Astrazeneca vaccine suspended..... Not proven to be linked to the jab yet, but investigations are ongoing *title edited by GNHQ*

It’s the main item on the BBC news this evening.

I've just spoken to a French friend in France and there appears to be no sense of urgency. Just a case of "we'll wait and see." Their vaccine roll outs aren't going too well for several reasons so this is all sounds like a convenient excuse to give at this moment in time. Meanwhile a hospital in her area is receiving covid patients from Paris because the ICUs are full there.

Maybe some countries prefer that their citizens take the risk of dying with Covid, against the the much smaller risk of dying from a blood clot after vaccination. 37 clots against 17 million vaccinations. I’m not sure whether the 37 died or survived the blood clots, maybe someone else knows.
I think these countries should give their citizens the choice to take the vaccine or not. It’s heavy handed to stop all vaccination (temporarily) and therefore deny many people the opportunity to be vaccinated. The longer the Covid virus is allowed to circulate, the more risk of further variants.

suziewoozie

With dear friends in some of the countries who are waiting anxiously for a vaccine, I’m just sad that not everyone is as fortunate as we are.

Same here Suzie. I’ve tried to reassure them but they find it hard to ignore the press!
Good post Alegrias thanks!

If you read the leaflets you get with any prescribed medication you will find the list of side effects is quite worrying.
I thought a lot about whether to have the vaccine, and decided to have it. No side effects so far.
I stopped having the flu jab years ago because I was not very well for months after having them.
I do think that it is something that people should decide for themselves.

We have a friend (aged 49) in Germany who caught COVID, was in intensive care for two weeks, in hospital for a further six weeks and then a month in rehab because a blood clot has meant that she is having to learn to walk again and may never regain full use of one leg.

Vaccination seems risk free in comparison.

With dear friends in some of the countries who are waiting anxiously for a vaccine, I’m just sad that not everyone is as fortunate as we are.

Hetty58

I suspect this is another non-story, just like the French over-65s one, a sensible caution until further information confirms that there is, indeed, no problem

This ☝️☝️☝️. The reporting of this issue in some parts of the media is driven by its own agenda which has nothing to do with reporting in a balanced and informed way.

I suspect this is another non-story, just like the French over-65s one, a sensible caution until further information confirms that there is, indeed, no problem

Well said Alegrias.

nanna8 its important to be accurate with this whole thing and no countries have "called a halt". They have paused rollout while investigations are made.

No-one is dismissing any claims. No-one is saying its anyone's over active imaginations. There is however a lot of concern over the usual press approach which is making people think the vaccine is bad for them.

If countries decide to pause rollout because they think it is better to see some evidence before they go on, well good luck to them. Some European countries decided not to give the Oxford vaccine to over 65s. But have now started, of course. Netherlands have cancelled 43,000 appointments because of this. If I was in the Netherlands, I'd be spitting fire, actually.

I think you mentioned Thailand upthread? Well, they've started again. They've spent three days reassuring themselves that the data shows no adverse affects, which is what everybody thought would happen anyway. See attached, from the BBC site this morning.

I still feel concerned that so many countries have called a halt, though. They can’t all be over - reactive panic merchants, especially places like Italy who have had so many cases. It is easy to airily dismiss claims because you don’t want to face problems and / or you personally didn’t have side effects. It may be something to do with that particular batch of vaccine but it still needs investigating and not dismissing as people’s over active imaginations.

He was called for his vaccination because having had a DVT he is more at risk if he catches COVID, he is in the ‘underlying health conditions’ category, which is Category 6.

They are linked. It's been observed that a higher percentage of people who develop serious Covid have blood clots. AFAIK nobody is quite sure why. It could be something to do with inflammation and the immune response, but who knows?

This is interesting. Only last month my husband was called for his jab ahead of his category. He is younger than I am, so I was well miffed at having to wait my turn! His only claim to a potential health problem is an unexplained dvt which cropped up after a flight.
The two things - covid and risk of clots - must to my mind therefore be linked.

Jaxjacky

Sitting for a length of time can cause bloods clots too!
As always, I’ll take the advice of medical professionals, not garish headlines.

I agree with you.

The following are all risks for blood clots:

What causes blood clots?
Your body reacts to an injury or cut by clotting your blood just the way it should. These types of clots are not a problem. Sometimes a blood clot will form without a trigger (such as an injury or cut). This is more likely to happen with certain risk factors or conditions. Risk factors include:

Prolonged sitting (often the case with travel when you are forced to sit for long periods in an airplane, a train, or a car)
Prolonged bed rest (often the case with surgery or illness)
Pregnancy
Smoking
Obesity
Birth control pills/hormone replacement therapy/breast cancer medicines
Certain cancer types (pancreatic, lung, multiple myeloma, or blood-related cancers)
Trauma (serious injury)
Some types of major surgery
Age (especially over the age of 60)
A family history of blood clots
Autoimmune disorders
Diseases related to chronic inflammation
Certain infections (HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, or Lyme disease)

Obviously, most of the above are outside our control and I doubt if there are too many pregnant GNers.

It puzzles me that people don't realise that the risks of Covid to people with some of the above conditions are higher than the risks of blood clots from a vaccine. I'm not medically qualified, so people need to speak to somebody who is.

Two conditions in the list - smoking and obesity - could be controlled. I wonder if there are people who would rather not be vaccinated (because of the risks) than do something about smoking or obesity.

Agree with all of the above. I’ve heard about these issues from my fb friends abroad. I’ve received the AZ no side effects whatsoever and will have the second when called.

BlueBelle As Baggs has not yet replied, I have looked for what she posted and found it at this link to The New Scientist - www.newscientist.com/article/2237475-covid-19-news-astrazeneca-vaccine-not-linked-to-blood-clots-says-who/

Kandinsky

I must admit I’m a bit concerned.
I’ve had the AZ jab ( no side effects ) but won’t have the 2nd dose if these reports keep coming out.

Kandinsky
I had Covid and was hospitalised for twelve days. I was very ill. I would say the minute risk of a blood clot is a risk worth taking, on the grounds it’s almost certain not to happen to you. Being ill enough to be hospitalised with Covid is not a picnic, it’s a serious threat to your life.

Sitting for a length of time can cause bloods clots too!
As always, I’ll take the advice of medical professionals, not garish headlines.

I know of people who had Pfizer who have had blood clots as well I suppose all vaccines have some risk .

*I must admit I’m a bit concerned.
I’ve had the AZ jab ( no side effects ) but won’t have the 2nd dose if these reports keep coming out.* from Kandinsky above.

And therein lies the problem. One scary headline and all the wonderful results are blown out of the water by people who become anxious.

I wish the media would be more careful about how they word things.

I ve had it not a bit bothered but I think it will bother a lot of people and i think it will do our programme no good at all and maybe that’s what they want

Baggs where did you get that info can you give a link I d like to have it to prove to doubters ?

Marydoll. “ unless people can provide accurate information and proven facts , threads like this are not helpful “
Well said ! I agree.

I agree, the heading is misleading, scaremongering at the very least. Of course we need to be informed, but unless people can provide accurate information and proven facts, threads like this are not helpful.
I have multiple comorbidities, am immunosuppressed and had a severe reaction to the AZ vaccine, which I reported. However, as it is not unusual for me to have reactions like this, I will still be having the second vaccine.
As someone who is CEV, I prefer the side effects to catching Covid and dying a horrible death, as predicted by my clinicians.