Across 2021, pandemic rhetoric has focused on risks. Our vaccine rollout “wasn’t a race” because of the low risk of catching the virus in Australia. As outbreaks prompted lockdowns in Sydney, Darwin, Brisbane and Perth, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced — without the backing of national cabinet or the Australian Medical Association — AstraZeneca would be made available to anyone under 40.
It’s all about risk, with government resources comparing the risk of blood clots per 100,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to COVID-19 deaths and hospitalisations prevented.
But AstraZeneca isn’t the only vaccine that comes with risk. New evidence has emerged about some of the potential harmful side effects of mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna. Going unvaccinated obviously is risky too — not just because of the risk of catching what could be a mild version of the virus, but because of all the long-term health effects that come with it.
Long COVID-19 risks
Long COVID-19 is nothing to sneeze at, with the full list of lingering symptoms associated with the virus still not fully known.
COVID is a multi-organ disease with a huge range of symptoms and effects. Different studies label long COVID-19 different things but symptoms generally range from four weeks to 260 days after infection. The most common long-term symptoms are fatigue, chest pains, cough, muscle weakness, sleep difficulties, depression and anxiety. While many could occur irrespective of the virus and as a result of the stress of lockdowns, scientists worry this could develop into chronic fatigue syndrome. In Italy, 44% of patients experienced a “decline in quality of life” following infection.
One study found 14% of COVID survivors developed at least one new condition, including chronic respiratory failure, heart rhythm problems, amnesia, diabetes, anxiety and fatigue that required medical care three weeks after the initial infection, compared with 9% of the general population. In another US study, 6.7% of those studied died 60 days after being discharged from the hospital with the virus and 15.1% required readmission.
Worrying, too, are the effects on organs, with evidence of long-term damage to the lungs. One study found almost 20% of patients developed cardiac injury, and another found in mostly healthy patients two-thirds of people were found to have impairment in at least one organ system four-and-a-half months after recovery, and a quarter had multiple organ systems affected. The virus could even lead to people developing diabetes.
An Australian study released last week found that even in NSW’s low number of first-wave infections, 5% of those diagnosed were still experiencing symptoms three months later, with most symptoms being cough and fatigue.
AstraZeneca risks
As has been widely reported, the AstraZeneca vaccine carries with it a risk of developing a blood clot — although it’s very rare, affecting an estimated 1.4 people between the ages of 60 and 69 for every 100,000 first doses. This increases to 3.1 for those under 50. The overall case fatality rate in Australia is 3%.
Side effects are more common with AstraZeneca too, with diarrhoea, fatigue, headache, chills or nausea affecting 33.7% of people after the first dose.
There have also been 38 cases of suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome — a rare immune disorder that causes nerve inflammation — in Australia, although a link between the vaccine and the disorder hasn’t been made in Australia or abroad.
mRNA vaccine risks
There’s growing evidence of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle and pericarditis, inflammation of the membrane around the heart, developing after receiving the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, leading to the US Food and Drug Administration to add a warning to the vaccines last week.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is monitoring this reaction, although around the world almost all cases were considered mild and resolved within a few days. A causal link has also not been established.
mRNA vaccines can also cause anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, in 2.47 people in every 10,000 people.
In short, every vaccine, every treatment, and every option — including hoping you’re not unlucky enough to catch the virus — carries risk. While rare, understanding the risk and staying up-to-date on medical advice is key.
As Lieutenant General John Frewen, appointed three weeks ago to refresh the vaccine rollout, said: “AstraZeneca remains a very effective and very appropriate vaccine, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation advice was always … you should make a risk-based decision.”
I’d be more interested in what other nations have in the way of vaccines. For instance, the sputnik V, and even the Chinese vaccines. Perhaps efficacy may not be near the 100% mark, but are there fewer side effects? Unfortunately, these countries now some type of enemy so the USA, Britain, Australia and Europe will never try their vaccines due to political situation. I also have a mistrust of USA big pharma due to their role in the 500,000 deaths from prescribed opoid use – profit to the end for these ugly corporations. J&J just settled out of court with some state with 230 million dollars payment.
There was an item on SBS news last night about doctors in Indonesia dying from Covid despite being fully vaccinated with the Chinese vaccine.
Last night I watched Part 2 of the recent Alex Gibney doco about the opioid crisis: ‘The Crime of the Century’.
The joint has no future, if they continue to make it easy for the likes of the Sackler family, and John Kapoor, to practice their brand of sociopathy for profit.
The Chinese vaccines are not very effective – even the Chinese have quietly acknowledged this. Any side effect reduction is far outweighed by the fact they don’t work particularly well.
Sputnik V seems to be pretty good but is very similar to AZ and may well have similar blood clotting risks (as does J&J).
living up to buy. ‘made in China’. where did they copy there’s from –
Sputnik V is very, very different to the AZ jab. The AZ jab uses the same virus vector for both jabs, where Sputnik V uses 2 different virus vectors. It was the Russians who pioneered using different vectors in the one vaccine, and that template was first seen in their MERS vaccine
Late last year, when AZ brought out their prelim results, the Gamelaya Inst (developers of S -V) immediately got in touch with AZ, explained their problem (in part, it relates to the first jab recognising itself in the 2nd jab – as a ‘threat’ – and successfully attacking it in ‘x’ number of cases) got in touch with AZ, and offered to share one of their 2 vectors with AZ.
AZ signed an MOU on the spot, the trials were kicked off, and the results are due out shortly.
Here, in Straya, we are very, very poorly informed about the developments in the world of vaccines for this virus.
And, the ‘adverse reaction data’ is a crock. The Brits have been publishing weekly adverse reaction data for months (earlier they published monthly).
The Brit data looks very different to the summary ‘anecdotes’ spouted here.
Paul Keating warned we’d become a banana republic..,we are so behind the times in so many areas
Cuba apparently has a good vaccine.
The Prime Minister bottled it at the National Cabinet meeting. He could not bring himself to have an open, respectful, documented, plain speaking conversation with the State Premiers about his determination to tell the younger cohort of our population to get the AZ vaccination in the face of prior, contrary advice from ATAGI. Why, because to do so would publicly confirm that the LNP Federal Government has or will shortly run out of the Pfizer vaccine – one of the two public health policy areas it has clear constitutional responsibility for but has lost or abdicated any semblance control over, the other being national quarantine, also a disaster.
The Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt, has been running interference in the media on Morrison’s behalf since.
The episode well illustrates Morrison’s priorities – firstly never face the music when any sort of under or rank non performance is looking for a home to be sheeted to and secondly send someone else out, any body will do, to wear the public opprobrium associated with such failure and lack of personal fibre.
To refer to an analogy used by the P.M, the virus is not consciously dodging bullets in a war but, but for all that, is certainly more than a match for our national leader, ‘outwitting’ him on a depressingly regular basis.
He is amply enabled by Berejiklian who is his equal when it comes to lying, rorting, corruption and shredding documents.
”The NSW Government has pointed the finger at “Limousine man” as the alleged case zero for Sydney’s lockdown, despite his claims that he couldn’t have been, and that he most likely picked up the Delta variant from a café in Bondi Junction.
Data published by the NSW Department of Health on June 26 suggests that “Limousine man” may be right, and that the NSW government have their facts tangled.
This comes after Queensland’s Deputy Premier Steven Miles claims that the Federal Government has directed the Bureau of Statistics to stop publishing data on overseas arrivals to Australia after it was revealed that last month 20,000 non-Australians arrived in Australia through hotel quarantine, many of whom were on temporary visas.
The NSW Government publishes data on Covid case numbers on the data.nsw.gov.au website.
The data, updated daily, shows official case numbers as well as the postcode and geographical area of where the person lives if they are NSW residents.
NSW Health states that in this dataset the postcode represents the person’s usual residential address, not where they may have contracted the virus.
NSW Health also states that cases of Covid in people from overseas and interstate will not have a postcode recorded.
The dataset also records the source of the infection, i.e whether the case was acquired overseas or locally.
According to a dataset that was downloaded on June 26, eight cases of Covid were recorded on June 13. Two of the cases did not indicate “overseas” as the source of infection, suggesting they were locally acquired cases.
The two cases on June 13 were recorded as being from Canterbury-Bankstown and Ryde.
The dataset also shows that as early as 4 June there was an overseas acquired case in postcode 2113, which represents East Ryde, North Ryde, Macquarie Centre, Macquarie Park.
There was another case, also overseas acquired, in 2113 on 9 June. It is likely that both of these cases were picked up in hotel quarantine though MichaelWest Media has not had confirmation.
Five days later, on 9 June, another Covid case, also overseas acquired, was attributed to postcode 2113. It is likely that both these cases were picked up in hotel quarantine though Michael West Media has not had confirmation.
However, you can no longer see this data that was downloaded on June 26. By 28 June, two days later, it was updated.
Now those two Covid cases that the data suggested had been locally acquired had been re-classified as an overseas source of infection. Seven locally acquired cases recorded on the 14 and 15 of June have also been reclassified as overseas arrivals.
The NSW Government has stated the “Limousine” man was tested ‘positive’ to a saliva test on 15 June, and then positive again to a PCR test the following day and would be included in the numbers on the 17 of June.
Additional reports in the initial days of this outbreak also talked about a “mysterious” case in the Hills district, which may have been a case recorded on the 14 of June whose postcode aligns with the Hills.
There is evidence of cases of people who live in the Hills Shire testing positive on 4, 6, and 7 June being infected overseas.
Michael West Media has asked the Department of Health how two cases can be entered into the record as having no known source of infection on 13 June but are suddenly determined as “overseas” transmission 15 days later on June 28.
Gladys Bereijiklian and her media advisor Sean Berry has refused to comment.
NSW Health has yet to respond to inquiries.”
https://www.michaelwest.com.au/who-to-believe-on-bondi-cluster-limousine-man-or-nsw-government/
You gotta love how Morrison and most politicians had the Pfizer…if they had cut their losses with AZ earlier (like many European nations) and organised more Pfizer, more people would be vaccinated now.
Here in the Delta Quadrant with the enterprising Captain Scottie in charge, the entire crew now crying out BEAM HIM OFF.
The sooner the better
And, yet, we drive on roads with a 4.4 per 100,000 chance of dying (we can’t treat that), or a 160 per 100,000 chance of injury or death (we can treat injuries, but some will leave you affected for life). Come on, let’s put some context around the AZ risk by showing what else could kill or injure us in life. Then we may get some sensible debate. As for ATAGI, well done, you delivered a great vaccine to the dustbin by being over cautious and not presenting your views within an understandable context, or was that the late night press conference pollies?
It’s always terrible when people are killed or injured in accidents or even, occasionally by medical negligence. There have been numerous incidences of administrations making terrible errors eg thalidomide, DES and many others. The vaccine has become a question of safety and liability. I was very gung -ho about getting vaccinated until recently. Norway and Denmark have stated that the risks to young, healthy people from the Pfizer vaccine (they canned AZ in March) outweigh the potential risks of catching COVID-19. I only know this because friends in Europe sent her the article via BBC. Also, last year when there were supposedly “zero cases”, a friend in aged care was in lockdown due to two cases that were never reported. What is one to think? Those people who died due to the vaccine will gain no comfort at all for the low risk profile of the vaccines. We need to remember these vaccines are approved for emergency use. We have no long-term data. They are most probably safe overall but the lawsuits that will flow from this crisis will be fascinating.
Thanks Amber for bring up the subject of adverse risks. I get a lot of information on line & from web sites that are not censoring everything that’s not Govt sanctioned. One site that has good verifiable information is Swiss Policy Research https://tinyurl.com/kpfptysa . There is an article on Australia as well that may be of interest.