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Covid

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Original poster

To think you wouldn’t get vaccinated if you knew your risk from covid was low

270 replies

Coveed · 27/02/2021 21:36

Just imagine for a moment there was a calculator that could predict your risk of getting seriously ill or dying from covid. If it turned out you were low risk would you still follow all the advice such as socially distancing and getting vaccinated?

YABU - yes I would still follow the rules and advice even if I were low risk
YANBU - no I wouldn’t endure the hardship of not seeing friends/family and I wouldn’t bother with getting vaccinated as my risk of becoming unwell would be low.

OP posts:

Daisydoesnt · 27/02/2021 22:23

Vaccination is not and never has been about protecting individuals. It is a society wide intervention that only works if those able to be vaccinated do so

Thank you, you put it more eloquently than me.

Going back to the original post, what seems so strange to me is that some people seem to be viewing the pandemic only through the lens of their own personal risk. Have they not realised that the last year has been about managing public health, about managing risks for society as a whole?

Everything we do in life is risky- crossing the road, going to the shops, working in an office with lots of other people. The government are not in the business of removing all the risks that pertain to you, personally, or making your life completely “safe”. I think after a year or so of restrictions and lockdowns and masks and briefings people have lost sight of this. The vaccine isn’t about making everything totally safe again for you personally. It’s a public health measure.

B1rthis · 27/02/2021 22:25

Whether you choose to have an injection or not, you are still just as much a risk to spreading the virus to everyone you come in contact with.
You may go onto have symptoms of covid but just like when most children catch it, they are going to be mild enough for you not to be admitted to hospital and therefore more room for other non-covid related hospital admissions.
The reason why we will be wearing masks and keeping distance for many years is because the injection does not stop you spreading it.
So injection or not, you are a super spreader without a mask and keeping your distance.

AintPageantMaterial · 27/02/2021 22:26

Absolutely. Because it’s the right thing to do but also, more selfishly, because even those who don’t have the most serious initial presentation of Covid-19 can still have long covid.

Thimbleberries · 27/02/2021 22:26

Of course. It's pretty unlikely that there will be any risk to the vaccine, and it might protect against the possible long term effects of Covid, which, even if rare, are definitely NOT non-existent. Definitely better to have that extra protection for me, even just for selfish reasons, not to mention all the other reasons to protect other people, and to prevent as much transmission as possible, to reduce the chances of mutations that will affect me, the vulnerable, the economy, the NHS etc if we had to go back into lockdowns as a result. The vaccine is an amazing achievement, and is being offered to us all, for free. I can't imagine not taking it.

User1511 · 27/02/2021 22:27

There IS a calculator and my risk IS low but I will still be getting vaccinated.

Original poster

Coveed · 27/02/2021 22:28

Also, for the people who were brave enough to admit that knowing they were low risk might lead to a change in their behaviour- thank you for being so honest, and putting your hard hats on!

OP posts:

FoxyTheFox · 27/02/2021 22:29

While we don't yet have the full data on how vaccination affects transmission, early studies suggest that vaccinated people infect others with a lower viral load meaning they (the infected person) are more likely to get a mild case.

www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/27/the-great-unknown-do-covid-vaccines-stop-you-spreading-the-virus

Thimbleberries · 27/02/2021 22:31

And yes, I'd have it yearly. It was an utterly simple, painless experience to have it. Yes, some people have side effects after - I didn't, at least after the first dose, apart from a sore arm (don't know about the second dose yet), but I wouldn't be surprised if that improves year on year. And they are working on universal vaccines that can deal with variants etc. I expect that it might be a yearly thing for a couple of years, but once it settles down and they work out the best one, it might not need annual boosters.

It's a great vaccine for people trying to get over a fear of needles, because you almost don't even feel it, it's so small. Took hardly any time. The actual process of getting it was not a bother at all. I know the side effects might be difficult for some, but they don't last that long for most people, and it's worth it for reducing the risk of long effects of covid.

lurker101 · 27/02/2021 22:34

Yes, as a woman in her 20s with no known medical conditions I have suspected my risk of serious illness/death has been very low since about March/April last year and this is corroborated by the qcovid calculation. I have still maintained social distancing and rules enforced because I realise it’s the bigger picture and am more than happy to alter my behaviour to protect others (including those I don’t know!). I will be getting the vaccine as soon as it’s offered and will get a booster as many times as required. Additionally having seen how low flu rates are this year I will also be getting an annual flu jab (even if at cost to myself) and will refrain from going to work/social activities when I’m unwell with colds/flu.

AgeLikeWine · 27/02/2021 22:34

Yes, of course I would be vaccinated, for two reasons :

1, The vaccines are safe, and the risks from long covid are non-negligible even in the young & healthy.

2, It’s not just about me. I have a duty to people I come into contact with who may be vulnerable to do what I can to protect them. Being vaccinated costs me nothing & carries no statistically significant risk, so why would I not have it? Empty, vacuous virtue-signalling on social media means nothing. Being vaccinated contributes to herd immunity which protects everyone.

TweeterandtheMonkeyman · 27/02/2021 22:36

Some great posts here. I will have the vaccine when offered for public health reasons- couldn’t care less on an individual basis.

imamearcat · 27/02/2021 22:37

Op would you not put yourself out generally if it meant saving someone's life?

GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal · 27/02/2021 22:40

My risk of Covid is low. I'm still getting the vaccine. Because I understand how vaccines work.

notangelinajolie · 27/02/2021 22:40

Yes because catching Covid might not affect me much but having the jab could reduce the viral load I spread to others who are more vulnerable than me.

Ethelfromnumber73 · 27/02/2021 22:42

@Daisydoesnt

OP the point of the vaccine and the point of the social distancing guidelines aren’t to minimise your personal risk of getting sick from Covid. They are public health measures designed to protect us at a societal level. So yes, even if my personal risk was zero I would still get the vaccine and I would (and am) 100% follow the lockdown guidelines.

This. Can't believe that a whole year in, some people are (apparently) still not getting this

EugenesAxe · 27/02/2021 22:43

Well I'm glad most people responding have some sense. What @The6thQueen said; it's socially irresponsible to not have it and not solely about YOU.

1starwars2 · 27/02/2021 22:45

Everyone should get a vaccination both for themselves and everyone else.
I can't imagine turning it down.

AlandAnna · 27/02/2021 22:45

Yes because I have a duty of care to the vulnerable. Plus I’d put anything into my arm to end the suffering of people losing their livelihoods

Ethelfromnumber73 · 27/02/2021 22:46

@B1rthis

Whether you choose to have an injection or not, you are still just as much a risk to spreading the virus to everyone you come in contact with. You may go onto have symptoms of covid but just like when most children catch it, they are going to be mild enough for you not to be admitted to hospital and therefore more room for other non-covid related hospital admissions. The reason why we will be wearing masks and keeping distance for many years is because the injection does not stop you spreading it. So injection or not, you are a super spreader without a mask and keeping your distance.

@B1rthis there's now quite good evidence that the vaccines reduce spread of Covid

PoochiePlush · 27/02/2021 22:47

@Oileo

I have to admit I’m wobbling -I’m low risk, plus we’ve all had it already -I always seem to overact to stuff others don’t, I have a history of immune system responses (eg after some Injections I’ve had huge psoriasis flare ups, or after a flu jab ending up in hdu with flu in an unexplainable way, or my allergies flaring up, or joint pain for ages). Nothing concrete and medically provable, but enough to make me wary of unnecessary jabs as it’s been over the course of my child hood and adult life repeatedly. I just seem sensitive to things. I’m not sure I fancy trying another. My sister felt really rough with it (no one else I know did though) and I can’t face days of feeling under the weather and 5 kids, one who is disabled (they’ve caught it already).

Your argument is flawed. You say you're low risk for COVID. So that means low risk of complications (not low risk of catching it, as we don't know that).

However, you then say you "react to everything" and are thinking you perhaps don't want the vaccine because of this. But....if you "react to everything" as you put it, surely you're more likely to "react" to COVID if you catch it and therefore suffer serious complications....?

Bigtom · 27/02/2021 22:47

Genuine question: how are people so confident the vaccine is safe? There is no way of knowing whether there will be long term effects of having it. Isn’t anyone at all worried about that? I’m usually the first in line for vaccines (I have the flu vaccine every year etc), but I can’t help but be a bit worried about having the Covid vaccine.

RedcurrantPuff · 27/02/2021 22:50

@Bigtom

Because it’s been tested the same as every other vaccine and apparently vaccines don’t tend to have long term effects.

At the end of the day even if there was a 1 in 1000 chance of adverse effects from the vaccine that’s probably still better than my chances with Covid. Not that I think there is a 1 in 1000 chance of adverse effects or anything like that

Sunshinegirl82 · 27/02/2021 22:50

I would say that I am pretty low risk statistically. I still follow the rules because I don't want to put others (like my mum who is in our support bubble) at risk.

I do accept though that SD isn't something that can be maintained indefinitely (and that we are probably reaching the limit of people's willingness to engage with it now) which is why I'm so glad the vaccine is here to take over the heavy lifting.

Very happy to have a vaccine annually, I've paid for a flu vaccine for the last few years despite also being low risk for serious complications from flu.

eaglejulesk · 27/02/2021 22:51

Yes, because it's not just about me!

Dustyboots · 27/02/2021 22:52

Im worried Bigtom. I suspect there are quite a few worried people - but it's hard to voice that in a place like this thread. Just watch the way I get jumped on. And all I've said it ... I'm worried.

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