more likely cause of death than the vaccine. He said that 2nd doses appear to be safer and that the cases of blood clots occur more in people younger than me, I will be 55 tomorrow.

I have grandchildren than I am afraid to be around incase they have coronavirus and we are going on holiday all together at the end of this month. I honestly don't know what to do for the best. I'm tempted to cancel but can't decide.

Just been refused anything other than AZ for the second time because of my age. Total waste of time, fuel and emotional energy. No discretion at all allowed apparently. They understand my concerns but there is nothing the can do.

I'm really pissed off.

And I can't even talk about it with anyone in RL!!!! Argh

@Grellbunt that’s rubbish. I think other people have done this repeatedly and got lucky after a few goes...

Oh @Grellbunt you've been trying for ages. I'm so angry on your behalf! Are you in Scotland? All those in London are seeming to have better luck. Talk about a north south divide 😤

They said if they had any AZ in the building they couldn't offer an alternative

She said to keep an eye on the news for a rule change

Thanks for sympathy

I'm going to try and forget about it for a while

I don't have to go out much thankfully and I have the LFT tests

There shouldn't have to be a rule change for you to have a choice! So unfair. Everyone's circumstances are so different but I'd be exactly the same as you. If they want as many people as possible to be vaccinated then they need to stop forcing AZ onto people with concerns. It's unacceptable! Hopefully in a couple more weeks they will have given the majority of the second doses and you might have better luck getting an alternative.

The latest MHRA report for doses up to the 26th is out:

• 16 new recorded cases, 15 after a first dose, just 1 after a second dose.
• Data is based on only an additional 100,000 new first doses (presumably all 40 somethings) and 2.7 million second doses.
• Overall first dose risk is now 1 in 73,529.
• There are now 81 cases in the 40-49 bracket (with more to come I suspect) and the MHRA have added the following:

“The overall incidence after first or unknown doses was 13.6 per million doses. Taking into account the different numbers of patients vaccinated with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca in different age groups, the data shows that there is a higher reported incidence rate in the younger adult age groups following the first dose compared to the older groups. (18.0 per million doses in those aged 18-49 years compared to 10.2 per million doses in those aged 50 years and over). The MHRA advises that this evolving evidence should be taken into account when considering the use of the vaccine.”

Could this be a harbinger of them changing the age cut off?

• Overall second dose rate is 1.3 per million. They’ve added the following info:

All reported cases following a second dose are in patients aged 50 years and over, for whom the reported incidence rate is 1.4 per million second doses. Currently, no cases have been reported following a second dose in patients aged 18-49 years with an estimated 2.7 million in this age group having received both doses.

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

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9647577/Healthy-mother-43-suffers-blood-clots-dies-days-having-AstraZeneca-Covid-jab.html#comments

More sad news today

Obviously I can’t keep away but just to say the report is out and it’s now 18 incidents reported after dose 2 (1.3 in a million of you go by the doses to date but obviously a bit more looking at the doses say two weeks ago). There’s some additional commentary this time too. Fingers crossed!

Ah @IndigoC got there before me!

I might be imagining it but the three HCPs I spoke to this week seemed a lot more sympathetic/"torn" than the one three weeks ago. All females - this week they all effectively said they understand the concern but their hands are tied.