I've Been Vaccinated (No Politics Please)

[vegs1]

It’s truly a conundrum. Personally, I lean towards having wanted Pfizer or Moderna based on efficacy, but not due to any fear whatsoever about medical complications. I’m getting AZ on Monday since it is possible that my age group (55 - 64) will never be offered anything else, especially now that Moderna has announced they won’t be supplying us properly again until July. (SMH on the whole vaccine supply issue).

Good for you for stepping up and not waiting! We got ours almost two weeks ago. Have had only mild issues for 24 hours after. With the case numbers what they are now, you will likely feel a sense of relief after getting it.

 

[damo]

I've got a son and SIL who are in their thirties and both said they would happily get the AZ shot.

 

[ottawamom]

I got AZ last Sunday (April 12). Didn't feel anything for 48hours then I guess things kicked in and my shoulder where I got the injection was sore to the touch until yesterday. Didn't stop me from doing anything I would have done anyway.

Every person who is able should get the AZ so that those younger ones who can't get it will also have a vaccine available to them.

 

[hdrolfe]

I wish they would change the AZ criteria. I would take those odds over my odds with covid.

It feels like Ontario was moving along with age range and then changed tactics to hot spots, so I will be waiting even longer now. I get the need for vaccination in the hot spots, but I feel like they just keep changing plans and so have no real plan. Hopefully just my perception of things.

 

[ottawamom]

You're not wrong. They are flying by the seat of their pants at the moment just trying to put out fires in the hopes it will change the direction of the curve.

I hope whatever they are doing works. We can't keep going on like this much longer. Everyone in this province is at their wits end.

Deep breath, deep breath, continue on...

 

[pigletto]

I found this article really put things in perspective re: blood clots . Up to 10x more likely to develop clots from Covid than a vaccine .
I would happily take the Astra Zeneca .

https://globalnews.ca/news/7759372/blood-clots-covid-more-likely-vaccines/

 

[ottawamom]

Yesterday while watching the local news at lunch the anchor was interviewing a local family physician. During the course of their interview the anchor brought up blood clots and AZ. The physician jumped all over the anchor saying the media were a major source of the issue with people being AZ reluctant. It's the first time I heard a doctor call out the media directly for making the correlation. She also went on to mention that no one asks her who made their shingles vaccine or any other vaccine she gives and doesn't understand why the big "name" association with this vaccine.

The media needs to start promoting the use of all vaccines and just calling them the Covid vaccine, put them all back on a level playing field.

 

[vegs1]

Yesterday while watching the local news at lunch the anchor was interviewing a local family physician. During the course of their interview the anchor brought up blood clots and AZ. The physician jumped all over the anchor saying the media were a major source of the issue with people being AZ reluctant. It's the first time I heard a doctor call out the media directly for making the correlation. She also went on to mention that no one asks her who made their shingles vaccine or any other vaccine she give and doesn't understand why the big "name" association with this vaccine.

The media needs to start promoting the use of all vaccines and just calling them the Covid vaccine, put them all back on a level playing field.

I think the media has a responsibility to report all sides....truthfully. The public has a right to know all sides of the vaccine and then to speak to their health care provider to decide what is best for them. I understand what you are saying, but if they didn’t report about the incidents of blood clots, they would be said to be hiding information.

I personally prefer to hear the stories and then make an informed decision together with my pharmacist and doctor.

 

[pigletto]

I think the media has a responsibility to report all sides....truthfully. The public has a right to know all sides of the vaccine and then to speak to their health care provider to decide what is best for them. I understand what you are saying, but if they didn’t report about the incidents of blood clots, they would be said to be hiding information.

I personally prefer to hear the stories and then make an informed decision together with my pharmacist and doctor.

But they aren't reporting all sides in proportion, which to me represents sensationalism. There is a relatively small risk of clotting in only very certain groups, so I would like to see that reported factually and in context. Not sensationally and driving fear as it has been. Have an expert there every time explaining what this means. Otherwise it scares people and we see exactly what we are seeing with people refusing these vaccines en masse while we are in a dire situation and need people to take what they can get. It's not the time to be selling headlines. Inform and educate.

 

[vegs1]

But they aren't reporting all sides in proportion, which to me represents sensationalism. There is a relatively small risk of clotting in only very certain groups, so I would like to see that reported factually and in context. Not sensationally and driving fear as it has been. Have an expert there every time explaining what this means. Otherwise it scares people and we see exactly what we are seeing with people refusing these vaccines en masse while we are in a dire situation and need people to take what they can get. It's not the time to be selling headlines. Inform and educate.

I agree that certain media outlets sensationalize this but I think most respected news outlets are trying to give both sides. There is a risk....a very small one. But to those who ended up with a clot, it is a huge deal. I don’t believe I have ever heard the blood clot risk discussed without the newsperson also saying we should all be taking the first vaccine offered to us.

I made an educated, informed decision along with my health care providers and got the AstraZeneca as I believe the risk is minimal. It is still a risk though and we all need to make our own decisions.

 

[hdrolfe]

I saw this and it puts it into perspective for me. No one makes news about the risk of blood clots from birth control pills or air travel.

 

[Donald - my hero]

I wish they'd add 1 more thing to that graphic though

The current risk of an unvaccinated person getting COVID-19 compared to someone who has been given the AZ Vaccine!!!!

 

[ronandannette]

I wish they would change the AZ criteria. I would take those odds over my odds with covid.

It feels like Ontario was moving along with age range and then changed tactics to hot spots, so I will be waiting even longer now. I get the need for vaccination in the hot spots, but I feel like they just keep changing plans and so have no real plan. Hopefully just my perception of things.

Global reported last night there is also a request on the table from Doug Ford to skew the distribution of vaccines towards Ontario as the supplies arrive. I’m not sure how it will be received by the other Premiers or the federal Health Ministry or even how I feel about it, for that matter. What I do know for sure is that easing the perimeters on who gets AZ would work wonders for quickly vaccination hundreds of thousands of Canadians. And really, the odds of a negative outcome are so, so small.

 

[damo]

Global reported last night there is also a request on the table from Doug Ford to skew the distribution of vaccines towards Ontario as the supplies arrive. I’m not sure how it will be received by the other Premiers or the federal Health Ministry or even how I feel about it, for that matter. What I do know for sure is that easing the perimeters on who gets AZ would work wonders for quickly vaccination hundreds of thousands of Canadians. And really, the odds of a negative outcome are so, so small.

It should just be skewed by population. If Ontario has 40% of the population, it should get 40% of the vaccines.

If Canada has a AZ surplus, they should definitely be opening the criteria up.

 

[ronandannette]

I think the media has a responsibility to report all sides....truthfully. The public has a right to know all sides of the vaccine and then to speak to their health care provider to decide what is best for them. I understand what you are saying, but if they didn’t report about the incidents of blood clots, they would be said to be hiding information.

I personally prefer to hear the stories and then make an informed decision together with my pharmacist and doctor.

I would be very surprised if any medical professionals anywhere would be recommending against AZ for their normally healthy patients.

 

[ronandannette]

It should just be skewed by population. If Ontario has 40% of the population, it should get 40% of the vaccines.

If Canada has a AZ surplus, they should definitely be opening the criteria up.

I would expect it already is, which of course is the correct thing to do. I’d have to go search for some back-up data to say for sure though.

 

[bcwife76]

The vaccine tracker does break down how many vaccines each province has received thus far (though it doesn't actually 'say' hey ON got 40%). But it gives you a better idea of how many are going to each province.
https://covid19tracker.ca/vaccinationtracker.html

 

[bcwife76]

As an aside, I stalk that vaccine tracker multiple times a day, I just love seeing that percentage go up and up. It basically goes up about 1% or so a day, which doesn't sound like a lot but if you think about it, it's at just over 23% right now (and yes I know that's only the percentage, mostly, of people who have received ONE dose only) but think about where that % will be in mid June. These days I'll take any good news I can get. Less Moderna but more Pfizer, ok, good news!

 

[ottawamom]

Vaccines are currently distributed to provinces based on population. There is some merit to sending more the direction of those with hot spot variant infections to attempt to put those fires out before they spread further. In this particular case that would be BC and AB for the P1 variant and ON for the B117 variant.

Time will tell what the federal government decides to do. We all get to sit on the sidelines and watch.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Canada will be receiving 8 million doses of Pfizer instead of 4 million over the next couple of months. They said that even with the big slash of Moderna, with these extra 4 million, it will put Canada way over the amount of doses they were expecting, even if they were getting the promised Moderna doses. So that is good.

Also, Dr. Strang said yesterday that all NS vaccine sites have extra AZ vaccines as not as many people are getting it.