Why I’m doubly keen for a Covid jab

Fabulous news in the Chronicle editorial ‘Major weapon against Covid weakened’ (March 23).

That headline reflects European opinion — and it cannot be more misguided.

To paraphrase the editorial: In a well-publicised and altruistic announcement, the Oxford/ AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine suppliers (‘New Zealand’s’ vaccine) reported to the world that any Covid19 vaccine (not just theirs) greatly reduced the normal incidence of blood clots in all who have received any brand of Covid vaccine.

OK, I cite from the editorial, just to be sure this great message is getting across as quoted: “This [proportion of blood clots] is much lower (emphasis mine) than would be expected to occur naturally ... and is similar across other licensed Covid-19 vaccines.”

It beggars belief that large parts of Europe and UK became reluctant to receive the vaccine for this internationally publicised reason that not only won’t they get Covid if they take it, but risk of insanity, amputations, heart failure or death (all possibilities of blood clots) are also greatly reduced. Have the Europeans gone mad?

Northern Hemisphere folks, Covid19 vaccines have already been proven efficacious on two fronts by many millions of you who have already had the jab. Think of it this way: You have just taken part in what is already one of the largest and (we now know) successful cohort vaccine trials in all history.

The ‘double-blind, case-control’ trials of any new medications, involving far smaller numbers of volunteers, cannot hope to match the certainty of very large cohort trials (which incidentally are also recognised in academia, as being just as legitimate, although sometimes impractical to do, as case-control trials).

Now I am doubly keen for my own Covid-19 jab.

STAN HOOD

Aramoho