Slightly disappointed by the C&W radio discussion on the AZ vaccine that I took part in this morning. All a bit too rushed. The point that there has been no evidence of vaccine hesitancy amongst people who go to vaccine clinics was left unchallenged.
There are 2 points about that assertion: Surely the greater hesitancy would be amongst those who didn’t go to vaccine clinics? Surely once you’ve gone as far as attending a clinic you have already largely made up your mind to have the vaccine? Second point, would that still be true after we had heard about the “course correction” and the decision to offer alternatives to those under 30? The reality is we don’t know yet.
Confusingly other Governments have restricted use of the vaccine for older age groups rather than the UK Government’s approach of restricting it’s use for those under 30. Little wonder that questions are being asked.
People have been living with anxiety and uncertainty for so long that they are craving certainty, a clear end to their ordeal. This briefing from MHRA set out the balancing of risk and benefit is a very clear and precise way, what it did not set out (quite rightly) was certainty. Will it increase vaccine hesitancy? Perhaps.
Is the vaccine safe? Of course it is, 21 million vaccines administered and 79 incidents of blood clotting, you have a greater chance of getting blood clots travelling by plane. No vaccine has ever been guaranteed 100% safe, but this is pretty close to that.
Has there been a cover up? No. Sometimes you can only detect problems of this nature when you roll out a vaccine in huge numbers, no clinical trial can be conducted on this scale.
Would I take the vaccine knowing what I know now? Without hesitation.
The problem lies in the virulent nationalism and politicisation of the vaccine roll out process. Let the scientists and clinicians do their job, and stick to giving them the support they need to do it. Wild claims and political gestures add nothing to the debate and have the potential to create confusion and doubt, and no-one needs any more of that.
Chris Bain 