About the safety of the vaccine

Nightowl you are so right
You said exactly how I feel thank you

We may hear next week that the Oxford vaccine has been passed.
It’s probable that will be the one most of us have as it’s cheaper, easier to store than the Pfizer one and we’ve ordered, I think one hundred million doses.

To be honest I don’t mind which one I have so long as I have one!

I am optimistic the take up will be high.

It’s surely only a tiny minority of people who have fallen for the daft conspiracy theories!

I do have a couple of questions, which would put my mind a bit more at ease, if anyone knows the answers?

Thinking about it during the night it seems that the main purpose is to protect our overburdened NHS from complete collapse.
As well as more individual and social freedom.
We're not going to 'kill the virus'. But learn how to live with it and survive.

My questions are;
Has the vaccine now been tested on the over 55s?

How has the success rate gone from the 70s, to 95 percent?

I've been looking around online, but haven't been able to find the answers.

The last definitive thing I read was that trial results can't be a cobbling together of two results, when neither followed the protocol set out. (It didnt test a fair representation of age ranges, and it was never decided to do half the vaccine, then another dose afterwards)

This isn't a criticism, it's genuine interest.

You will find the answer to most things on Dr John Campbells utube blogs and he always dies links to access the information he uses.

I agree with those who have said they trust Professor Van Dam. He explains things simply and clearly, is not afraid to say he does not know something if asked, and is really reassuring.
I love his metaphors. I am certainly going to get on his train now it is in the station and the doors are open!

Thank you, MayBee .
I'll have a look on YouTube

MissAdventure the Oxford vaccine has deninitely been tested on the over 55s. DH was one of those it was tested on. He is 77 with high bloodpressure, diabetes in remission and overweight.

We do not know, of course, know whether he had the COVID jab or the alternative, but he is proof that over 55s and over 55 with co-morbidities were included in the tested sample.

I have doubts about Pfizer. Their track record on not revealing the real risks with drugs is there for anyone to see. They have been fined for the way they marketed drugs and the claims they made for them. They have been forced to withdraw drugs.

Thank you, M0nica.

I seem to be about 5 steps behind the rest of the world with covid news.

I'm not an anti vaxer and have had all vaccines recommended for travel flu etc to date. But I'm worried about this covid one because
I've seen and worked with people affected by thalidomide and the government took years to stop it being prescribed
CJD or mad cows disease was around for a few years before the government admitted it existed. I know as my friend was learning about it on her environmental health course. It put the beef industry in dire straits that's why, all down to money.
So I don't trust the government to tell us if anyone was seriously affected by this vaccine until they absolutely had to. They would cost the drug companies so much money
Also there's a clause that you can't claim against the manufacturer if you suffer severe side effects.
So although I really want to have the vaccine I am very worried

The drug companies themselves don't go through governments. They do the tests and trials and refer them to an independent body for licensing. Until they are licensed, they can't be released to the be administered to the public. The results of the tests and trials are available to be seen.

M0nica

MissAdventure the Oxford vaccine has deninitely been tested on the over 55s. DH was one of those it was tested on. He is 77 with high bloodpressure, diabetes in remission and overweight.

We do not know, of course, know whether he had the COVID jab or the alternative, but he is proof that over 55s and over 55 with co-morbidities were included in the tested sample.

Well done M0nica’s DH ????
It’s no mean thing to do ?

Pfizer have had numerous lawsuits against them over a variety of things, they do not have a good track record at all
I m more interested in the Oxford drug not because it’s British but I believe from what I ve read it doesn’t use chemicals and is cheaper and not for profit (the cost of a cup of coffee) I find that far more appealing
I will wait and see hopefully that ll be the vaccine of choice when the Pfizer one runs out !
US haven’t passed it yet
I m happy to wait everyone that’s happy trusting an eager can get theirs next week I ll hold back a little while
I m not anti vax at all and look forward to proof that this not only keeps you from going into worse decline but that it actually covers you and we need to know for how long? Three months , six months, a year ? We don’t know that yet? Does it stop you spreading the virus ?we don’t know that either? It may stop you going into hospital but what if your still passing it on ?
There are a lot of questions yet

There is a lot we do not know yet - it inevitably goes with the territory of a new virus. There is an element of walking into the unknown, but that is simply how it is. Either we go with the vaccination programme or we all have to go on living like this till the virus chooses to bugger off, which could be who knows when.

We have no choice but to live with a certain level of insecurity in this situation.

I do not fear chemicals - I am made of them.

I’m willing to risk it, just gimme the vaccine. It’s a toss up which of my existing health conditions is going to get me first anyway

I heard today that you can still carry the virus and pass it on after you have been given the jab. So I think the wearing of face masks will play an important part in stopping the virus.
Just for record I think I would prefer the oxford vaccine.

They don’t know that. Which is why, even when people have been vaccinated we all need to adhere to the principles of hands face space ventilate.

Absolutely I’ll still be carrying on with my current precautions.

I’ve bought so many mask filters I’m going to carry on using them for quite a long time. Especially as I don’t actually go anywhere these days!

Guess the British will be the world’s guinea pigs. Apart from the Chinese who never tell anyone anything anyway.

Having the vaccine should not mean throwing caution to the wind!! I shall continue wearing a mask and distancing myself from others as much as is possible!

Yes nanna8, just as we were with smallpox. There’s no gain without risk is there?

No, the guinea pigs were the people taking part in double blind tests all of which have been ok. So much so that it is now deemed inappropriate in some trials to do such tests as giving someone a saline solution instead of the actual vaccine is unethical given that it puts their life at risk.