What would be the consequences of refusing the coronavirus vaccine?

[Redolent]

So it’s being reported today that a sixth of all UK adults wouldn’t get vaccinated for coronavirus, and up to a third are unsure. I had a chat with my own sister-in-law few days ago and her family is also ‘worried about what they’re going to pump into us’...

I can’t see the vaccine being compulsory - it would just further fuel conspiracy theories - so what might be the consequences of turning down a vaccine? For instance, restrictions on international travel, countries refusing admittance? Employers requesting evidence of vaccination?

I’m waiting on an antibody test. Do you think people who already have immunity should be made to have a vaccine?

You could have immunity without antibodies and you could have antibodies that are not neutralising. So an antibody test is useless for determining immunity at an individual level (although at a community level it is helpful to get an idea of exposure).

And there are no concerns that receiving a vaccine for a virus you have already been exposed to will cause any negative side effects, it will probably be beneficial and increase your chances of having long term immunity.

Many thousands of people died in traffic accidents last year in England, yet there is no talk of banning driving

The death rate from RTAs in this country is just over 1700 per year at the moment, and the overall trend is downwards. The number of people under 60 who have died from Covid-19 in the last 3 months (with lockdown) is higher than that.

That said I do agree that compulsory vaccination would be a fundamental shift in this country. Worth bearing in mind as well that overall we have had a much lighter lockdown than many other countries. And e.g. refusing state education has far reaching consequences on vulnerable children so is not a decision that should be taken lightly (and no-one has been denied education during lockdown, the delivery has just been different and even that has had consequences for some children).

I can’t imagine it will be forced but you probably won’t be able to access some jobs, places and it may affect some insurance policies.