Chris Whitty - Covid vaccination like the flu programme

[doireallyneedaname]

Did anyone else feel nervous hearing this?

When asked how they plan to roll out mass vaccination every year (if need be), a possibility he mentioned was only vaccinating those at high risk, in the same way we do the flu programme annually.

As a healthy 30-something this makes me feel incredibly nervous, especially with the risks known to healthy individuals and the severity of long covid becoming clear.

If this happens, do you think we’d be able to pay for a vaccine as we are able to do with the flu jab?

Yes I expect people will be able to pay eventually.

@Cloudsurfing Last year every pharmacy bar one was sold out of the flu vaccine due to increased demand. I really struggled to find one!

I’m concerned it would be the case for Covid if available as I’m sure many “low risk” individuals would be after it too.

@doireallyneedaname

Did anyone else feel nervous hearing this?

When asked how they plan to roll out mass vaccination every year (if need be), a possibility he mentioned was only vaccinating those at high risk, in the same way we do the flu programme annually.

As a healthy 30-something this makes me feel incredibly nervous, especially with the risks known to healthy individuals and the severity of long covid becoming clear.

If this happens, do you think we’d be able to pay for a vaccine as we are able to do with the flu jab?

You really shouldn't feel nervous if you're a healthy 30 something. Look at the data.

I'm a healthy 30 year old and not nervous at all. It makes sense to protect the most vulnerable. I don't get the flu jab either.

Why would you be nervous?

@siestalady Well, I do. An estimated 10% go on to develop long Covid and 70% of those with long Covid have damage of at least 1 organ - not for me thanks!

This did not make me feel nervous at all. The risks to a healthy 30 year old are so minuscule, for me it just isn't worth worrying about.

He said it was a possibility. I take that to mean it is one among several possibilities, i.e. there are others.

Free flu vac is limited to over 65’s (well, over 50’s this year) and those with certain health conditions because of the accumulated evidence that the risk to people outside those categories from flu is minute. Health and social care workers and children are included in order to keep the work force on its feet and help reduce the spread to more vulnerable people.

With Covid, the dynamics are different. It may be that, having had one course of vaccine, the risks of serious disease are so reduced in a young healthy person that even new variants don’t pose a risk to them. If that is the case, then vaccinate the vulnerable would be a perfectly adequate strategy. However, if it transpires that new variants can and do cause serious disease and long Covid in young healthy people, even after they have had the initial vaccine, I am sure they will be included in the booster programme.

To be more brief - the policy will be driven by the statistics. That’s my belief.

As a late 40s no it doesn't make me nervous.

[quote doireallyneedaname]@Cloudsurfing Last year every pharmacy bar one was sold out of the flu vaccine due to increased demand. I really struggled to find one!

I’m concerned it would be the case for Covid if available as I’m sure many “low risk” individuals would be after it too.[/quote]
Yes that will probably happen. You should probably prepare yourself mentally that you may not get it going forwards. As a low risk person you shouldn’t be so nervous, your not at risk. What’s your alternative, stay inside forever?

Can we please not turn this into a “you shouldn’t be afraid of Covid as you’re in your 30’s” thread? Please? :) I feel how I feel and I believe my reasoning is valid.

@PuzzledObserver That makes sense. I hope so!

I agree with puzzled observer. I think by the point in time that they decide whether annual boosters will just be for vulnerable groups we will have more data on incidence of long covid and whether this is still happening in vaccinated groups. If the statistics suggest it is a problem then they will probably offer the vaccine to more groups. I also suspect you will be able to buy it privately eventually.

@doireallyneedaname

Can we please not turn this into a “you shouldn’t be afraid of Covid as you’re in your 30’s” thread? Please? :) I feel how I feel and I believe my reasoning is valid.

But you asked if anyone else is nervous.

My answer is no because despite being late 40s the risk is really low of actually getting ill let alone seriously ill.

OP I mean this kindly, do you have health anxiety?

I am in my late 20's and, while I'm happy to have the vaccine if I'm offered it, I don't really care whether I get vaccinated or not. I will only be having it for herd immunity really. The risk to our age group are so very low.

especially with the risks known to healthy individuals this part of your post stood out to me. What risks do you mean?

I am a healthy 32 year old and not nervous about this. As long as my parents can get it then I will be happy.

Sorry, I thought my comment would be helpful! Understanding that the risk to you is very small might help you feel less worried about how the vaccine programme rolls out in the future.

Just because there is a relatively low chance of death for our age group does not mean people in their 30’s and 40’s are not being hospitalised, ventilated etc. It just means we are more likely to come out the other side of those interventions than someone vulnerable. I know the risk is still less than that of a 70 year old, but I would prefer to reduce my risk with vaccination.

o/t

I think from a semantic viewpoint this is interesting.

Over the last year we have been bombarded with messages about how covid is nothing like flu. Fair enough -- it isn't. Different virus, apart from anything else.

Yet this week alone we've had ministers (Hancock) and now scientists eliding the two, at least from a societal coping strategy sort of way.

But no, to answer your question, this doesn't make me nervous. Quite the opposite in fact.

Yes, I think it will be available privately like the ‘flu jab.

OP - I think if this is the case then yes it will be available privately, hopefully at relatively low costs ( at least for the easily transportable vaccines like AZ and Jannssen). This will partic be the case as it seems like vaccines for travel may become a requirement, plus pharma will want to make money on the vaccines.

Where that leaves people who can’t afford to pay privately but are worried isn’t great ( but again similar to the position re flu)

It makes sense he says that, I imagine he's thinking not only of higher risk for older individuals (and those who are vulnerable) but also because of the sheer scale of trying to immunise everyone every year. That's a lot of jabs!

I think the best you can do is to keep your own health optimal (plenty of Vit D and a healthy diet) plus don't forget, there are many treatments coming along and in time Covid won't be anything like as terrifying as it is now, there will be treatments if you become ill which will likely head off the worst symptoms before they occur.

I do expect you'd be able to get a jab if you paid, though.

@BigmouseLittlehouse I find that worrying, too.

I believe the flu jab is normally around £12? We had to pay £20 each last year.

www.bandolier.org.uk/booth/Risk/dyingage.html

According to this, a female, early 30’s, has a 1 in 2488 chance of dying in a year. From anything.

Life is full of risk everyday.