To expect to be able to choose not to have the vaccine without being made to feel uncomfortable? *edited by MNHQ at OP's request*

[Drogonssmile]

Risking a flaming here:

I work in the NHS not patient facing. Our Trust has said all non frontline staff are likely to be offered the vaccine next week. (1000 staff have already been done which is brilliant!)

I'm a fit and healthy 39 year old with no underlying health conditions. I am not an anti vaxxer however I am concerned about the lack of long term research that has understandably not been able to be done on the vaccine and have made an informed decision that I probably won't have it. I'd prefer my dose to go to someone more vulnerable. I believe this should be my choice.
My colleague is 62 and is all for having the vaccine which is great. I said I probably wouldn't as it doesn't affect transmission only the severity of the illness. Now she isn't speaking to me.
AIBU?

(Also given the amount of setbacks and govt lies/omissions in the last 10 months I wouldn't be at all surprised if the vaccine isn't the silver bullet we've been told to expect. The way things are going I can see is in the same situation in 12 months time).

YANBU, your colleague is a dick. If you changed your mind would she suddenly start speaking to you? If you don't want the vaccine then don't have it.

op, if covid vaccinations turn out to be unsafe, which is a possibility, the posters on here will disappear like scotch mist.

But what we cant do is police what others think.

(Sorry - I did. mean to say unless you are pregnant as another poster has just said - I fully understand in that case)

YANBU and your colleague is behaving unprofessionalally.

I believe in choice. The only annoying thing for me is that not all clinical staff have been offered it yet, and I thought you had to meet the definition of patient facing (that does include all non clinical staff with patient contact obviously)

YABU, as a fit and healthy person I think you need to do your bit to get the herd immunity and to get the virus to die out and not infect people who cannot be vaccinated.

Why are non-frontline staff being offered the vaccine while vulnerable and elderly people are having to wait? My 91-year-old vulnerable mum STILL hasn't had a jab. This seems wrong to me.

As a fellow NHS staff member what I genuinely believe will happen is that if you decline the vaccine and take time off sick it will go towards your sickness record and you'll be disciplined accordingly, whereas now it doesn't count. That's my two penneth anyway.

You aren't being discriminated against.

Your colleague rightly regards you as an unnecessary risk factor. I'm with her. I wouldn't want to be in the same room as you either.
If you are working from home full time, it wouldn't worry me.

I wish people would learn the difference between fast tracking and rushing. The vaccine has gone through the same approval process as any other vaccine, just without the usual almost endless red tape.

Additionally, this idea of someone 'more deserving' getting it is nonsense too. If you've been offered it that is the priority order decided upon.

Just get it and stop being an anti-vax ignoramus.

I wonder if this is a genuine thread or just designed to be inflammatory. Numbers of staff were being monitored to ensure it was going to mainly the elderly.

Good luck with that

Nobody should be forced, even by moral pressure as on this thread, to have a medical treatment they do not want.

Unless you are working at home, you will be directly or indirectly in contact with patients or NHS workers who may be vulnerable. Therefore, I think you should have a vaccine. If you don't you should expect it to affect where you are allowed to work. You may feel that discrimination but others would feel it is protecting the vulnerable.

@blueangel19

all VapeVamp12 This won’t be happening. You will find that they will ask for a PCR that is negative. The vaccine is not compulsory.

It might not be happening but once the vaccination programme is well established I'd be very happy to see it mandatory - with medical exemption - for international travel. No amount of people claiming that's discrimination would alter my view on that. I note the OP has accepted discrimination was the wrong word but yes, I do think people will judge people who are offered the vaccine and refuse it. Feelings are bound to run high and people will make their views known. Obviously though it shouldn't impact on professionalism and doing your job.

@Coyoacan

Nobody should be forced, even by moral pressure as on this thread, to have a medical treatment they do not want.

No one is being forced. OP can get another job.

YABU

@Jaxhog

Why are non-frontline staff being offered the vaccine while vulnerable and elderly people are having to wait? My 91-year-old vulnerable mum STILL hasn't had a jab. This seems wrong to me.

My SIL has had one.. she is admin/accountant in a care home. She has been working in the care home, manning phones, front desk, etc. Has no contact with residents, very little with fellow workers. BUT she was offered one because, due to their rural location, the numbers of vaccine available outstripped the number people to take it. So the PCT sensibly widened their remit.

MNHQ please can you change the title to "to expect to be able to choose not to have the vaccine without being made to feel uncomfortable?"

That's not any better. You'll be making other people more than unconfortable, walking around an NHS setting unvaccinated by choice. What about their rights?

You choose not to take it, you don't get to choose other peoples reaction to that. People are going to think less of you and you're going to have to take it, its your choice.

YANBU to not have the vaccine, bodily autonomy is important and it's entirely your choice.

Nobody else is BU to think you are being short sighted or stupid, though. They're allowed an opinion. Your colleague has a lot more risk to bear than you and you're refusing a (tested) vaccine based on your opinion over that of the UK medical regulators (which is pretty impressively self-important, unless you're a scientist in vaccine research). She thinks you're being a dick. That's her prerogative and lots of people will agree with her.

Also, no countries or venues are BU to set terms for entry based on having had the vaccine.

You won't be getting the vaccine for a long time yet. You'll be down at the bottom of the pile for it.

@Jaxhog

Why are non-frontline staff being offered the vaccine while vulnerable and elderly people are having to wait? My 91-year-old vulnerable mum STILL hasn't had a jab. This seems wrong to me.

The non-frontline staff may be in contact with frontline staff or vulnerable patients. Some of those patients may be vulnerable including younger patients who are immunosuppressed.

Yanbu at all. Body autonomy. Its your choice what goes into your own body.

I would also tell your manager about your colleagues unprofessional behaviour. Someone at my work was recently sacked because she took to being moody and ignoring any staff she didn't agree with even despite warnings to leave her opinions private and she was old enough to know better. (not saying your colleague should be sacked but she needs to be spoken to about professional conduct and not being allowed to give silent treatment because she thinks she has a say in your body).

She thinks you’re being stupid and putting others at risk. Seems fairly rational to me.

@Kendodd

The op’s chance of being hospitalised due to COVID is like .000001% Oh dear! Somebody can't do maths.

Show me the stats hospitalised due to Covid not ‘with a positive test’ for her age group? Or the death rate. NHS have compiled reports for specific regions with the information where they have broken down cases due to Covid or ‘with’ a positive PCR test.