Logs out of my eyes
A good deal of my job
involves the gathering, analysis, and interpretation of activity and error
logs. As I am not on site to observe with my own eyes the environment,
situation, or circumstances that create issues, I am left with deducing from the
jumble of logs, the what’s, the how’s, and the why’s of things.
Sifting through and
parsing data in the language and the numbers to determine patterns to follow; the logic
or sequence of events almost becomes second nature. You can scarily come to some
conclusions with such certainty, you might begin to doubt if you have read the
situation right, even if you are usually right.
Then, how do you
account for bias or possible error when assessing data presented from other
environments outside your professional purview? Clarity is essential and, in
the presentation,, you need to see what is clearly known, what is definitely
unknown, what is still in dispute, open to debate and inconclusive, and the
direction of travel towards tying up the loose ends.
Making sense of what’s
out there
Nowhere is this more
pertinent than in studying the recent developments around the COVID - SARS-Cov-2
vaccine, in particular the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. That it has courted so
much controversy started with the bungling of the test profile first with the
dosing and then leaving the over 65s out of the cohort.
Since then, there have
been reports of blood clot incidents post-vaccine which have not yet been
proven just as it has not been conclusively disproven that the vaccine is the
cause that might have resulted in 9 fatalities. [EMA
- COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca: benefits still outweigh the risks despite
possible link to rare blood clots with low blood platelets]
A personal experience
of side effects
Whilst a cost-benefit
analysis would lead experts to suggest the benefits outweigh the risks, that is
a statistical thing that works for the majority but not for the individual that
presents the cases of serious concern. I remember being put on Triumeq a few years
ago, it was to replace my Atripla regimen.
I was to detach a
card from the Triumeq package, one of the side effects was instant death, that
was scary enough. However, I did not tolerate it that well, the side effects
diminished my quality of life, I recorded in a diary 42 days of insomnia, nerve-tingling,
unexplained sudden joint pain, nausea, diarrhoea, it was hellish that I asked
to be put back on Atripla without considering any other options.
Now, whilst I have
been on Atripla since May 2010, I had a few neurological and cognitive issues,
vivid dreams, simulated psycho-activity as if I was on psychedelic drugs and
insomnia, but over time, I had developed coping mechanisms for toleration and
satisfaction with it. Other people have psychological and psychiatric issues
evoking suicidal thoughts, depression and worse.
Report side effects
always
Statistically, both
drugs are amazingly effective at controlling the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus
(HIV), the side effects are generally tolerable, however, to the individual
that is more than just a statistic to accommodate the percentile for drug approval,
the issues cannot be ignored. That is why we are invited to participate in the Yellow Card Scheme for reporting
adverse drug reactions, medical device adverse incidents, defective medicines,
and counterfeit or fake medicines.
On the vaccine, I
took the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine just under 4 weeks ago, I am
glad it was available, and it offers me some protection including taking
consideration for my frequent visits to South Africa. I had to check the side
effects and possible drug interactions with my current medication with the view
to raise concerns if necessary.
Praise and accountability
matter
The success of
getting the vaccine to most adults in the UK is commendable and it puts us well
ahead of Europe. It was a gamble that paid off, being first movers that
presented UK patients as Guinea pigs with a recalibration to allow for a higher
proportion of first jabs to full inoculation. That being said, there must be
accountability for the rotten debacle of the loss of lives at over 126,000 people
and the exorbitant Test and Trace regime that did little to contain or control
the virus when it really mattered.
We can in the dearth
of good news run away with the slither of good fortune at the expense of other
things or adopt a more pragmatic approach, being able to see the bigger
picture, giving praise where it is due and excoriation where it is deserved. No
one issue is mutually exclusive of the other, they are all part of the
narrative where you see the rose, the thorns, or the whole bush.
References
[The
New York Times: AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Is Found to Be 79% Effective in
U.S. Study]
[BBC News: Covid vaccine: US
trial of AstraZeneca jab confirms safety]
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