A medical description of one of the danish cases is currently in preprint https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-408726/v1
Thanks for the link. No treatment with immunoglobulin was given in this case, which might explain why it ended unfavorably.
Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
11–20 of 344 posts
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#12Combined with the JnJ halt this postpones Denmark's vaccine program from vaccinating all grown-ups this summer to year's end instead.
[citation needed]
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#13This seems like another overreaction that will be interpreted - rightly or wrongly - in the UK in political (Brexit) terms rather than medical or scientific (although they are clearly an important consideration). It's difficult to see how Denmark isn't failing its population with this decision.
The sad part is that AstraZeneca chose to sell the vaccine at cost, making no profit. This amount of negative publicity with no good reason will make them (and others) think twice about such a gesture.
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article says it’s a four week pushback and that 70%+ are already getting Pfizer.
Why not allocate most of the Pfizer to the young and give the AZ exclusively to the older people?
Theoretically Pfizer has higher efficacy, especially with variants. Giving Pfizer to the old and AZ to the young probably saves more lives than the other way around. If you decide that you don't want to give AZ to the young any more, it doesn't follow that it's then a good idea to give it to the old, especially if you have enough supplies of Pfizer to vaccinate the old.
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#15This seems like another overreaction that will be interpreted - rightly or wrongly - in the UK in political (Brexit) terms rather than medical or scientific (although they are clearly an important consideration). It's difficult to see how Denmark isn't failing its population with this decision.
The sad part is that AstraZeneca chose to sell the vaccine at cost, making no profit. This amount of negative publicity with no good reason will make them (and others) think twice about such a gesture.
Like half of the bad publicity for AZ is their own fault. The blood clotting issue is not, but the bad studies and the poor communication totally are.
Getting a warning letter from an US agency for publishing outdated data in a press release is quite a feat.
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#16The graphic in this Guardian article [1] suggests that for age 40+ the number of covid-related ICU admissions prevented vs. no. blood clots has a factor 10 gap. Of course, clots might be more severe than ICU admission. But still, it looks to me like stopping for over 40 is a huge mistake. Very disappointing.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/07/under-30s-in...
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#17I do not understand the math going on here and in multiple countries: a very rare side effect that we can't even clearly attribute to the AZ vaccine, and now the J&J vaccine, VS the clear and present danger of a deadly pandemic: COVID and emerging, more lethal variants.
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
The article says it’s a four week pushback and that 70%+ are already getting Pfizer.
Why not allocate most of the Pfizer to the young and give the AZ exclusively to the older people?
It all comes down to guessing how to best convince the unconvinced to actually vaccinate.
People usually react badly to getting "second-class medicine", if it is mandated. (Elderly people were asking, which vaccine they would get the good-one or the bad-one, literally).
I would suggest to simply offer both to everyone and leave people the choice, if they want to risk a one-in-a-million chance of complications (for women, 0 for men AFAIK) or get the other 4 weeks later with the associated risks.
And there are people who are a bit iffy about mRNA vaccines.
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#19Did this happen in the trials? I'm surprised, you'd think the risk - benefit balance would fall in favour of vaccinating.
The trials were too small to detect these rare side effects.
There are limits of what you can find in a trial. That's why there's sideeffect monitoring after you put something into realworld use.
Re: Denmark to permanently cease using AstraZeneca vaccine
#20This seems like another overreaction that will be interpreted - rightly or wrongly - in the UK in political (Brexit) terms rather than medical or scientific (although they are clearly an important consideration). It's difficult to see how Denmark isn't failing its population with this decision.
The sad part is that AstraZeneca chose to sell the vaccine at cost, making no profit. This amount of negative publicity with no good reason will make them (and others) think twice about such a gesture.
How is that sad? Do you think the CEO and shareholders approved that deal because their hearts are so good and pure, to help humanity? No, it was to become a vaccine manuf. in a time of pandemic, to make big bucks (since at cost sales end in August this year).
Oxford scientists came up with the vaccine and the deal to manufacture it with a partner. It looked like a great deal until it turned out that AZ is completely incompetent.