# AstraZeneca approval in the US **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 15, 2021, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911 "2021-03-15T04:30:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/21 "2021-03-15T19:44:17Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > In any given period you are likely to see many clotting issues occur that are completely unconnected to any vaccine. [Some figures are given here.](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/15/evidence-oxford-vaccine-blood-clots-data-causal-links). i.e. for a given cohort of 5 million people getting a vaccine we would expect 100 clotting issues _per week_ even when we know for certain that the vaccine had no causal effect. At the moment we are talking about multiple times more than that being vaccinated and only 30 or cases being raised as an issue. > And remember those numbers are conservative in that the cohorts currently receiving the jab are likely those that would naturally see even higher rates of clotting events. I realize that we cannot draw the following conclusion from those numbers, vaccinated vs. unvaccinated, but it would be wonderfully ironic if we indeed found out: **“AstraZeneca vaccine, not only does it protect you against the Covid virus, it helps prevent blood clots.”** ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/22 "2021-03-15T19:59:02Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > If you don’t want to use the full name call it the Oxford vaccine. The name that makes the most sense is the one that best and most unambiguously identifies the vaccine. If you ask what vaccine you’re getting when it’s being administered, the person with the needle is going to tell you what the label on the vial says, and for this particular vaccine the label says AstraZeneca. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/23 "2021-03-15T20:00:02Z")
I tend to use “the Oxford vaccine” simply for familiarity for myself and I figure most people - not as an attempt to give proper credit. You’re right though that choosing the mouthfully named drug company as the preferred nomenclature feels off. Coming out of Oxford is a selling point. Oxford is easy to say. What exactly is the reason for preferring “AstraZeneca”? ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/24 "2021-03-15T20:11:17Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > If you ask what vaccine you’re getting when it’s being administered, the person with the needle is going to tell you what the label on the vial says, and for this particular vaccine the label says AstraZeneca. Is AstraZeneca prominent on the labels made in India by a completely different company? Doesn’t seem so in my image searches. I see “Covishield”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/25 "2021-03-15T20:13:01Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > If you don’t want to use the full name call it the Oxford vaccine. Without Oxford there would be no vaccine; without AstraZeneca it would simply have been another of the drug manufacturers who did the large scale trials and manufactured the vaccine [originally it was going to be Merck–but the UK government was worried that Trump would put distribution restrictions on the vaccine if Merck was the manufacturer]. Right, so just because AstraZeneca did the vast majority of the hard part, that’s no reason to give them priority, right? Creating a vaccine is easy. Testing it is hard. As for the potential issues, well, that’s the great thing about having multiple vaccines to choose from. Give the AZ vaccine to younger folks and people without a history of clotting issues, and you’ll free up doses of one of the others for the older and clot-prone patients. You can still make use of the AZ vaccine, and so increase the total supply, and the AZ vaccine being available still means more people getting vaccinated. Maybe (probably, in fact), it’ll turn out to be unnecessary, but as long as it’s still getting put to use, it won’t hurt anything to change who it’s being used for. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/26 "2021-03-15T20:14:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Creating a vaccine is easy. Testing it is hard Uh, ok. Some might say that the former is the inspiration, the latter the perspiration. I personally wouldn’t slap “easy” on either. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/27 "2021-03-15T20:36:34Z")
Nevertheless, **[AstraZeneca is the name used by government authorities here](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/covid19-industry/drugs-vaccines-treatments/vaccines.html)** regardless of manufacturer, and presumably also by the medical community. Here in Canada there are only two variants of that particular vaccine, the one made by AstraZeneca and labeled as such, and the one made by SII in India (Covishield) in collaboration with AstraZeneca. Both are known as the AstraZeneca vaccine. A medical tech would certainly be aware of this, but they would have no particular reason to know where it was developed. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/28 "2021-03-15T20:53:54Z")
US approval will depend in the results of a 32,000 person trial which is due in April. > **[Exclusive: U.S. green light for AstraZeneca vaccine could come in April,...](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-astrazeneca-usa/exclusive-u-s-data-for-astrazeneca-vaccine-under-review-by-independent-advisers-u-s-official-idUSKBN2B723D)** > > Results of AstraZeneca Plc's U.S. COVID-19 vaccine trial are being reviewed by independent monitors, and emergency authorization could come in about a month, a top U.S. official said on Monday. Very slow vaccine rollouts are a big political issue in Europe. Politicans are under pressure and looking for excuses. There have been big arguments about the availability and contracts for supply. Perhaps I am being a bit cynical but I suspect that this political pressure has a bearing on some of these decisions to delay the use of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. They claim to be motivated by the ‘best scientific advice’, but making sure the advice you are given coincides with what you have already decided to do for other reasons. Maybe because politicians messed up buying enough supplies in a timely manner and they don’t want admit it. That politics as usual. ---
**Author:** ![FigNorton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fignorton/32/5619_2.png) [@FigNorton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FigNorton)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/29 "2021-03-15T21:23:28Z")
Yes, they chose to do that. I’m saying there’s no reason they couldn’t have called it the Oxford/AZ vaccine. I’m also saying highlighting the Oxford connection would likely lend more confidence in the vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/30 "2021-03-15T23:08:12Z")
> **[Europe’s caution over Oxford vaccine about more than the science](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/15/europes-caution-over-oxford-vaccine-about-more-than-the-science)** > > Analysis: the evidence for side-effects is scant but governments have other factors to consider ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/31 "2021-03-15T23:25:30Z")
Oxford is easier to type so I’m going with that. Quite a few countries have put it on hold until they sort it out. It could just be PR to avoid a stampede away from it. There seems to be a wide variance of vaccinations in Europe so they can’t really afford to lose what they have available to public perception. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/32 "2021-03-16T08:09:01Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Quite a few countries have put it on hold until they sort it out. It could just be PR to avoid a stampede away from it. There seems to be a wide variance of vaccinations in Europe so they can’t really afford to lose what they have available to public perception. I think by reacting in this way those countries stoke up concerns rather than calming them down. What happens when equally spurious concerns are raised about other vaccines? (which will happen and may even now be more likely). ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/33 "2021-03-16T08:19:23Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I think by reacting in this way those countries stoke up concerns rather than calming them down. I don’t know about that. I would think that seeing health authorities being super cautious would increase public confidence. It does for me. The alternative is going full speed ahead and then seeing incontrovertible evidence of unexpected side effects. That would instantly undermine public confidence in _ **all** _ COVID vaccines. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/34 "2021-03-16T09:52:12Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I don’t know about that. I would think that seeing health authorities being super cautious would increase public confidence. It does for me. The alternative is going full speed ahead and then seeing incontrovertible evidence of unexpected side effects. That would instantly undermine public confidence in _ **all** _ COVID vaccines. The problem is that this sets a precedent. By pausing the programs the various governments give the impression that there is something to be concerned about when the data suggests not. It gives validity to the concerns when there is nothing there. The side effects are being monitored closely anyway, there is little additional analysis to be done other than look at the figures. The pauses in place will _definitely_ cost hundreds of extra lives, continuing with the vaccine will save far more _even if_, the concerns turn out to have any basis in fact. If this turns out to be the expected standard for pausing a vaccine roll out then it is a pretty poor way of proceeding. Wait till the attention turns to the other vaccines. In the UK the Pfizer vaccine actually shows a higher level of clotting events than the AZ one but attention is not on that one…yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/35 "2021-03-16T10:29:14Z")
Indeed, I can’t imagine how this could lead to misinformation or unnecessary fear in the press or amongst the public: > **[How to spot the signs of deadly blood clots - after fears linked to AZ vaccine](https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14344194/blood-clot-spotting-signs-after-fears-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine/)** > > FEARS around blood clot links with the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine have sent Europe into a panic. But experts say blood clots are “not uncommon”, and there could be dozens of reasons for … \*please don’t click on this - it’ll only encourage them. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/36 "2021-03-16T18:06:35Z")
Well I am not going to be taking any medical advice from an arsewipe rag like [i[The Sun[/i] ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/37 "2021-03-16T18:22:39Z")
I have wondered if some countries have paused the AstroZeneca vaccine in part because it is less popular, due to appearing to be less effective in trials. [South Africa suspends use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine after it fails to clearly stop virus variant | Science | AAAS (sciencemag.org)](https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/02/south-africa-suspends-use-astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-after-it-fails-clearly-stop) The J&J and Novavax vaccines both appear to work against the South African variant, albeit less effectively than against most other variants. I don’t think there have been robust tests of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but info so far has been mixed. And they both appear better than AstroZeneca for the original strain. There were reports of people avoiding the AZ vaccine in the hopes of scoring a different one prior to these blood clot stories. So I wonder if the “hmm, let’s investigate these clots” is actually a coverup for “we’re having trouble moving this vaccine anyway, because people prefer the others.” ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2021, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/38 "2021-03-16T20:13:02Z")
There has been a big argument in Europe about Oxford Astra-Zeneca that has nothing to do with its efficiency or side effects. There are production problems and the company has not been able to supply enough to meet its contracts. This has caused a political storm in many European countries with talk of export bans in countries where it is manufactured. Italy recently prevented shipment leaving the country to be sent to Australia and the EU has accused the company of favouring the UK rather its own contract for supply. These problems are not directly affecting the US and UK both of which have plenty of vaccine from different sources, but elsewhere it is a big deal and politicians are under a lot of pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/39 "2021-03-17T02:05:00Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > The problem is that this sets a precedent. By pausing the programs the various governments give the impression that there is something to be concerned about when the data suggests not. It gives validity to the concerns when there is nothing there. Many countries in Europe are way behind inoculations. The US is at 21.3%, the UK is at 36% and Italy, France, Germany, Poland are under 8%. [Italy’s infection rate rose 10% last week](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/covid-19-cases-surge-europe-leading-new-restrictions-n1261067) and they’re going back into lockdown. It’s highly unlikely they would delay vaccinations unless they felt it was necessary. Blood clotting is a big deal. I spent a week in the hospital for open heart surgery. I spent 2 weeks in the hospital for the removal of blood clots that could easily have killed me. It could be a simple case of a vaccine triggering the same covid reaction that is already known to cause clotting. Also, [the chances of clotting increases with age.](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/covid-19-cases-surge-europe-leading-new-restrictions-n1261067). That means the most vulnerable to covid are also the most vulnerable to blood clots. I wouldn’t dismiss the medical review of the Oxford vaccine. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2021, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911/40 "2021-03-17T02:28:54Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > > > However, pausing briefly and then resuming, with many people’s minds at ease, and the refusers being people who would refuse no matter what, may ultimately lead to more being vaccinated than not halting, and causing a lot of people to dig in their heels, until a campaign against AZ mushrooms, and the vaccine is discontinued altogether, or at least, reformulated and rebranded so that it receives public acceptance. > > I disagree. The pause should be based on proper analysis and not anecdote with the case for action to be made on that basis. A constant pausing and resuming based on anecdote alone is, in itself, undermining of public confidence. But who said anything about stopping for every anecdote? There was actual collection of over 30 incidents. This was enough, apparently, for an actual investigation. They suspect it may just be one bad batch, though, not a full on thing. One of the arguments used against taking the vaccines are that they’ve not been adequately tested. So how does it look if the US approves this vaccine before this investigation is finished? That sure looks like inadequate testing to me, and I plan to get the vaccine as soon as I can. As for the countries that have already approved it, I think it makes sense to at least halt that one batch since it’s the one under investigation. And, if you have enough of the other vaccines, I can’t see anything wrong with prioritizing those for a bit, or at least giving people the option to choose a different one. The last I checked, the majority of vaccine refusers right now are not ant-vax in general. They really do want to be reassured that everything is safe. So I do think knowing the governments will take things seriously is a net positive. The main complication I can see is that my proposed actions could actually alert people to a problem they didn’t know about. And that could make things worse. But if people already know about the issues, I think a pause to say you’ll investigate is more reassuring. Just don’t, you know, pause for everything. Only when there’s a legitimate reason to investigate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astrazeneca-approval-in-the-us/937911.md?page=3)