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

What I find strange is that there have been a similar number of blood clots with the Pfizer but we haven’t heard about it. Maybe they happened in the US rather than Europe? Will have to check.

You’re right BlueSky, and it was Europe figures I saw. Hopefully the WHO will include the information which compares the adverse incidents for all approved vaccines in their judgement tomorrow.

Sadly, though, even if the vaccine gets the most glowing praise possible now, damage will have been done in Europe. Planting further seeds of doubt in the minds of people already tending towards scepticism is not going to turn out well.

We need the vaccines to spread quickly around the world to have a chance of getting back to normality.

How many European countries have suspended the AZ vaccine? And how many discarded one batch? Whilst France and Germany may be the ringleaders, it cannot be said that it’s only France and Germany. I can’t help but believe it’s political. Even the simplest person can do the maths, and the facts of the maths simply don’t add up. It cannot in all seriousness be about the numbers. They’re minute, but the numbers dying from Covid are not minute.

BlueSky

What I find strange is that there have been a similar number of blood clots with the Pfizer but we haven’t heard about it. Maybe they happened in the US rather than Europe? Will have to check.

Precisely! No why no hysteria about the Pfizer vaccine?

France and Germany are not the ringleaders. They were late to suspend the vaccine. I still wonder what it is we aren’t being told.

There have been even less cases of blood clots during the vaccine roll out than usual.

President Macron said the vaccine is ‘quasi effective’ before the suspension of the vaccine, which resulted in thousands of French people refusing the vaccine. Likewise Merkel said she believed the vaccine was effective, but because she is 66 she would refuse that particular vaccination. That resulted in thousands of German refusing the vaccine. We saw the empty vaccination centres in France and Germany on television. I don’t know whether those pictures were shown in Australia, or what was reported in Australia. After that other countries started to suspend the vaccine.

How is that not the ringleaders?

AGAA4

There have been even less cases of blood clots during the vaccine roll out than usual.

Indeed A4AA4, that is correct.

What I don't understand is that these countries don't trust the vaccine but many are now saying that if we have been vaccinated we can take our holidays there!

Personally I don't want to go to a country where the majority of people haven't been vaccinated.

The sooner the scaremongering stops and the vaccine is rolled out to all countries the sooner the world will get back to normality

Nana8. I’m interested to know why you are so intent on pushing the scaremongering agenda amongst us in the UK when you live in Australia.
Surely you should be asking us sensible questions and taking note of our success in order to help you spread confidence in Australia if your country is to survive the coming winter with the virus.

Australia are using Astra Zeneca and haven’t stopped as a result of this either?

Re the Allison Pearson piece, Firecracker, I don’t see that the EU are ‘punishing’ Britain at all. However the EU countries that have suspended the AZ vaccine and have scaremongered about it (yes, especially you, Macron) are punishing their own citizens by delaying even further, from a pitifully low base anyway, the vaccination of their own citizens.

Not to mention putting even more of them off being vaccinated at all, when so many are apparently reluctant anyway.

Whether they are resentful of our relatively speedy vaccine rollout, and looking for convenient excuses for their own pitiful performance, is another matter.

Perhaps it's pressure from the pharmaceutical companies in the EU especially France, it might just be about money and profits. The Oxford Astrazeneca is being sold at cost but the Pfizer vaccine and other vaccines are not. Perhaps some people are getting a backhander by pushing the other vaccines and smearing the Astrazeneca one.

I was wondering the same thing about that particular poster LauraNorder. The comments aren’t helpful are they?

I think it’s shameful and very irresponsible of certain EU countries to plant seeds of doubt about the AZ vaccine.

The trouble is their shenanigans could have an adverse effect on vaccination programmes in many countries including ours which is going brilliantly well.
We have to hope though that most people will have the sense to ignore the noises coming from Europe.

France and Germany in particular appear to be perusing an agenda to discredit the Astra Zeneca vaccine.
Why? Is it political?

Can they honestly still be so petty over Brexit and our hugely successful vaccine rollout programme?

The EU petty? Surely not!

Can they honestly still be so petty over Brexit and our hugely successful vaccine rollout programme?

No, they're not.

We're really not that important, honestly!

I beg to differ Alegrias. We have family and friends in the Netherlands who say we were very important to the Netherlands who saw the UK as a steadying influence within the EU.
An old friend in Sweden says much the same.

Pressed too soon. There are many petty politicians within the EU who want to see the UK fail.

I see the "fake news" merchants are at it again. I'm fed up with it. No, the dastardly EU hasn't suspended AZ vaccines for political reasons.

11:55growstuff

How do you know?

A diplomatic row broke out not long ago after Charles Michel, the European Council president, incorrectly claimed that the UK had imposed an ‘outright ban’ on the export of Covid19 vaccinations. He was corrected by both Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab.

How is this not political? How is this not designed to discredit the UK?

Firecracker123 I wondered that too. The doubts thrown up over AZ seem very poorly founded and out of all proportion.

And how is my post above ‘fake news’?

(Firecracker123 I’m referring to your comment on commercial interests)

Yes Cs783 money talks. Perhaps a nice pension pot for retiring politicians ???