The debate over the safety of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine is alive and well, with Canada now suspending the use of the jab for people under 55. Earlier this month, Health Canada (the country’s health department) said that “the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks”. But, following a recommendation from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), the rollout of the jab is now being limited due to concerns it might be linked to rare blood clots. The Guardian has the story.
Canada on Monday suspended the use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for people under 55 following concerns it might be linked to rare blood clots.
The pause was recommended by the NACI for safety reasons. The Canadian provinces, which administer health in the country, announced the suspension on Monday.
“There is substantial uncertainty about the benefit of providing AstraZeneca Covid vaccines to adults under 55 given the potential risks,” said Dr Shelley Deeks, Vice-Chair of the NACI.
Deeks said the updated recommendations came amid new data from Europe that suggests the risk of blood clots is now potentially as high as one in 100,000, much higher than the one in one million risk believed before.
She said most of the patients in Europe who developed a rare blood clot after vaccination with AstraZeneca were women under 55, and the fatality rate among those who develop clots is as high as 40%.
Earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said that the AZ Covid vaccine is “safe and effective”, but that it cannot “rule out definitively” the vaccine’s link to a rare clotting disorder. The Telegraph reported:
The EMA has said they “cannot rule out definitively” a link to a rare clotting disorder.
The agency will update its guidance to include an explanation about the potential risks on both the patient leaflet and in the information for healthcare professionals, the chief of the EMA said.
A Canadian health official has said that more data is needed before the rollout of the AZ vaccine can be considered definitely safe – not just “probably” safe – for those under the age of 55. The Guardian reports:
Dr Joss Reimer of Manitoba’s vaccine implementation taskforce said despite the finding that there was no increase risk of blood clots overall related to AstraZeneca in Europe, a rare but very serious side-effect has been seen primarily in young women in Europe.
Reimer said the rare type of blood clot typically happens between four and 20 days after getting the shot and the symptoms can mirror a stroke or a heart attack.
“While we still believe the benefits for all ages outweigh the risks I’m not comfortable with ‘probably’. I want to see more data coming out of Europe so I know exactly what this risk-benefit analysis is,” Reimer said.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Germany is set to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in people under the age of 60 over concerns it may cause potentially fatal blood clots.
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“the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks”
At least we are seeing an acknowledgement that there ARE risks.
Hopefully a few more people may now be hit by the clue bat and ask why those least at risk from Covid-19 should risk unecessary side-effects from Covid stabs.
yes – its progress. and allows people who are legitimately hesitant to say ‘why would I take something banned in x,y,z countries – we can at least say there is a lack of agreement among the scientists – I’ll wait’
“At least we are seeing an acknowledgement that there ARE risks.”
As there are with catching the virus. Significantly more risk.
The zero risk option is no longer on the table.
For very large numbers/categories of people, risk from the virus is very very low
At the population level maybe. Not for me personally, as a woman aged under 50, on hormonal contraception, slim, active, healthy.
The risks are either on a par, or tilted towards COVID being lower risk, depending on which dataset you look at and as more data in my demographic emerge.
Can you quantify that for the younger age groups, Lucan?
Prof John Ioannidis estimated the IFR for under 65s globally was 0.05% – 5 in 10,000. For under 50s it will be even less.
The risk of this blood clotting issue seems to be about 1 in 100,000 for young women injected with the AZ cocktail. That’s quite a high risk for a medical intervention that’s supposed to protect you.
I suspect that is still understating it. 5 cases in Norway out of 120,000 vaccines. That 1 in 100,000 figure is likely diluted by poor U.K. monitoring and reporting.
Also, if Norway’s vaccinations were across both sexes and geared to a slightly older demographic while the VIPIT incidence was primarily in younger female vaccinees, the risk for someone like me could be far higher.
Certainly higher than the 1 in 55,000 chance of dying with COVID the Oxford calculator gave me (based on data from first 3 months of the pandemic, so likely far lower now)
… so likely far lower now
Indeed. And if you’ve had and recovered from covid the remaining risks from the disease are zero.
That these obvious points even need stating, and aren’t an integral part of PHE advice to doctors and patients, is astounding, and tells its own very sorry story.
No one under 70 in good health should be going anywhere near these ‘vaccines’.
And this lot want to give it to children.
I’d better not write any more as the moderators will be after me.
Look at it this way, ifyou die of a blood clot you won’t get covid
Prof John Ioannidis of Stanford University’s latest estimate for the Infection Fatality Ratio of SARS-COV-2 is 0.15%, globally. Weighted heavily to the top end of the age range. Under 65 the rate is 0.05%.
The chance of a young woman dying of this rare blood clotting disease appears to be around 0.001%. Less than dying of the virus. But not a lot less, for a medical intervention that is supposed to protect you.
If I was a young healthy woman faced with these odds, would I take the vaccine?
No.
“the benefits (monies gained) of the vaccine continue to outweigh its risks (ADRS, death)”
Sorry…I know I’m way too cynical and hard-bitten these days.
we could do with a spreadsheet of which countries are allowing which vaccines for which age groups
We could also do with a spreadsheet showing which countries are actively using cost effective repurposed drugs e.g. ivermectin and what effect these drugs are having.
There was an article on here a week or so ago that showed countries with recorded death rates. All those with low rates use the repurposed drugs; ivermectin and HCQ/zinc principally. All those that have refused to allow their use have high recorded death rates.
The decision to forbid their use kills people and makes many more ill.
These articles show how the vaccine causes damage through a specific mechanism. There is no evidence to prove that these vaccines are safe for anyone, certainly not for older people so why are they trying to use them in this age group. It is simply that the harm they cause will be easier to conceal as blood clotting disorders are more common as you age but a red flag in the young.
https://doctors4covidethics.medium.com/urgent-open-letter-from-doctors-and-scientists-to-the-european-medicines-agency-regarding-covid-19-f6e17c311595
https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-362354/v1/ebd0055b-50ad-4a8e-9d42-b967d0d8b132.pdf
Millions of people have taken the vaccine. The mortuaries still have space.
How much more evidence do you need before you admit you are barking up the wrong tree?
Two points in response to this. There has been plenty of space in the mortuaries even when this virus was doing its worst, so why the need for the damn thing?. It is still early days and I don’t think people expected millions to drop down dead immediately. However, let’s wait and see what happens next autum/winter when another seasonal virus comes along and the cytokine storm hits.
Tell that to the people who died. And their children.
And not from some act of God, which is what a viral infection is, but from an experimental treatment cum vaccine for which nobody has assumed liability, yet we are all being urged to take.
Pandremix caused many cases of Narcolepsy.
It doesn’t need to fill up mortuaries to have serious life-changing side effects.
Absolutely and in some cases death is the least painful outcome!
Wow seems to display the same intelligence as the virus – knows the difference between 55 and 56. If you’re 56 come on down the vaccines lovely!
I’ve never seen any reason to vaccinate the under 60’s unless they have other risk factors. We’ve only ever offered flu jabs to older people and those at risk. Why should this virus be any different?!
….as for vaccinating children …..don’t start me!