EMA link including background resources:

https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/investigation-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-thromboembolic-events-continues

"While its investigation is ongoing, EMA currently remains of the view that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalisation and death, outweigh the risks of side effects".

About 17 million people in the EU and the UK have received a dose of the vaccine, with fewer than 40 cases of blood clots reported as of last week. 40 out of 17,000,000.

They’re finding people are not suffering excessive bleeding or blood clots more so than any other year.

Unfortunately, it’s a precautionary knee jerk reaction.

It's an interesting question as to the validity of the precautionary principle when you're facing a global pandemic...

Indeed. Looks like an overreaction to me. I am still ready to be vaccinated if I can, even with AstraZeneka (which is probably the only one I may have a chance to get in a not-so-distant future...hopefully it will be authorized again in Europe soon).

Amazon distribution Center forced to close for 2 weeks while 5000 employees quarantine at home.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/major-amazon-warehouse-ordered-closed-in-brampton-ont-due-to-covid-19-outbreak-inside-1.5345208

PSA - Being overweight or obese now qualifies you for the vaccine in Georgia regardless of age.

Similar rates of blood clots with the other vaccines. One could speculate why the EU picks on the UK vaccine.

Damn! I should have eaten more Twinkies during the lockdown!

There's still time

Smokers along with the obese can get the vaccine in Illinois, seems odd to me.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/coronavirus/smokers-now-eligible-for-covid-vaccine-in-illinois-under-phase-1b-plus/2452648/?amp

I think at this point they really just want to get jabs into arms and don’t really care about whether or not you have an ironclad case for eligibility.

Nobody I know including myself was required to provide actual proof for the reason they got their shot. I really don’t think they care they just want people to get vaccinated.

Does smoking weed count?

I agree, I’m personally waiting on the J&J vaccine due to the slight chance of anaphylactic reaction with the others.

I'm inclined to wait for the J&J vaccine as well. I'm not worried about an allergic reaction, but I just feel more comfortable with the traditional virus based delivery method. Don't get me wrong, I would take one of the mRNA vaccines without hesitation if they were the only option, but I'd rather wait for the J&J if I have a choice.

They have a much greater chance of dying from Covid is what I read...

What about the poor cokeheads and heroin addicts?

I'm just sharing what I read. And let's not forget all those poor felons cooped up in prison.

Will cigarette sales go up? Will everybody start folding a pack into the sleeve of their T-shirt

baf1e27ce565c775167d95a4a78760e4 (resized).png

Got my first dose of A-Z a week ago. For two days, very mild sensation in my left arm, can't even call it pain. No other side effects so far.

Yep. I've heard a few stories of pharmacies asking for documentation, but far more where there are no questions asked beyond the survey taken online.

They didn't ask for my ID or insurance card when I received mine from a major pharmacy chain. I didn't even give them my name, they said "You must be [my name]" when I got there, and asked "Do you still live at [my address]"? Yes, and yes.

That already should give you immunity for some time - but not sure how long. Probably at least six months. But considering the vaccines serious side effects are known to be very scarce, I would play it safe and take it, just to protect the family. Coronavirus is much more probable to cause serious problems than the vaccines.

Maybe I'm missing it, but I don't see the cause of your hesitancy in your post. Like, what's the worst case scenario if you do get the vaccine?

If it's something you care about, and the vaccines have sterilizing immunity, at the very least less hosts decreases likelihood of mutations I'd hope.

A older buddy of mine (65) got it right before Christmas then gave it to his wife. His symptoms were flu like to mild. He said he and his wife were going to get it when they could. Sort of related to your story.

I thought I heard that if you get it that your resistance is about 3-4 months of antibodies. People have gotten it a 2nd and 3rd time now. The vaccine is possibly good for a year or so however a booster may be needed. Sort of like the yearly flu shot.

If I were in similar shoes, I get it. Its free, it works and is safe. Completely up to you. No one will think ill of you though.

As long as you don't become an anti-vax crusader, you should feel free to do what you want. It's the spread of misinformation that can hurt people that's the real problem, not people exercising their personal freedom.

If you think it through I think you'll probably decide to get your shot. If not now, maybe shortly down the road once you feel safer about it.

For me it's a no-brainer; Americans have been getting the shot for four months now...more than twice that if you go back to the trials (I think someone here said they got their shot in June). If it turned you into a Lizard Person we'd probably know by now.

My brother is a radiologist. He is now seeing studies of younger people that “had no problem” with the virus, but now some are having weird neurological symptoms. He believes them to be related to the virus attacking the very small blood vessels that supply sensory nerves. Brother was not high on his adult children (18-24) getting the vaccine over the summer and fall of 2020 bc of risk/reward for younger people, but is now urging all 3 to get vaccinated after seeing what is happening to some asymptomatics.

My daughter and her boyfriend both got Covid. Mild to moderate symptoms. Daughter is feeling 99% but has lost a significant amount of her smell/taste sense.

Your Covid may or may not help you against variants and the vaccines seem to be effective against them so far.

While I wait for my turn for the shot, I am doing some navel gazing about sending my kids to school in the fall.

Am I really doing it for their academic health or my mental health? If they get sick, am I going to blame myself for the rest of their lives?

Also, I do not see how the heck they are going to keep the mask on my pre-k kid, let alone any other kid in his class.

But if they are in school, then I have time to do fun stuff like going back to work or cutting buckthorn.

That kind of thing.

I'm not sure how your wellness scale works, but I would absolutely NOT call a significant loss of taste and smell a 1% loss of bodily function!

The vaccines should be updated to cover new variants on an ongoing basis now, as the regulators only require antibody confirmation of efficacy for approval from now on, as the 'platforms' are already approved. In other news:

"EMA says AstraZeneca vaccine is 'safe and effective'"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56440139

People have been receiving the mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for almost a year now (counting the trial recipients) and there have not been any major side effects that I know about. Also, if you look to the most educated areas of the country, the vaccine is scarce because the demand and confidence in the safety is so high in those areas. To me the potential reward is much much greater than the risk and it is not even close.

More potential good news about the vaccines and COVID long haulers:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/long-covid-patients-feel-much-120958687.html

I have a friend that got it last July and the dr told him after he got the antibody test to hold off on the shot. Amazingly his blood still has strong antibodies after all that time. You don’t hear about people being able to keep those antibodies going so long.

I've seen the range of sickness the virus causes. I've seen people be completely asymptomatic, and I've seen others get chewed up and die from it. I've even seen that in 2 people that contracted it from the same source. There are probably a lot of factors that contributed, but I don't think we will ever understand them all. Maybe it even comes down to being a few feet farther away, and getting a smaller viral load at first exposure. Like I said, I don't know.

The tough part is that everything I say here is just anecdotal evidence. Just because some people very close to me have had a bad time with this virus doesn't mean anything to anyone else. But after a particularly annoying death in December, I was fully committed to getting the very first vaccine I could get into my arm. I evaluated the risk against the risk I've seen when catching Covid, and I decided the vaccine was the much better route. I'm glad it also feels like the socially responsible thing to do as well, but really I just don't want to catch Covid.

The thing I'm most curious about is what happens a few months from now. It is sure sounding like we will have enough vaccine doses so that anyone that wants a it will be able to get it. We are currently hanging around 40,000 - 60,000 new cases per day. But once everyone can get it, I wonder how many a day will still be getting infected. And of course, how many of those refused the vaccine (which will be most of them). Those numbers will be interesting.

As for your case Daditude, it does require a bit more evaluation for you. I know I would get the vaccine, but that is just because of the mutations. It seems that the vaccine gives better coverage against the mutants. But I've seen people have mild cases and then work around Covid patients for 9 months before getting the vaccine without catching it again.

On a personal note, I found the first shot of the vaccine to be frightening. I've seen plenty of misinformation, and discount it quickly. But all of those things were swimming in my mind right before I was going to get the shot. In the end I decided that I wanted to see the people I've been away from because of the pandemic. And of course, the quicker the pandemic is over, the quicker my pinball league starts back up. That will be a good day!

A quick skit explaining how the mRNA vaccine works. It may make the vaccine seem less mysterious.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMNUKGDlVH5/

PSA - The Orange County FL Convention Center will vaccinate anyone 40 or older starting 3/22 at 9 AM.

https://ocfl.net/EmergencySafety/Coronavirus/VaccineInformation.aspx#.YFPY-J1KhaQ

The appt website hasn't been updated to reflect the new rules, but I made an appt anyway. Crossing my fingers...

My partner with cystic fibrosis finally got the vaccine first shot this week, we are starting to finally feel a sigh of relief. It is pretty unknown how the virus effects people with CF since they already in normal life take a lot of the precautions the rest of us are now and have been super cautious during the past year. She has about 50% of the lung capacity of a normal 34 year old and catching and cold or flu normally can get her sick for months. I still have months to wait to be eligible, but I'm ecstatic she finally got the vaccine.

Recently my girlfriend seems 100% again, she finally stopped coughing a few days ago and her sense of smell is back.

So basically 5 days in the hospital, and a few weeks after that for her.

(and I also wanted to share this caption):

image003 (resized).jpg

Wife and I got first Shot of Moderna Yesterday at Publix.
Took less than 5 minutes.

We were only able to get appointment by spending an Hour online, at 7 AM, on a Monday, when new amounts have been released.

My Arm hurts like hell, even with scripted pain meds, and a hangover like headache. My wife feels nothing.....
Kinda like the last 45 years....

The Human stress load around the house from her fears, have dropped 80% in one week....I hear laughter again...

I think they opened up a bunch of slots. I was just able to book 2 appts for Tuesday at a local Publix. Desantis just announced 50 and older are eligible statewide starting Monday.

I don’t understand why we have not utilized the national guard to immunize large crowds.

We utilized them to handle civil unrest all last year. We can’t use them to save people?

This is an example of tripping over something bigger to me. But I digress...

A friend of mine just sent me this, and I'm not sure what to make of it. What the guy is saying is pretty scary, but it seems to go directly against the view held by a majority of the scientific community. In general, I tend to value the collective view over the view of a single individual, especially when science is concerned. What do you guys think? Is there any merit to what this guy is saying, or is he just a nutjob?

https://fos-sa.org/2021/03/12/open-letter-to-the-who-immediately-halt-all-covid-19-mass-vaccinations-geert-vanden-bossche-dmv-phd/

Just got a call from my healthcare provider about getting my first shot on Monday, I was also able to get my wife scheduled for one as well! I am 52 with high blood pressure, from what I have read that put me at risk, my wife is 43 with no health problems. I am excited and nervous at the same time!!!!

The main issue is supply.

Junk conclusions in my opinion. It is not vaccination that drives emergence of new variants, it is natural infection of individuals, on mass scale that does so.

Now, if we piddle paddle about with the vaccinations, taking years while allowing covid to stay endemic, then yeah, vaccinations could theoretically tip the scale in favor of variants.

This doesn’t have to be a MERSA situation. Or a tuberculosis situation. We don’t have to mess this up.

And the alternative of just letting it run its course and hope and pray that it doesn’t mutate into something far worse all on its own is pretty darn ugly (and Brazil variant is evidence it already is mutating into something worse).

It's all about the P word. It drives me crazy that the mayor announces I can get the vaccine starting Monday, but the scheduling website isn't ready for it. What do you do? You don't want to wait for everyone else to hammer the site and take all the slots. So I fibbed to make the website give me an appt. But now they are saying I can only make an appt. starting Monday. WTF?

Now today Desantis says anyone over 50 can get the vaccine starting Monday everywhere. Well F! But this does work out better for me. I'd much rather get it at a local Publix and it's Moderna vs. Pfizer at the convention center. My daughter already got the Moderna vaccine and it didn't kill her, so I'll probably be fine. Thankfully I was able to schedule the Publix appts easily for next week without fibbing. My county is already completely booked. Now to cancel the convention center appts.

My experience says there is nothing to be nervous about. I got a sore arm the day after both shots. The third day out the soreness was gone.

My brother and I did this for my parents a couple months ago. They are in Florida, but we got them their appointments at Publix from our computers in Chicago.

Wife and I completed the Moderna shots. Both of us got a fever, aches for a day or 2. That did kind of suck, but took some Tylenol and just let our immune systems get their workouts. Now we can lick doorknobs and inhale sneeze clouds in crowded elevators with no worry! J/K, we widened our bubbles, but are still masking up, washing hands, and being careful. Lots of our loved ones and friends haven't had the vaccine yet and don't want to unknowingly expose them. We also like to be good eggs.

Seriously - you can get pretty achy from the second shot, but only take Tylenol. I heard ibuprofen and similar can impede the immune response.

Getting my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine this afternoon. I was in the two shot J & J vaccine clinical trial and received my second shot Wednesday. At that point I asked to be unblinded and it confirmed what I suspected, I was in the placebo arm.

I'll let you guys know how it goes this weekend. My arm is still a little sore from my placebo shot Wednesday so expecting a pretty sore left arm all weekend after this afternoon's real deal