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Covid

Will the vaccine be mandatory?

134 replies

CathyandHeathcliff · 06/04/2020 07:22

When and if there’s a vaccine, will we all be instructed to have it?
I don’t get the flu jab and never have.

OP posts:
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TheShapeJaper · 07/04/2020 10:14

If you opt out of it then you shouldn’t be allowed to mix with others. My pets aren’t allowed to board etc unless vaccinated. Should be the same for humans.

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littlemixarerubbish · 07/04/2020 09:52

@teainthetardis the flu jab isn't a routine vaccination. It's given if you're in a high risk group, or if you're a healthcare worker. It's also given to children as they are flu "superspreaders". The rest of you don't need the flu jab, and if you want it you need to pay.
So it's ok to say you don't have the flu jab. It's not like refusing the MMR.

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Bedroomdilemma · 07/04/2020 08:07

Also it’s not just a variation of an existing flu vaccine, as pointed out, this is not the flu!

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Bedroomdilemma · 07/04/2020 08:02

I am v far from an anti vaxer, but I wouldn’t be rushing to be first in line for an rushed vaccine. Weren’t there problems with the swine flu one?

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CrunchyCarrot · 07/04/2020 08:02

CV is NOT THE FLU.

I know!! The PP's question was asking about flu, not CV so I answered specifically about flu.

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majesticallyawkward · 07/04/2020 08:00

I don't have the flu jab

Also I have had the flu 4 times in my life so maybe have less fear of it.


CV is NOT THE FLU.

Whether you choose to have the flu jab or not is largely irrelevant as this not 'just a flu' we are dealing with and the sooner it is stopped being compared to flu the better.

If there is a genuine reason for not having the vaccination, such as autoimmune disease meaning the person is advised against it then fair enough but I don't understand why anyone who could have it would choose not to given the effect this virus has had on the world already.

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Marieo · 07/04/2020 07:59

Well, once they have appropriately dosed you up and you are a bit more yourself you can refuse medication, but that comes with the caveat that you will be detained for longer, so for many it's not really a choice.

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Marieo · 07/04/2020 07:42

You can be forced to have medication administered under a court order though for mental health issues when in the community. Admittedly only in extreme circumstances, and when sectioned you have no autonomy really.

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ColleysMill · 07/04/2020 07:37

Interesting discussion, particularly when the Mental Capacity Act makes clear people are free to make "unwise decisions" regarding treatment and their health and whether recent legislation superceedes that.

I have vaccinated my dc so i guess im pro for properly tested vaccines. Happily have my flu jab each year.

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CrunchyCarrot · 07/04/2020 07:31

I don’t understand people who proudly announce that they don’t get the flu jab. Just why

I don't have the jab. It's because I have an autoimmune disease and I know quite a few folk who also have the same autoimmune disease and have reacted badly to the jab. I don't want that to happen to me. Also I have had the flu 4 times in my life so maybe have less fear of it.

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teainthetardis · 07/04/2020 07:22

I don’t understand people who proudly announce that they don’t get the flu jab. Just why

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CrunchyCarrot · 07/04/2020 06:41

My two penneth on this subject is that no, the vaccine should not be mandatory. I think it will be as with the 'flu, since it mainly kills those who are over 60, it'll be strongly recommended along with the flu jab. Whether that becomes a seasonal thing will depend on whether this virus mutates readily. I think the current experiences we are having will be enough for many people to queue up to have it.

We should always be given a choice. Vaccinations do not suit everyone for a variety of reasons. I am not an anti-vaxxer, but I have seen people adversely affected by the flu jab, for example, and as a result they have not had it again.

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penisbeakers · 07/04/2020 04:31

I bloody hope so.

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lyralalala · 07/04/2020 04:18

If there is any attempt to make a vaccine mandatory then the Vaccine Damage fund needs to be overhauled and we need to stop putting people through years of fighting for deserved compensation.

The hoops those who developed Narcolepsy from the swine flu vaccination were put through (and are still jumping through) are ridiculous. Especially considering it was a known issue.

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safariboot · 07/04/2020 01:29

Many instances of the medical profession making serious mistakes. Thalidomide, hernia mesh, etc etc.

I actually think mandatory vaccination creates a moral hazard. The vaccine producers no longer need to convince the people that it's safe, which means they have less incentive to ensure it is safe.

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PeppaisaBitch · 06/04/2020 21:45

and when WE have all been vaccinated will you go out freely knowing we have taken the risk for you?

So you agree there's a risk?

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littlemixarerubbish · 06/04/2020 21:40

I don't think the OP said that she wouldn't have it, and in her second post she says she wasn't anti-vax, she was just asking a question. Not having the flu jab doesn't mean anything. Most people don't have it unless they are in a high risk group or are healthcare workers.

Can we give the OP a break?!

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LastTrainEast · 06/04/2020 21:14

CathyandHeathcliff if I had my way it would not be mandatory, but are you currently being careful not to get the virus? and when WE have all been vaccinated will you go out freely knowing we have taken the risk for you? Was that your plan?

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Frequency · 06/04/2020 20:38

Wasn't thalidomide a completely new drug? and iirc that trail in which the men got sick was illegal and not supported by proper medical staff or insurers.

flu vaccines have been around for ages. They haven't created something totally new. They've modified what they already had as they do every year to cover the most common flu strains that season.

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Snoooozzze · 06/04/2020 20:38

I understand that everyone has their own opinions on this subject but there's a difference between an opinion (which can be ignored) and wilful ignorance of facts (which can result in widespread illness and death)

I think a vaccine for such a fast spreading and infection virus should be mandatory but we're a long way off a vaccine at the minute.

When we have a viable vaccine I don't think it would be unreasonable to expect anyone unwilling to accept this should be made to wear medic alert bracelet stating their unvaccinated status and (similar to non compliance to vaccinating your pets) any illness contracted as a result of a preventable/vaccinatable disease would be chargeable for any treatment needed - signing a disclaimer if necessary.

Just my opinion though

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PeppaisaBitch · 06/04/2020 20:29

I'm not anti vaccine and myself and children are up to date. But I will not be taking this vaccine. It has already skipped many steps to rush it out so quickly. There are no telling what the long term effects will be. What about thalidomide? What about the six men whose organs failed trialing a drug. Rushing drugs out is not a gamble I will take.

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Frequency · 06/04/2020 20:17

Do they think they've just a) thrown together a heap of untested ingredients in the hope it makes us immune to a previously unknown virus or b) taken a known, working and safe vaccine or one near to completion and already in the stages of testing and modified it slightly before putting it through rigorous tests?

Considering there were already universal flu vaccines in the late stages of development, I'm gonna go with B.

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awkwardbuttons · 06/04/2020 20:13

BighouseLittlemouse that's what I read too. The decision not to vaccinate in the UK is mostly cost based - you can actually find the minutes of the meeting online where this is discussed and decided. They could just vaccinate children against chicken pox and give adults the varicella vaccine for shingles. They don't because it costs too much. Also, children who are vaccinated against chicken pox are very unlikely to get shingles later in life (barring get chicken pox and then later shingles). We chose to vaccinate.

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MitziK · 06/04/2020 20:12

I would imagine that once the anti vaxxers start losing their children's grandparents, they might feel slightly differently. At present, whilst they've mostly been vaccinated and their parents have either been vaccinated or have survived the other childhood diseases, they've got survivor bias. Start losing grandparents in the thousands and a significant proportion will secretly change their mind.

Or they'll just demand that their parents have the vaccine do they don't have to 'risk' their child being contaminated.

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OhCrumbsWhereNow · 06/04/2020 20:11

My DD is vaccinated against everything possible including chicken pox - I have an immuno-compromised DH and a close relative (child) who can't be immunised due to treatment for a brain tumour.

Also grew up in a country where children regularly died of diseases that we are lucky enough to be offered protection against.

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