Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Will you vaccinate against Covid?

338 replies

DelilahfromDevon · 19/09/2020 09:44

Let me start by saying I’ve never been an anti vaxxer and have vaccinated my family in the usual way. Also vaccinated them against chicken pox. They get vaccinated against the flu at school but I’ve never been vaccinated myself with the exception of the pregnancy years when it’s recommended.

But I am undecided vaccinating against Covid. Firstly due to unknown side effects of a vaccination that’s being rushed through. Secondly, only 370 people under 60 without medical conditions have died from Covid. No children. (Source Daily Telegraph). Most people who catch it don’t die and at worst have minor symptoms.

If I do decide to vaccinate it will purely be for the greater good of the elderly and those who are immunocompromised rather than because I think/am concerned I’m going to get it myself.
Curious as to what other people’s thoughts on it are?

OP posts:
Eng123 · 27/09/2020 19:48

All these "wait and see" people really piss me off. It's not a rushed vaccine and vaccination rates will be key to economic and social recovery. I'd hazard a guess they are the same people complaining about restrictions!

Remmy123 · 27/09/2020 20:00

No way.

NoViolins · 27/09/2020 20:02

All these "wait and see" people really piss me off. It's not a rushed vaccine and vaccination rates will be key to economic and social recovery. I'd hazard a guess they are the same people complaining about restrictions!

I have no issues with the restrictions (they pose no risk to my health) but I am cautious about rushing to get vaccinated (something which COULD pose a risk to my health) against a disease that does not pose any great risk to my health.

I know these days everyone likes to read an article or two and then act like an expert, especially where Covid is concerned, but I would prefer if people just admitted they're not experts. I admit I'm not. And that makes me cautious about a new vaccine for which the advice of ACTUAL EXPERTS is conflicting (for example, the FDA has not yet agreed to resume the AstraZaneca/Oxford trials in the US because they're not yet convinced it's safe following the illnesses suffered by two participants).

If I'm unsure, and even the genuine experts are unsure, then IMO it's better to wait. If I was at a high-risk of Covid, that might not be the case, but I'm not.

fallfallfall · 27/09/2020 20:04

i don't feel vulnerable. so not at this point no.

Thisischocolate · 27/09/2020 20:08

We won’t have the option to be vaccinated because none of my household meet the criteria to be a priority. It will likely be years before enough vaccine is available for those who are not a priority.

RubyViolet · 27/09/2020 20:08

Yes !!

Parker231 · 27/09/2020 20:08

Will those not getting vaccinated therefore restrict their contact with other people who may have underlying health conditions which getting Covid could make them seriously ill?

NoViolins · 27/09/2020 20:14

Will those not getting vaccinated therefore restrict their contact with other people who may have underlying health conditions which getting Covid could make them seriously ill?

How? We have no way of knowing who does and doesn't have an underlying health condition. And as long as they've had the vaccine themselves (or if it's a low-efficacy vaccine, then as long as a large enough number of people have) then it shouldn't be a major problem anyway.

The onus should really be on the authorities and the manufacturers to show people that it's safe anyway. I've no desire to put vulnerable people at risk! But I've no desire to put myself at risk either.

bumbleymummy · 27/09/2020 20:15

@Parker231 They’re the people who will be offered the vaccine first.

Parker231 · 27/09/2020 20:18

Some medical vulnerable people are recommended by their doctors not to have vaccines.

NoViolins · 27/09/2020 20:26

A) I would assume that number is very very low
B) Not everybody NEEDS to get the vaccine to significantly slow the spread, which keeps everybody safe
C) Lots of people don't get flu vaccines but they don't get guilt trips about it from the elderly and others vulnerable to flu

MadameBlobby · 27/09/2020 20:58

[quote bumbleymummy]@Parker231 They’re the people who will be offered the vaccine first.[/quote]
But they might not want it either. Then what?

MadameBlobby · 27/09/2020 21:02

It was found to have a 0.002% risk of inducing narcolepsy in under-20s (on top of the naturally occurring 0.05% risk)

Thank you. Doesn’t seem like that big a risk?

bumbleymummy · 27/09/2020 21:08

@MadameBlobby Then why should other people be made to feel guilty for not wanting to get the vaccine if the very people who are most at risk of Covid don’t want if themselves?

polkadotpixie · 27/09/2020 21:11

On balance, I will have it and as I'm NHS, I imagine we will be towards the top of the list so I guess we'll be the guinea pigs!

The only time I would decline it is if I'm pregnant (we're TTC again soon). DH definitely won't have it as he's an antivax nut job. I'm unsure on DS as the risk to children from COVID is so low

FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue · 27/09/2020 21:14

Yes, I see it as my duty to my community and for the wider good.

NoViolins · 27/09/2020 21:16

But they might not want it either. Then what?

What a bizarre question. Then they face the risk of getting sick and whatever the consequences of that, just like anyone else who chooses not to have the vaccine.

Nyclair · 27/09/2020 21:20

@Eng123

All these "wait and see" people really piss me off. It's not a rushed vaccine and vaccination rates will be key to economic and social recovery. I'd hazard a guess they are the same people complaining about restrictions!
Absolutely not. I have no problems adhering to the restrictions and wearing a mask (compulsory where i live and have been for several months now). Vaccines generally take years to come to market but they say they can get Covid out in a year? How can they do it so fast? Im not saying i know better but it does or should make you pause and think.
MadameBlobby · 27/09/2020 21:25

[quote bumbleymummy]@MadameBlobby Then why should other people be made to feel guilty for not wanting to get the vaccine if the very people who are most at risk of Covid don’t want if themselves?[/quote]
I don’t think anyone should feel guilty. But this whole episode has been based on a collective effort and the greater good ahead of ourselves. The vaccine is just the next step.

MadameBlobby · 27/09/2020 21:27

@NoViolins

But they might not want it either. Then what?

What a bizarre question. Then they face the risk of getting sick and whatever the consequences of that, just like anyone else who chooses not to have the vaccine.

It’s not really a bizarre question. The point is that if people on here don’t want it there’s no reason the vulnerable won’t feel the same. And then if we have a vaccine no one takes where do we go as a society from there?

There seems to be this “othering” of the vulnerable that they are somehow separate to the rest of the population

Boredbumhead · 27/09/2020 21:40

Corronovirus like the flu mutates every year. It would mean we would need boosters and repeat vaccines like we do with the flu.

MadameBlobby · 27/09/2020 21:42

@Boredbumhead

Corronovirus like the flu mutates every year. It would mean we would need boosters and repeat vaccines like we do with the flu.
I thought that was the plan? Maybe it will be given alongside flu jabs
Egghead68 · 27/09/2020 22:16

Corronovirus like the flu mutates every year

Um... the novel coronavirus hasn’t yet been existence for a year.

It has mutated but not in any significant way so far. There’s little evolutionary pressure on it to mutate as it’s very successful at reproducing as it is.

The thinking is that we will need regular vaccinations but that’s because immunity may fade after some months.

Coffeeandaride · 27/09/2020 22:17

Yes, my job is to be in close contact with elderly and immunocompromised people.

My main anxiety through this whole thing is that I would get it and pass it on/kill someone.

For this reason only I get the flu jab.

The vaccine would go some way to do help me not pass it on.

For me it’s new vaccine vs ongoing anxiety plus risk of harming others. It won’t be released without sufficient evidence. I will have to read more about the trials before recommending it to others.

moominmomma1234 · 28/09/2020 05:01

Just finding funding for vaccines can take a year but these have been funded instantly. It’s that kind of admin stuff that’s been speeded up . The safety measures are the same . They will vaccinate thousands of volunteers soon and see if it works over next few months

Swipe left for the next trending thread