I had this vaccine and the strength of the vaccine reaction did take me by surprise. It’s a very weird feeling to be feeling so poorly but also so grateful at the same time!
Now, I’ve written strong post but think I should head it up with my circs so people perhaps ‘get’ the strength of my reaction.
So before I go further here’s me: I have cancer, stage 4 breast cancer. I’m a single mum of a young boy, we have no other family. Every minute counts, shielding has taken a year of my life away that I can ill afford. When I have to shield, it takes me away from my boy, it takes his mum away, when he won’t have his mum much longer. But I’m actually ‘well’ except for that, so could be working and living if I wasn’t having to shield. There are so many people like me who have sacrificed our freedom for almost a year, so the nhs isn’t overwhelmed, and we are invisible. people just imagine it’s all elderly people who somehow don’t matter because ‘they’ve lived their lives’.
So anyway, that’s me. I’m sorry if I offend anyone by saying anything.
And here’s my thoughts:
Some people have been rattled by this I can see, which is a shame as it’s amazing, truly wonderful life saving stuff that we are so ruddy lucky to be getting.
And we should all be thinking carefully about how our words can support and encourage take up, as it’s critical to saving lives, and on a country wide level, getting us back to living life fully, as quickly and sustainably as possible.
So from this thread I think it probably means providing sensible, balanced information so people aren’t taken unawares by feeling ill for a good couple of days after. And potentially really sick, not just a little achey. But its not a given, and it’s really ok, it’s not a sign that the vaccine has gone wrong, or that you won’t ever get better etc... it feels horrid for the time you’re in it but then it’s over and done. It’s just vaccination after effects, which Will Go.
So please, let’s not stray into inflammatory, scaremongering stuff which will influence some to refuse a vaccine, or get so panicked it actually effects their mental health.
The way this is discussed might lower vaccination take up. Imagine being directly responsible for someone being too scared to get the vaccine, which is so important to their health, their families health their communities health... and the whole worlds efforts in getting out from underneath this pandemic. It’s bonkers that it’s that important, but there you go, it really is!
I can’t help feeling that this kind of thing plays into the hands of the anti vaxxers, who are desperately campaigning to make their own, non-science based opinions influence vaccine take up on a global scale. Let’s not let these extreme voices ruin the amazing work that’s been done to give us a route out of this situation, a way to live with the virus long term beyond this last year of ‘subsisting’ in and out of lock downs and quarantines...