If the vaccine was immediately available for everyone - would you have it?

[Dinosaur19]

Not after an argument I’m just genuinely wondering! I have spoken to two friends and one would have it and one wouldn’t. If the vaccine (still with 90% effectivity) was available for everyone in the UK, would you have it straight away?

I have been vaccinated as a child , my children have all been vaccinated and up to date with childhood immunisations. But I will not be having this. Like another poster I have a serious needle phobia and won’t have a flu jab or hepatitis jabs even though work try and encourage it. That’s because the fear I have of the injection is so huge.

However this is being rushed. It’s far too soon and why.. most people saying yes want it so they can socialise and go out. No idea what the long term health effects of it could be. I am not an anti vax or conspiracy theorist but for Christ sake apply some common sense to being injected with something no one knows much about

This vaccine will have undergone the same tests, it’s just been fast tracked because of the pandemic. So many more people working on it and government giving it priority. It’s not less safe. Do you really think that would be allowed?

Will we be made to have it? If we dont have the vaccine it can still spread?

Will we be made to have it?

No

If we dont have the vaccine it can still spread?

Yes

The people who are saying it’s too rushed what is your basis for this, other than precedent? Just because a vaccine hasn’t been produced this quickly before doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Do you really expect with the world on its knees we can wait 4 years dithering around waiting for long term effects to show up?

My answer is kind of a no, because it would be completely insane if healthy 40 year olds like me are vaccinated any time soon.

@doubleshotespresso

Definitely not this soon. Vaccines require years of thorough testing, whilst this is hugely encouraging and great news of progress we all really needed to hear, I'd need to see a lot more detail on how this has been tested and what the potential side effects might be.

I really don’t understand this approach. Are you in any way competent to assess a licensing submission? Would you even understand it? I know I’d struggle and this is close to my area of expertise.

The regulators (MHRA and their counterparts in other countries) receive a massive dossier for scrutiny before the medicine is approved. Fair enough if you don’t trust the MHRA (I do), but trusting your own research above theirs is a bit barmy.

I don’t want it so I can socialise and go out. I want it so that the vulnerable and in turn the NHS aren’t at risk and so we can get society back to a semblance of normal. That said “going out” is a part of that so people in these sectors can get to work and the economy can get back to normal so is actually quite important as well.

I wonder how many people who have gone on about “selfishness” and “civic duty” and berating others won’t have the vaccine. I think not having it is actually every bit as selfish as not following the rules we have at the moment. We all keep getting told we need to do our bit to get us through this. For me the vaccine is very much part of that and other than people who cannot medically have it I think everyone else should. We won’t have forced vaccination but I see people’s workplaces etc insisting people have it so it may end up being de facto compulsory that way.

@Caroncanta

I hope nobody saying no works in front line health care.

Why? Are they not allowed a choice on what should be injected into their bodies?

Do some nhs roles not require some mandatory vaccinations at the moment?

Honestly it will depend on the science , when it is released DP and I will sit and look carefully at the details. We both have a reasonable understanding of how to read the papers attached. We will then make a decision. For us it would be about stopping the spread for others as we are not ECV even remotely .

DC I am hesitant but it will some down to the details released and we will have to make an informed decision. I don't believe we can decide yet without any additional information. We have over the years seen a lot of impact with rushed anything in the medical community, we have also seen huge benefits from medications made available that have seemed unusual or out of the box.

The science talks. Of course noone can predict long term effects. In reality medication is given all the time where the long term effects turn out to be a surprise. I don't expect the medical community to be psychic.

If I knew it was definitely safe then I would have it but I wouldn't push to be first in the queue.

Matt Hancock has just said on BBC Breakfast that the vaccine won't be mandatory, and that the Brits are (according to some kind of worldwide poll) 'amongst the most enthusiastic' to get the jab. The Aussies are even more enthusiastic, apparently.

The safety aspect of it hasn't yet been OKed (although I expect it will be declared safe). We still need to wait for that, also, we don't know whether it will prevent onward transmission of the virus. There are still a number of unanswered questions but we are on the right track, now.

I asked a few pages pages back and no-one has answered for those that say nope, no way what do think should happen?
Life back to normal and live with the covid death toll whatever it may be?
Years of restrictions and lockdowns?
Regular testing for everyone and not being allow on planes/trains/ into sporting events/theatres/ gigs without a resent negative test?
How do you see life without mass vaccination?

@DigOutThoseLemonHandWipes life will slowly return to normal.

Why do some posters not want it, do they think it isn't safe?

@DigOutThoseLemonHandWipes

I asked a few pages pages back and no-one has answered for those that say nope, no way what do think should happen? Life back to normal and live with the covid death toll whatever it may be? Years of restrictions and lockdowns? Regular testing for everyone and not being allow on planes/trains/ into sporting events/theatres/ gigs without a resent negative test? How do you see life without mass vaccination?

@DigOutThoseLemonHandWipes I was one of the people who said I wouldn’t have it.

I don’t care what other people do. If they want it then fabulous, crack on.

And before anyone says “so your happy for everyone else to take it so you can carry on as normal again” - I’m not forcing a gun to their head. They want it. I don’t.

And I hardly ever leave the house anyway.

@ssd

Why do some posters not want it, do they think it isn't safe?

Yes. Nothing is 100% safe. Nothing. Rushed vaccines will have some bad side effects we don't yet know. I am NOT saying I think the vaccine will be generally unsafe and am certainly not anti-vaxx. If I were vulnerable I would take the vaccine. I am not vulnerable so I will not take it. Balance of risk. I am like this with all medicines - I am always biased towards taking nothing.

Yes! Would pay for it.

I'm in the 'no' camp currently. That's because my immune system is overly reactive and I want to have more data before I make my decision. I would want to know, for example, have people 'like me' been given the vaccine during the trials? Are adjuvants used? That sort of question. Since I'm largely housebound and never travel, work or mix much at all, I don't feel I'm a risk to society by refusing the jab, if that's what I eventually decide to do.

No

@DigOutThoseLemonHandWipes Well firstly, most of us probably won't be offered the vaccine in the first place. A preliminary order of priority has been published and this is very telling in that most of us will fall into a category which is low risk. In that case, why take a vaccine you don't need?

But to answer your question, mass vaccination is one solution but it's terrifying how much people become reliable on the state to help them. For many, this hasn't served as a wake up call for us to take care of our own personal health (better diet, more excercise, etc) - that is the best defense. What I'd like to happen is for people to take care of their personal health which will make for a happier society overall. It's far better than waiting and hoping for artificial intervention.
All (or at least most) drugs come with side effects. I'm not willing to take a new drug and potentially suffer unknown long term side effects when I, in perfectly good health, would have a good chance of fighting the virus with my natural defenses.

I think so. I'm not vulnerable or in an older age bracket tho so I'll be way down the list and that's fine.
I hadn't thought about swathes of people not having it which I guess is what will happen.

Do some nhs roles not require some mandatory vaccinations at the moment?

Yes they may well be asked to. With vaccines that have been tested over a long period time with a generally good safety record,and where the government hasn't needed to lift the legal restrictions in order to role it out to the public. Having said that if I was in the NHS in a patient facing role I would consider the pros and cons and I may well decide that it might be better for me to take it under the circumstances. I absolutely don't think people should be forced to take it under the threat they will lose their job if they don't though.

I asked a few pages pages back and no-one has answered for those that say nope, no way what do think should happen?

Life back to normal. People can take steps to avoid others, wash their hands etc.but really get back on with it. Those who want the vaccine can get it. Those who don't won't. I rarely go out near other people anyway so life hasn't changed that much for me. I don't go to gigs, theatres etc etc. I'm not rushing out to get vaccine because I don't want /need one.