JADAV

You have put your finger on the most likely cause of any clots that might possibly form - but it isn't happening in any significant numbers. The EU are behaving like a newly divorced partner - still trying to settle old arguments. Declaring that the UK developed vaccine is to be stopped during further investigation is a cover up of the failure to order enough early on. There are supply shortages that European governments are trying to cover up under this temporary ban. Their incompetence is further revealed by the less reported fact that they are threatening "reciprocal repercussions" against the UK whilst claiming that our government had put a ban on supplying them with the "banned" vaccination. Yet again the EU are in such a confused state that they issue contracting messages at the same time and are convincing in the UK that we will be better off without them. Instead of being a "Union" the EU has degenerated into a "tug-of-war" with 20 odd countries all pulling in different directions.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Interesting - which countries give a choice of vaccine one receives?

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

It is not the Americans spreading this,it is the media doing the job. Sensationalism sells journalist articles. This causes a lot of deaths as people become afraid of the vaccine and hence continue to be susceptible to the disease. In my clinic, we gave 200 vaccinations and not one serious side effect so far. Moderna was what we had.I’m 77 and caring for these Covid cases is somewhat concerning. I have lots of comorbidities personally ( diabetes, etc). However, I’ve survived many epidemics by using PPE and getting vaccinated ASAP. 52 years practicing medicine. Covid is not my first pandemic to survive, just the latest one. For the first time this year, we are picking up some type A influenza cases this week. So, if you get a fever, it might be Flu. Go get tested. Isolate ( protect your friends and family) see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis and get tested for both flu ad Covid. Stay safe. I also take all the recommended precautionary supplements including once monthly ivermectin.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

The US for one, I and my wife got Pfizer, our oldest son and our daughter got Moderna (both as essential medical workers) and our middle child - special needs son - got the first Pfizer shot yesterday (special needs, mild asthma so he was in tier B to get the shots). And the J&J single shot is now being delivered. Unless you are with a health plan that specifies which you get you pick a place that gives the one you want (or more likely the place you can get the shots first). My wife and I qualified through our health plan and a general state program. The state site near us was giving Moderna and my Kaiser Health plan is giving Pfizer - I chose the Pfizer because Kaiser is giving them at their Medical Center a few miles away with Urgent Care, ER and their hospital about 100 yards from the vaccine site they put up in temporary structures in their parking lot. I have major allergies so I just felt better being close to the Urgent Care and ER, just in case something kicked off an attack. As it was the wife and I had no reactions - well she said her arm was a little sore for a few hours. Jon is getting his Pfizer at their local clinic even closer to our house.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Good for you and thank you for continuing to serve patients at your age.
Our son is in the Army Reserves-Civil Affairs with a lot of medic training and military EMT certification and he has been manning test sites etc. so they gave him Moderna. Our daughter is 3rd year Medical School at the University of Virginia (her class just got changed from the Class of 2022 to 2023) and doing clinicals etc. as well as working on a research team around patients daily and they gave all the medical students Moderna almost 2 months ago.
I take asthma, allergy and diabetes meds (I am 75) plus doing on line research on my own (retired teacher so I am pretty good at research) that has led me to taking a large number of vitamins, minerals etc. Including those named for flu and covid. My Primary Care MD says I am taking a lot, but nothing on my list is harmful and for my age and health problems my test and blood workup results are very good so as long as I am willing to pay for them keep taking them. I haven't had the flu or a regular cold for a few years since I started the supplements. I also get the flu shots and pneumonia shots and my wife and I both had the Pfizer vaccine last month.
Any suggestions for things I should look into?

John Hicks Loc: Sible Hedinham North Essex England

At this time vivid is out of control in France Germany and almost certainly in Italy, it is highly like the UK government will not allow foreign holidays for the distinct posssbility of another strains of covid being brought back in to the country after all the hard work that has been done to stop the disease now up to 30 million inoculation carried out. The sad thing is the EU is stopping the AZ vaccine being used. They are also threatening a blockage to stop vaccine being sent to the UK, what they forget we have three factories making the vaccine in UK. Spider have warned the EU that the UK could retaliate by blocking items needed to make the Pziser vaccine in Europe.

The stupidity of the EU is beyond belief they did not order vaccines until almost Christmas. Thank God the UK is a sovereign country and boat part of the EU any more.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

According to some articles I read the US company making the AZ vaccine on contract has quote "tens of millions of doses" in storage. It was expected to be among the first authorized for use here but the AZ people apparently were slow with some of the paperwork so their acceptance trials aren't done yet. So all that vaccine they have made just sits in storage. Other countries have been inquiring about getting it from our officials but it still sits there. I did see one article that I can't find since that said they were going to ship some of it to Canada and Mexico. The last information I saw is the AZ vaccine is expected be authorized for US use in April. That will give the US 4 different approved vaccines and all of them are being produced by companies here in the US or by sub-contractors in the US. I saw one article this morning that said the companies have been upgrading, improving methods and building more production capacity since early Dec and with those changes coming on line they expect the three we are already using to produce over 300 million doses by the end of this month and due to more changes and additions being made in the production facilities the rate of production is still rising (in Feb they made less than 70 million doses). That means by the end of the month the US will have vaccine for at least 150 million people, plus the over 40 million already vaccinated and the nearly 40 million with one shot (as of March 20) the US will have 2/3 of our population vaccinated by the end of April. At that rate we will have vaccine for our entire population by summer (a lot of people say they won't get it) and all that production capacity can then start shipping vaccine to the rest of the world. With production in other nations and AZ's production capacity in No. America, UK, Sweden, India etc. that means enough vaccine for a huge % of the world's population by the end of the year.

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

Since there have been reports of allergies (not common) to the vaccine, we advised all our patients to take an OTC antihistamine at least an hour prior to the shot. My wife and used Zyrtec. One patient came down with hives which cleared after a week on Zyrtec. The hives started 5 days after her second vaccine shot. If I had the opportunity, I would take any brand of vaccine available or offered to me. Covid can kill you!!

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

Ask your Doctor about Ivermectin. Google up the recommended Covid prophylaxis at Eastern Virginia Medical School Hospital.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

That might explain why I had Zero reaction, not even a red or sore spot on my arm. I take Zyrtec and Singular for my allergies as a daily thing. I used to joke that I was allergic to everything on the No American continent that grows or is thinking of growing. The Allergist that Kaiser sent me to right after I got out of the Army in 69 laughed at that. Until he finished with all the tests etc. When I went to get the results to about a million of those scratch tests he looked at me and told me that I was closer to right about how many things I was allergic to than he was. Most very mild but a few really bad. Even Pine Trees, Sage and Mesquite. Only about 1 in 1000 is allergic to any of those and I am mildly allergic to all three.

Due to almost nothing I was allergic to growing in Vietnam my first 1/2 year there was great-no allergies. But our new Command Sgt Major's hobby was gardening and his wife sent him a bunch of flower seeds and bulbs. That was the end of my allergy free time. Fortunately the Tactical Operations Center where I worked was in a fortified, sealed room on the ground floor and we ran ACs 24/7 to keep our radios cool and maintain positive pressure in the office in case of gas. As long as I was at work I was OK and the barracks where I lived was 200 yards away from the flower beds around the HQ building and the Colonel wouldn't let him put flowers any where else.

ricardo00

I would agree that these days, any slight news that makes a "good story" (ie. one that people will click on) will be rapidly spread. This is both good and bad. Most recently, the Astra Zeneca studies in the US have shown high efficacy and no major side effects. Some may use this news to demean the physicians and scientists in other countries who have reported problems, primarily a unique type of stroke. However populations are different in different parts of the world and it is possible that some individuals with a particular genotype are more prone to such a problem. It is well known that HLA type helps determine the immune response to a particular antigen so it is possible that certain subgroups (ie. Norwegians) are more susceptible to having the response that caused the blood clots and not others (the reason some people have many allergies while others don't). It is also possible that the rapid dissemination of results that were still preliminary caused the problem. Now that another study did not find the increased risk of stroke (ie. the US one) should help allay some of the fears of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine and hopefully will be as wildly circulated as the ones that suggested a problem.

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

Don’t know if the astra Zeneca vaccine is good or bad. I will pay attention to that if it gains approval in the USA. Keeping up with all the new stuff in this country is alli can do. Unless the Astra Zeneca vaccine has been approved in the last few days, the vaccines I’m watching are the 3 we have approved here. I’ve heard the Astra Zeneca vaccine has been banned in 20 countries? That was reported on the Drudge Report.

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

Currently, the WHO official statement on th Astra
Zeneca vaccine is the benefits to be expected by the vaccine,far outweigh the risks. They are trying to determine if the shots caused reported blood clots or is this coincidental. Isolation in one’s home an cause blood clots. If worried take an aspirin everyday. 81 mg can prevent clots, it is believed.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

The EU cleared it for use and several of the countries that suspended its use have started to use it again.

Doc Mck Loc: Terrell,Texas

Correct. EU has cleared it for use.