Astra-Zeneca Vaccine And Blood Clots

~ beetleypete

There has been a great deal of uproar on the news media over the deaths of some people after receiving the first dose of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. They developed a rare form of low-platelet blood clot in the brain, and that was almost certainly associated with them receiving the vaccine. Any death is tragic, and someone dying after taking a vaccine to try to prevent contracting Covid-19 is in itself a terrible irony. My sympathies go to any family affected by this.

However, compared to the millions of people who have been vaccinated, the death rate is remarkably low from those clots. It is around a one in a million chance that it might happen. To put that into perspective, you have more chance of drowning in your own bath, or being killed by an aircraft crashing on your house.

So no baths, and no sitting in your house?

Some EU countries have now banned the use of that brand of vaccine, and the UK government is not going to give it to younger people, who seem to be at higher risk of the clots.

But before you decide not to have it, please think about the statistics.

More chance of being killed crossing the road outside your house.
More chance of being killed by being struck by lightning.
Much more chance of being killed whilst driving your car anywhere.
More chance of being killed in a train crash.
More chance of being killed by an allergic reaction to an insect bite or sting.

I could go on, but you get the point.

There has been no evidence that the second dose has caused any blood clots. So if you have already had the first one, then please go ahead and have the second one when it is offered.

131 thoughts on “Astra-Zeneca Vaccine And Blood Clots”

    1. That is your choice of course, as we live in a free society. It certainly does not prevent transmission, but it has been proven to cut the hospital asmission rates because it reduces the symptoms. At my age, that’s good enough for me.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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        1. I certainly don’t agree with anyone being bullied into having it, that’s for sure. My stepson is not having it, and he has his reasons, even if I don’t agree with them.
          Best wishes, Pete.

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        2. You do what you must. But, I don’t think they can constitutionally force a vaccine, more so, when there’s no actual proof of a “pandemic,” a word they used to create fear.

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          1. I won’t take it. There is no way I am taking it. I decided my life is worth more than that risk..I’ve survived so far, I will keep on surviving. To be frank I think I have already had the virus – my sense of taste went crazy and I had an awful headache.

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  2. Yeah, the moment I heard “collective”, I more understood what is being propagandized and inserted into many people. Not for me. American individuality was what this country and the coinciding freedoms brought to so many. I wouldn’t care one wit about how someone else “feels” except that they are trying to do the right thing. I’m not into belonging, except as one man once said: we are a group of nonbelongers.

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    1. America has a long tradition of individuality. That reached a peak with the ‘survivalists’, and others who live solitary lives in far-flung places. Britain is too small for that. We either manage the best we can as a society, or it would fall apart.
      You do indeed have many more personal freedoms in America. But the other side of those freedoms is that if you have no money, or a poorly-paid job, you are left to suffer by a society that doesn’t care ‘about how someone else feels’. And with the right to own guns comes the mass shootings of innocent people. But that seems to be acceptable to the majority of Americans, so I suspect your preferred way of life will continue as it is.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. I can see some people have developed eloquent means of double-speak. Some have learned to appear to say one thing while saying something else. They’ve also learned how to show cause and effect without any real connection between what they say is the cause and the following effect. It’s kind of like saying, I threw a baseball into the air, and it started raining. The next day, I throw the baseball up, and it starts raining, so I think the baseball caused the rain. But the, the same person then uses emotions and claims others who don’t agree as not having the right feelings,, using “language” devices to create guilt for that which doesn’t truly exist. This technique is used by others to create false guilt. It does work, unfortunately, and many have bought into the idea that not going along with propaganda is being inhumane. Those of us who truly think for ourselves know otherwise. We can expose the dishonest technique.

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  6. The idea of a person having a dangerous impact by being an individual has been used to control the masses, time and again. To those seeking to control, the individual is the dangerous person. However, it’s the honest individual that is what freedom is all about. Better to live in uncertainty regarding outcomes, with freedom, then everyone giving up their free will and ability to think for themselves for what they perceive as certainty.

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    1. That’s a nice way to look at the issue, but I think we have to either live in a society where we have a responsibility to others, or just give up on the whole idea of that and go back to everyone doing what they want, whether it impacts others or not. My preference is the first option. I don’t see it as a control issue, just as one of collective sensible behaviour. But I know there are many that fear that as ‘control’. It seems to be something you take a side on, and my side has always been ‘the greater good’. That’s why I spent most of my life working in jobs that tried to help others.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  7. It always seems, whichever perspective people take, they feel others are not responsible enough. This prevents real communication, which those of the above perspective look to avoid. If we are to have real communication, then people share their information, calmly, without taking anything personally, and each person makes the decision(s) best for them. If someone else, based upon their information, wishes to take a vaccine or not, that is for them. I can only decide for myself, encouraging my family.

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    1. The right to decide is indeed a very important ‘human right’. As long as it doesn’t impact on the rest of society by continuing to spread a deadly virus. Hopefully when the majority has been vaccinated, the dangers from those who choose not to be will be greatly reduced.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  10. Thank you for the good advice, Pete! Yes, who got the first shot with Astrazeneca, should not change to another vaccine. As i had heard the side effects with Astrazeneca were experienced with the BioNTech/ Pfizer vaccine too. Only the Moderna vaccine is not discovered this way, but who knows what other side effects are given there. ;-( All drugs have side effects. These occur regularly much more frequently than with the vaccines.

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  11. My parents and I got Moderna and my husband, at a different location, got Pfizer. My husband and his sisters all had reactions while my parents and I had only slightly sore arms. I have a friend who gets reactions after shingles, flu, and Covid shots. So it evidently has a lot to do with your individual physical makeup. I also think that at some point there’s likely to be some sort of vaccination pass for air travel and the like.

    janet

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    1. Thanks, Janet. Glad to hear you all got vaccinated. I agree about the vaccination pass. After all, that’s nothing new. I had to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination to travel to and from Africa in the 1980s.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  14. You also have more chance of dying while driving, drowning while swimming, and many other things. This “flu” virus has the same stats as other flus. The benefit of all this blogging and internet articles, is those who think for themselves dig until they find the real stats. So, though many live in “dream land” of “Let’s all sing around the campfire about taking the shots,” many know the real stories and make decisions not out of peer pressure. To h#ll with social pressure, political pressure, and propaganda. We’ll make our own decisions, one way or the other.

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  15. Well said Pete, I’m having to deal with more and more sceptics over here in Poland, people who I thought knew better, and with covid running wild again over here bad press doesn’t help. Things have to be seen in perspective, which you have done.

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  16. I’ve had both parts of the vaccine experiencing a reaction to each one. I have severe Arthritis and confined to a wheelchair. The first reaction my left leg swelled from my hip to the knee along with severe pain from my knee to my foot; this reaction slowly diminished until it was gone two days later. The second reaction began with my eyes seeing double, the next morning severe pain from my waist down to my feet; both legs. It lasted one full day spent in bed. That was Monday April 5, today is April 8 the reaction continues but now it’s hard to determine if it is normal Rheumatoid Arthritis pain or lingering reactions. I spoke to a man on the phone with Arthritis that experienced exactly the same symptoms. I don’t know if that is the norm but I’m mentioning this for your readers that have severe Arthritis to perhaps be able to recognize the first symptoms.

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    1. Thanks for that information, Jaques. There are dangers to some people with long term pre-existing conditions who have also been taking other medication for many years. That has been seen here, and a lot of people have had reactions to the vaccines. But with over 120,000 deaths in England attributed to Covid-19, and people still dying every day, I think it has to be worth the risk.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  17. I’m going with the science and the math. My wife got the one dose Johnson and Johnson. I’ve had the first of my Pfizer vaccinations. Neither of us has experienced any side effects.

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  19. Weirdly I had a massive migraine and blurred vision 4 days after my Pfizer jab. I put it down as a coincidence, but now I wonder if there was a connection. I know Pfizer haven’t been mentioned, but I’m sure there are some similarities in the vaccines.

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  20. Pete,
    People forget that these ‘vaccines’ are only available under emergency licensing.

    There is no long term safety data (a couple of months of trial data at best) available so whether these ‘vaccines’ are safe is far too early to call.

    This is still a virus that 99% of people survive; a virus where co-morbidities play a significant role in death, and that many many people don’t know they’ve had it until they test positive.

    I shall defer my jab and see how things go.

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    1. That’s your choice mate, and I respect your right to choose. But a one in one million death rate is comparable to taking two paracetamol for a headache. Obviously, I would not want you to contract Coronavirus, even with its very high survival rate.
      Cheers, Pete.

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  22. (1) More chance of drowning in your own bath… Due to a construction defect, my bathtub has a leak that damaged the kitchen ceiling below the first time I turned on the water. To this day, I have yet to fix the leak. So I’ve never taken a bath in this house.
    (2) More chance of being killed crossing the road outside your house… I live in a gated community where children play in the street. I might get hit by a tricycle, but I’d definitely survive.
    (3) More chance of being killed by being struck by lightning… Do you know how rare lightning is in Las Vegas?
    (4) More chance of being killed in a train crash… There is no passenger train service here.
    (5) More chance of being killed by an allergic reaction to an insect bite or sting… Here in Nevada, you rarely encounter insects that bite. We do have scorpions and rattlesnakes, but good luck finding one!
    (6) More chance of being killed by an aircraft crashing on your house… Due to the airport being smack in the center of Las Vegas, that could happen. However, our airport is top-notch, and weather conditions here are 99% optimal.
    (7) Much more chance of being killed whilst driving your car anywhere… Many of the drivers in Las Vegas are originally from California, and are notorious for speeding and overall carelessness. So you have a valid point. However, I am very alert to the danger, and, out of an abundance of caution, avoid like the plague any vehicle that bears a California license plate.

    So the chance of dying from a vaccination is considerably higher than (1) through (5), but possibly (however unlikely) lower than (6) and (7).

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  24. Within life, there are always risks…you calculate the odds and, if you are religious, you pray. In this case I side with being vaccinated, but not with AstraZeneca if there is something else available, within, a reasonable time period. In my case, I’ve received both of my Pfizer vaccine’s. I did fine with them and–fingers crossed–I will continue to do fine.

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    1. Our government does. We have had thirty deaths from blood clots on the brain. That is out of 31,000,000+ vaccinations. The figure is so tiny, it would not usually be worth reporting. But the BBC is making such a big deal of it. Many more people die every year after having the Flu vaccine, but they choose not to mention that.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  27. I get my second one on Saturday (first was on February 04). I’m still taking anti-coagulants after having blood clots last July so am hoping they will prevent any blood clots caused by the vaccine! My GP and oncologist both advise to go ahead. I do not want Covid.

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  30. It is indeed a tragedy, but as you pount out, the odds are still low and let’s also remember that NO vaccine is 100% effective against getting the virus – BUT they are 100% effective against dying from it. These are dangerous times and while it is tragic that there is a reaction to A/Z for a very small few, Science is helping us keep so many more from dying..and for those who don’t live in the US, we are currently at 550,000+ DEAD from doing nothing.

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    1. Thanks for that update, John. Around 30 deaths from over 31 MILLION vaccinations in England alone is such a small figure, it should not stop anyone from getting the vaccine. They are tragedies for the families of those concerned, but nothing compared to the greater tragedy of nobody being vaccinated.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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        1. Completely agree with you both Pete and John. Nobody wants to see these deaths but over if America for example is fully vaccinated by the end of the year we’re looking at hundreds of thousands of deaths avoided.Best wishes Pete.

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    1. Very true, Sue. I think the BBC has been completely irresponsible in its reporting of this tiny percentage of vaccine-related deaths. If they stop people having the vaccine and those people die of Covid, the media will be liable, in my opinion.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  33. More chance of getting a blood clot than of winning the jackpot in the National Lottery, but people still do that. Psychological probabillity – we often overestimate the likelihood of unlikely events. I’ll still be having my second jab.

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    1. An estimated 30 deaths is a sad figure. But with over 30 million people now vaccinated, it is an incredibly small percentage, Don. In my opinion, it is not enough to risk contracting Covid.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  38. I don’t blame the vaccine for causing my current health issues but I do believe it has made the situation worse with side effects and elongated the cure. But, it still won’t stop me from having the second jab when available as that could save my life. There never seems to be mention of the side effects from the other vaccines and yet I’m sure Pfizer started off with a few, maybe even blood clots?
    Hugs

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    1. Thanks, David. Some EU countries started the scare over A-Z. I’m sure that was political at the time, as they were complaining that they had not got their deliveries. I am pleased to hear you will have the second dose.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Apologies, but what we heard was that Norway sounded the alarm on AstraZeneca, and they’re not part of the EU. Suggesting that the countries of the EU would be prepared to put their own populations at risk just to ‘stick it to the UK’ is dangerous.

        As for your statistics, they are a little misleading. The cause and effect for most of those ‘you’re more likely to’ events are known so most of us can and do avoid them. The factors working in combination with AstraZeneca to cause these very rare blood clots are not known so no one knows if they’re in danger of dying or not. So the stats don’t exactly compare apples with apples.

        If someone is in imminent danger of catching Covid-19 [for whatever reason], then yes, even AstraZeneca with it’s 70% effectiveness rate is worth taking. But if Covid-19 is not a danger the risk to benefit ratio plummets. Isn’t that why it’s been suggested that younger people should be given a different vaccine? Because Covid poses next to no danger to them, but the vaccine could?

        The same risk to benefit ratio applies to those of us who are over 60. If we can continue to self-isolate then the sensible thing would be to delay taking any vaccine until more data comes in. As someone else pointed out, None of the three front runners – Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca – were approved under ‘normal’ vaccine conditions. They were approved for emergency use. They have not been exhaustively tested across different populations and risk factors.

        Individuals are not statistics, and none of us want to be that 1:1,000,000 person who pulls the short straw. We have to decide on a case by case basis whether we can afford to wait, or whether we are prepared to risk the side-effects. Personally, I’m happy to wait. We’ve been in self isolation for over a year. A bit more is neither here nor there.

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        1. No need to apologise.

          Yes, Norway is not in the EU, and initially stopped using the AZ vaccine after four deaths from blood clots. Then some EU countries in Europe decided to think twice about using it, despite previously claiming that AZ had not sent them any in the first place.

          ‘My’ statistics are not mine, but gleaned from reading and watching independent scientists interviewd. Yes, if one of my family was one of those one in a million who died from a clot after vaccination, I would be devastated, and I do feel for those affected. But 30 deaths from 31 million vaccinations in England is an incredibly low figure. It is far better than the figure for deaths following Polio vaccine and Smallpox vaccinations in the 1960s, for example.

          You have the right to think twice about vaccination, ot not to have it at all, but if people have already had one vaccination with no serious side effects, it surely has to be better for them to have the second dose? At least in my opinion. Scare-mongering over a tiny number of vaccine-related deaths will undoubtedly stop many people having any vaccine, and that might well put us back into the situation
          we were in last year.

          Lauren from America sent me this link. The film is well-worth watching.
          https://zdoggmd.com/astrazeneca/
          Best wishes, Pete.

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          1. Sorry, Pete. Your post came on the heels of an announcement here in Australia earlier today that people under 50 should not get the AstraZeneca jab. And that’s despite the Federal govt hanging its hat on our own, locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines. We are going to get more of the Pfizer and possibly the Novavax.

            I do appreciate that the UK is in a very different situation, and any vaccine may well be better than none, but if there are safer alternatives, why not take them?

            Yes, AstraZeneca is produced in the UK and yes, it is miles easier to distribute and yes, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper, but what is the value of even one human life?

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    1. Thanks, Kim. We had to have what was available at the time here. That is now going to change for younger people, (under 30) who will probably be offered the Moderna vaccine.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  40. This has been quietly well known in the medical community here for a long time – the deaths first appeared with the first jabs given to medical personnel and first responders. Once a few doctors nurses, staff – and priority patients suddenly died, many healthcare workers backed off from taking that vaccine.
    The numbers are small but concerning. This disease has no track record and neither do these vaccines. Most bad side effects happen after the second dose of either of the 2 dose vaccines.
    Any drug or vaccine is a calculated risk. Some will have no problem but for others multiple unpleasant outcomes occur. This situation is why the vaccine must be a personal choice not mandated.
    Yes, I have had vaccine – as has all my extended family – docs included.

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    1. I doubt it will ever be compulsory here to have any vaccination. I have never had a Flu jab, and people die from Flu every year. But on this occasion, I have had the A-Z vaccine. Not so much for myself, but because I feel the ‘Vaccine Passport’ will become a reality, and I don’t want to restrict our movements or our social life in the future.
      As for the odds, at one in a million, I will take my chances. After all, I buy a lottery ticket. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  41. Having worked in state government for nearly 10 years. I am paranoid in my older age. I’ve seen how the contracts for things run. The faster and lowest bidder gets the contract. So most of the time, quality is not in the equation. If you feel you need the vaccine, by all means get it.

    Now I hear there is some conflicting information for those of us that had the virus and recovered and posses antibodies. I need to read up on the latest for that.

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    1. Thanks, Ron. I had the first dose, and my wife had two of the Pfizer brand. Before she was vaccinated, she had the antibody test at her work, and she had none in her system. I think the odds are in favour of having the vaccinations, but that’s just me.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. It’s a huge panic here. Completely out of all proportion to the numbers affected. The BBC is being irresponsible, as I am sure that many others will now refuse any vaccine.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  43. Pete, thought you might like to know my reblog buttons are back. Not because of WP, but because I thought about it and fixed it myself. As everyone told me they could see my Twitter and Facebook buttons along with the reblog one, it had to be something I had downloaded that was interfering. I was right. A few days back I downloaded an Addblocking app. When I removed it, the buttons reappeared! The trouble ios that the app removed all kinds of ancilaries…

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    1. I am very glad to hear you solved your issue, Jack. Also to hear it was something you could easily unistall to fix it. I apologise that I forgot to let you know yesterday, but at the time I looked, I still couldn’t see your own reblog button.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  44. Drug companies in the US advertise their various products which by law (presumably) they have to list the side effects. Some of these commercials seem almost humorous as the announcer reads of an almost endless list of symptoms that often are worse than the ones that it is made to treat.

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    1. We have leaflets inside all boxes of drugs that list so many side effects, you would never take so much as a headache tablet. Fortunately, it is not allowed here for companies to advertise medcines on television.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  45. I also hope that this does not deter people from vaccination. Unfortunately, it seems that whether or not someone gets the vaccine (my father is one) is largely determined by politics. The unfortunate side effects are just the “proof” for the argument.

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    1. Excellent decision. Measuring antibodies is recommended.
      Some who’ve had the disease PROBABLY do not need vaccine – and getting one MAY cause an onslaught of COVID…we just don’t know yet.
      Least medicine intervention needed is the best medicine.

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        1. COVID is very serious. We have had 3 co-workers die, one recovered but with brain damage from treatment. At least now there’s a bit more knowledge how to treat these patients. Early on it was total chaos – we know multiple infectious disease specialists in big virus research centers. (One week they said, well, “we are getting really scary reports from colleagues Northern Italy, but not sure how bad it will be here yet”…a week later it was like “this could wipe out civilization”) Human race got blindsided with this virus.
          Good to be wary, analyze, and make informed decisions.
          Governments need to be honest about all of it. “Truth is we don’t know …” that would be better than making it up or faking it.

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  48. It is tragic when this happens. 10 minutes before I left to go get my first vaccine, I read of a woman my age who died within an hour after getting the vaccine I was to receive. It made me nervous, of course, but did not stop me. At least here, there are three different vaccines offered.

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      1. It does seem very variable. My lady wife had a couple of unpleasant days, my daughter was genuinely unwell and had to go to bed for a day. But two or three days later they were both back to fitness

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