Response to BBC comments

The helpline has had lots of people contact us regarding comments made on the BBC by retired Professor Salisbury regarding his opinions of the Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine.

I have contacted the media department of vaccine team at Oxford requesting a reply in the media, but in the meantime I have a reply from one of the Professors leading the development of the vaccine, which I though you may find reassuring.

The Oxford-AZ vaccine is only a “live” virus in the sense that it is able to infect mammalian cells bearing its receptor but it is replication deficient, and therefore other definitions would consider it is non-live. It cannot replicate in humans and does not make more virions after vaccination (usually considered a prerequisite of life), and therefore it is safe in the immunocompromised. Our trials include HIV infected adults in uk and South Africa.

Other replication deficient viral vectors are being used safely and at scale for Ebola in Africa in HIV infected populations.

Andrew J Pollard FRCPCH PhD FMedSci

Professor of Paediatric Infection and Immunity,

Department of Paediatrics,

Fellow, St Cross College

University of Oxford

If you want to find out more, check the NRAS website Update on the COVID-19 vaccine section as it has great links and lots of information. I am in the process of updating the FAQs as well as attending to the Helpline with reduced staffing hours, but please keep an eye out.

[Neonkittie17]

Thank you for this. 💗

[nomoreheels]

Thank you for doing this Nadine. It's surprising how one incorrectly understood word can whip up a maelstrom.

[bubblyalex]

Yes thank you. 💕

[Lolabridge]

Brilliant! Just what we needed to know after the confusion he created. Thank you. 👏🏻

[Hidden]

Much clearer.. thank you ... mind you doesn’t take much to muddle me.

[allanah]

Thank you for the quick advice and reply. 😍

[Boxerlady]

Thank you

[Niao]

Thank you!

[Green230461]

Thanks for this!

[MadBunny]

Thank you for taking the trouble to find out and letting us know.

[Mmrr]

Thank you

[GinnyE]

Thank you for this, although I’ve heard the explanation about how the vaccine operates many times. I hope we get a reply in the media. It would be good if Professor Salisbury could correct himself personally. He implied the Oxford vaccine could be detrimental after all. How could someone in his position get it so wrong!!

[bubblyalex in reply to GinnyE]

Probably because his credentials sound good ... though he is long since retired ... the only person the BBC could find who isn’t frantically busy trying to deal with it all. He’s a media pundit ... Remember WHO let this terrible disease in... ‘keep the airports open’ they said over and over again ... AUS and NZ are where they are with this because they ignore WHO ☹️

... in the Standard Prof David Salisbury champions only giving one dose of the vaccine ... helpful to the likes of us he is not. It’s people like him .... 😤 Ranting again I am 🙃 sorry 🤭

[Niao in reply to bubblyalex]

Yes I saw that! Am with you on the airports! Xxx

[Suzy-P]

Thank you for your swift response

[Goldsky]

Thank you Nadine

[Mumcon]

Thanks for this x

[Hidden]

Thanks for this. There was a BSR Tweet about it too. I have Overlap CTD so follow several HU communities and I know that the rare rheumatic autoimmune disease charities do consult with each other.

But I feel it would really help just now if all smaller charities dedicated to supporting rheumatic autoimmune diseases, including NRAS (a larger charity representing a more common disease) would communicate with each other as both Vasculitis and Lupus UK have just done on this matter.

After all the drugs we take are all roughly the same and I think the small rarer rheumatic disease charities such as SRUK could benefit greatly from working together on one press release, informed primarily by the BSR, rather than each conveying slightly different messages about the various vaccines. Personally I’m more confused than ever - especially as most of it is England focussed and I’m in one of the devolved nations.

[Happy5]

Thank you most helpul 👍

[Zara0123]

Thank you