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Knowing your Covid-19 vaccines – Aztrazeneca (Vaxzevria) II

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VERY rare blood clots in combination with low level of blood platelets, in some cases together with bleeding, has been observed following vaccination with Vaxzevria. This included some severe cases with blood clots in different or unusual locations (e.g. brain, bowel, liver, spleen) and excessive clotting or bleeding throughout the body. The majority of these cases occurred within the first three weeks following vaccination. Some cases had a fatal outcome. Seek immediate medical attention if you develop shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, leg pain or persistent abdominal pain following vaccination (see section 4). Also, seek immediate medical attention if you experience after a few days severe or persistent headaches, blurred vision, confusion or seizures (fits) after vaccination, or experience skin bruising or pinpoint round spots beyond the site of vaccination which appears after a few days (see section 4).

Capillary leak syndrome:

Very rare cases of capillary leak syndrome (CLS) have been reported following vaccination with Vaxzevria. Some affected patients had a previous diagnosis of CLS. CLS is a serious, potentially fatal condition causing fluid leakage from small blood vessels (capillaries) resulting in rapid swelling of the arms and legs, sudden weight gain and feeling faint (low blood pressure). Seek immediate medical attention if you develop these symptoms in the days following vaccination.

Neurological events:

Seek immediate medical attention if you develop weakness and paralysis in the extremities that can progress to the chest and face (Guillain-Barré syndrome). This has been reported very rarely after vaccination with Vaxzevria.

Children and adolescents

Vaxzevria is not recommended for children aged below 18 years. Currently there is not enough information available on the use of Vaxzevria in children and adolescents younger than 18 years of age.

Other medicines and Atrazeneca (Vaxzevria)

Tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are taking, have recently taken or might take, any other medicines or vaccines.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse for advice before you receive this

Driving and using machines

Some of the side effects of Vaxzevria listed in section 4 (Possible side effects) may temporarily reduce your ability to drive and use machines. If you feel unwell after vaccination, do not drive or use machines. Wait until any effects of the vaccine have worn off before you drive or use machines.

Vaxzevria contains sodium and alcohol (ethanol) This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 0.5 ml dose, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’. This medicine contains 2 mg of alcohol (ethanol) per 0.5 ml dose. The small amount of alcohol in this medicine will not have any noticeable effects. 3. How Vaxzevria is given Vaxzevria is given as an injection of 0.5 ml into a muscle (usually in the upper arm). During and after each injection of the vaccine, your doctor, pharmacist or nurse will watch over you for around 15 minutes to monitor for signs of an allergic reaction. You will receive 2 injections of Vaxzevria. The second injection can be given between 4 and 12 weeks after the first injection. You will be told when you need to return for your second injection. When Vaxzevria is given for the first injection, the second injection to complete the vaccination course should also be with Vaxzevria.

If you miss an appointment for your second injection of Vaxzevria:

If you forget to go back at the scheduled time, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse for advice. It is important that you return for your second injection of Vaxzevria. If you miss a scheduled injection, you may not be fully protected against COVID-19.

Possible side effects:

Like all medicines, this vaccine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. In clinical studies, most side effects were mild to moderate in nature and resolved within a few days. Fewer side effects were reported after the second dose. After vaccination, you may have more than one side effect at the same time (for example, muscle/joint aches, headaches, chills and generally feeling unwell). If any of your symptoms are persistent, please seek advice from your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. Blood clots in combination with low levels of blood platelets (thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, TTS) have been reported very rarely, see section 2. Get medical attention immediately if within three weeks of vaccination you get any of the following symptoms: – experience a severe or persistent headache, blurred vision, confusion or seizures (fits) – develop shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling, leg pain or persistent abdominal pain – notice unusual skin bruising or pinpoint round spots beyond the site of vaccination Get urgent medical attention if you get symptoms of a severe allergic reaction. Such reactions may include a combination of any of the following symptoms: – feeling faint or light-headed – changes in your heartbeat – shortness of breath – wheezing – swelling of your lips, face, or throat – hives or rash – nausea or vomiting – stomach pain. 4 The following side effects may occur with Vaxzevria: Very Common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people) – tenderness, pain, warmth, itching, or bruising where the injection is given – feeling tired (fatigue) or generally feeling unwell – chills or feeling feverish – headache – feeling sick (nausea) – joint pain or muscle ache Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people) – swelling or redness where the injection is given – fever (≥38°C) – being sick (vomiting) or diarrhoea – low level of blood platelets – pain in legs or arms – flu-like symptoms, such as high temperature, sore throat, runny nose, cough and chills – physical weakness or lack of energy Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people) – sleepiness or feeling dizzy – abdominal pain or decreased appetite – enlarged lymph nodes – excessive sweating, itchy skin, rash or hives – sleepiness or deep unresponsiveness and inactivity Very Rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people) – blood clots often in unusual locations (e.g. brain, bowel, liver, spleen) in combination with low level of blood platelets – serious nerve inflammation, which may cause paralysis and difficulty breathing (Guillain-Barré syndrome [GBS]) Not known (cannot be estimated from the available data) – severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) – hypersensitivity – rapid swelling under the skin in areas such as the face, lips, mouth and throat (which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing) – capillary leak syndrome (a condition causing fluid leakage from small blood vessels)

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly (see details below). By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

From the forgoing, it is observed that the list of side effects/adverse event s not exhaustive. So says AstraZeneca(Vaxzevria). It means that there could be more than what the manufacturer has recorded or shared in the user leaflet since it is an ongoing experiment…So this being the case, it means that the no-fault compensation should not be a static amount or in any particular currency, but be negotiable by the Labour Union on behalf of their member or the lawyer of the civil servant who suffers a covid-19 vaccine injury, considering the high cost of medical care and the varying degrees of covid-19 vaccine adverse effects/side effects. There might be need to travel abroad for treatment since our health infrastructure needs to be updated.

Since the vaccine is not medically approved but authorized for medical emergency use, the recipient of the vaccine has to be so informed, according to the Helsinki code, of their participation in an ongoing experiment and if they want to take part or not. That way the Government knows the willing and the unwilling participants and those who would want the no-fault compensation and those who prefer to settle in court or through out- of-court negotiations. This is very important for the Human Rights records of Nigeria. In fact, the Moderna covid-19 user information leaflet says that the potential recipient can decide to say no to the vaccine.So a civil servant has the right to say no to the moderna vaccine. The only problem is that he or she might lose his or her job. What do we call this contradiction?

However, since there is a public law that places public health safety above individual rights, and individuals are going to be part of an experiment, according to the Helsinski code, through the use of vaccines that are still being tested, the Government should be ready to handsomely pay the civil servants who submit to this experiments by being vaccinated with the covid-19 vaccine in other to keep their jobs.Unless of course, the Government can employ some other punitive action like the forfeiture of one month salary which will be used to purchase more non-pharmaceutical covid-19 material for the civil service.

For those who cannot take the vaccines due to health or religious reasons, non-pharmaceutical covid-19 protocol should be in use because so far,they have reduced  transmission and Government will do very well not to forget the need to still strike a balance between its public health concerns and its human rights records. Particularly in view of the fact that the vaccines do not completely guarantee and prevent covid-19 contagion, to or fro,for everyone vaccinated, and also have far reaching side effects that clearly endanger the recipient in varying degrees. These  are  indicated in the AztraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine user information leaflet.It says some cases of covid-19 vaccination  “have a fatal outcome” i.e death.

We have come to the end of the user vaccine leaflet for AstraZeneca.We borrowed a leaf from that of moderna today. Next week we shall look at the Moderna covid-19 vaccine user leaflet in full..

Concluded From Last Week.

(Vaxzevria) Covid-19 Vaccine User information leaflet.

Happy Sunday to you and yours

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