Nurse DMIL refusing to get vaccinated

[RapunzelHadExtensions]

NC'd for this.

MIL, nurse, works in the hospital as a trainer, however often does overtime etc on wards.

She's VERY into healthy eating, exercise, vegan, and has refused to get the jab. Said she believes in the bodies power to fight virus itself. Doesn't take paracetamol etc as fever is good for the body to kill infection (I sort of see her point here but she is dead against it whatever the situation). She will often tell us our local hospital is fine and they're are only 2 cases, then the same day I see reports in our local paper saying they have upwards of 30+ and climbing deaths, that beds are nearly up to capacity.

I am really disappointed in her. She trains upwards of 30+ HCP's every day, all of whom then obviously go back to the wards.

Can she actually refuse? Is there anything I can do?

Considering a lot of the group being targeted for vaccines right now are also the people testing twice weekly for covid it will be pretty easy to tell if asymptomatic cases shoot up due to vaccines.

You get the vaccine 💉 if you want. That’s your business your body.

She can't be forced to have it. What a worrying thought that we could forced people to have Medical procedures against their will.

What can you do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, as it's nothing to do with you.

It’s frustrating, but she definitely can’t be forced.
Does your Mil like travelling OP? I don’t agree with ‘force by stealth’ either, but we’re already seeing certain tour operators and countries saying you have to have proof of vaccine to travel. Your Mil may eventually feel she has no choice but to have the vaccine if she wants to leave the UK again. I hope this isn’t true, but have a nasty feeling this is what the world is moving towards.

Her choice, doesn't matter what job she does. May surprise you that not every NHS worker wants the vaccine. Even with annual free flu jab those coming forward for it aren't high. Her reasoning though is sound; not like she's being anti vax or conspiracy theorist on you. I'm sure she will be sensible so I'd just leave her alone.

Do?
What like? Are you thinking of ringing her boss, holding her down, shaming her on twitter?

MrsTerryPratchett

Greysparkles
That is all true, but she could pass it on to someone and kill them

The vaccine doesn't stop that scenario happening

Exactly this“

Don’t believe there’s data either way yet? Would be extremely interested to see if if that’s not the case.

@MissMarks

I think as times go on it will be made mandatory in certain professions. Carers etc. And while the vaccine may not stop you passing it on- it does stop you getting it and carrying on working if you are asymptotic.

Why would it become mandatory? The vaccine doesn't stop you carrying & passing on the virus! It just stops it from killing you!

It's her choice. And I agree with her re paracetamol (unless one's temperature becomes dangerously high). Fevers exist for a reason.

Her body her choice and no there is nothing you can do, other than stay out of something that is none of your business

Holy shit!!! Is there anything you can do? Uh, move to a dictatorship if that's your mindset?

For a forum that seems to pride itself on being so pro-choice, it appears to also be home to a frightening number of frantic, needle wielding, total hypocrites.

Having the vaccine will not bloody well stop her infecting residents. Her body, her choice. Do some proper research. People like you are as frightening as any virus.

Don’t believe there’s data either way yet? Would be extremely interested to see if if that’s not the case.

That's why she 'could'. She also very well might not be able to. I'm very personally interested in this because if you can't, maybe my parents will be able to see me sooner (different country). But we will know more soon.

Seeing as there’s no proof the vaccine would even stop her passing Covid on to others then it doesn’t really make any difference to other people whether she has it or not.

Do you think it should be mandatory for some keyworkers to have the vaccine, whilst others are not being offered it at all?
Have you considered why so many low paid workers are refusing it?
I suspect it's to do with this government being perceived as absolutely untrustworthy and only interested in self enrichment at the expense of the masses.
The news this morning about the 10 men having increased their profits by enough to fund vaccines for the whole world demonstrates that this is not just a uk problem. But whilst the government keep lining the pockets of their cronies, levels of trust in them are very low.
The masses feel they are being manipulated.

I took an elderly and infirm neighbour for her vaccine this weekend. It is tear jerking seeing the long queue of elderly and infirm who have hardly left their houses for nearly a year and for which some health workers for themselves refusing a vaccine could kill them.

The vaccine should be mandatory for all health workers, as well as kids and teachers in schools

I took an elderly and infirm neighbour for her vaccine this weekend. It is tear jerking seeing the long queue of elderly and infirm who have hardly left their houses for nearly a year and for which some health workers for themselves refusing a vaccine could kill them.

What I have observed is that the elderly take the vaccine because they are scared. What have they got to lose?

Younger people, who are generally healthy aren’t really at risk and so think they’d rather get Covid in the belief they’d be fine (which the majority would be) than have an unknown vaccine that hasn’t had any long term testing.

@ThornAmongstRoses

"Younger people, who are generally healthy aren’t really at risk and so think they’d rather get Covid in the belief they’d be fine (which the majority would be) "

Yes they would be alright but if in a job where they could kill someone then in my judgment..it isn't alright

Its not even been tested on children. But yes by all means inject them with a vaccine against a virus that poses no risk to them.

She's simply declining. It has nothing to do with you. It seems she is doing better than most people by taking care of her health! Something that many have forgotten about. There are no promotions for eating better and getting rid of food bad for us, unhealthy places like McDonalds etc still open en masse yet your mother in law has gone above and beyond and understands her body well to protect her health. Good on her.

My DD2 works in a Care Home. She is in the office, not a nurse or aide, but does have social contact with the patients. They have been told that ALL employees either take the shots or consider themselves fired. (She got the shot.)

What are they doing about staff who cannot have it? Are they firing staff for being pregnant?

@peboh

It's none of your business. We don't get to be disappointed in people for making choices for their own body.

Yeah we do, they get to make the choices and the rest of us are free to react emotionally to it. Feelings are not forbidden. I get to be happy that my mil has lost weight and turned her health problems around by going to the gym and sad that my father continues to drink too much. In fact if you love someone it would be strange NOT to have any emotional reaction to choices they make that could have an impact on their health.

Yes they would be alright but if in a job where they could kill someone then in my judgment..it isn't alright

Currently the train of thought is that the vaccine does not prevent an infected person from transmitting it others.

Ergo - her chance of transmitting Covid is just as likely if she had the vaccine than if she doesn’t. So what difference does it make?

As it stands the vaccine only protects the person who has had it. It has no bearing at all on the protection of others.

Once it has been proven that the vaccine stops transmission (which I hope it does) then I imagine a lot of people will think differently.

‘Currently the train of thought is that the vaccine does not prevent an infected person from transmitting it others.’

No, the situation is that we don’t yet know.
The makers of the Pfizer vaccination are optimistic that there will be some effect on spread but they’re not going to go around claiming something for their product for which there is not yet evidence.
Based on what other vaccines do the most likely thing is that it will reduce transmission but not halt it entirely.
It is important not to confuse ‘there is no evidence of impact (yet)’ with ‘there is no impact’.

Previous posters are correct that the vaccines do not prevent you transmitting the virus, as far as we know. They are supposed to lessen the symptoms for the person who is vaccinated, though we already know that some scientific research suggests that vaccination can prime you to get worse symptoms. Thus it is none of anyone’s business who chooses to get the vaccine.

Here's one study on the phenomenon I previously mentioned:
CV-19 vaccines may sensitize recipients to more severe disease doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.13795