Why do people seem to want to believe vaccines aren't effective?

[Notabove25]

Or not effective enough?

All the evidence I've seen, seems to be that even one dose offers a very high level of protection against becoming seriously ill, even if it can't protect you 100% from ever returning a positive test.

Why do some people seem desperate to believe that vaccination won't help, that there's still a high possibility of getting long Covid after the jab, that mutations will render it useless etc?

To my mind, most of the most vulnerable are now vaccinated or will be very soon, which is excellent news and really should mean we can start getting back to normal. Why do so many seem to want to believe otherwise?

Yep.

Doomsters who love the drama

Natural pessimists

Once bitten twice shy types, don't want a false dawn after previous broken promises.

Those are my theories.

Because some people are just miserable f*ckers who love to believe and try and see the negative in everything around them, even though they don't usually have the scientific education or training to properly assess it.

As frustrating as I find this, as probably shows, I do try and temper that with some sympathy - because I think a lot of it is interlinked to anxiety and stress and now going into mental health issues, which I suppose if to be expected to an extent after such a big, unprecedented world event.

well I do not trust this Gov with anything, given their track record.

Dithering and inadequate quarantine/border controls have now let this Brazil mutant in to put the whole vaccination programme in jeopardy

But that doesn't change the validity of the science.

I don't trust the government, or politicians in general, especially this lot! But I do understand, trust and believe in science and the scientific method.

It is excellent news but I think they should be quarantining people from everywhere to try to stop new variants getting in.

@notthegobbyoneagain

well I do not trust this Gov with anything, given their track record.

Dithering and inadequate quarantine/border controls have now let this Brazil mutant in to put the whole vaccination programme in jeopardy

What utter rubbish. Where has it been said taht the whole vaccination program is in jeopardy. Please stop scaremongering.

I agree.

I also think they should and hope they are planning the third booster dose for everyone who has had the original vaccines (once all adults done) with the sequence adjusted for the variants in september/october

But that doesn't change the validity of the science

And what does "the science" tell you about the effectiveness of vaccines against new variants? The answer is: we don't know yet.
And with regard to future variants: we can't know yet.

Because to trust in the vaccine being effective people might have to whispers

Get back to normal

Glass half full / half empty mentality.

Some people seem to be enjoying the doom and gloom and want everyone else to feel the same way.

I have one as a colleague. Any tentative plans anyone come up with just get shot down as impossible.

I don't trust politicians. I do trust scientists.

Scientific illiteracy and mistrust of politicians.

In terms of mumsnet, because it means that soon they will not be able to prefix everything they write with "unfortunately" "I'm afraid" and "I'm sorry but..."

I think some people are still sore that their wails of, "There will never be a vaccine - at least not in the next three years" didn't come to fruition and casting doubt on the efficacy and safety of the vaccines is the next best thing.

With Boris suggesting we can host the euros in the UK this year I think they know that science has nearly prevailed.

I don't get the ones either that say people are only partly protected.... they are protected much better than the flu jab provides but every year we don't say ohbyes I've had my flu jab but I'm only 60% protected

I think there is alot of misunderstanding of how this vaccine works. I was a bit when I read that it lowers the risk if serious illness but may not prevent transmission because all the vaccines I'm familiar with seem to prevent catching / developing said illness. That's not to say I don't believe in its efficacy, just it took a bit of reading to get my head round.

And what does "the science" tell you about the effectiveness of vaccines against new variants? The answer is: we don't know yet.
And with regard to future variants: we can't know yet.

Nonsense. The science tells me we are lucky to have 2 modern vaccine methodologies that can be relatively easily adjusted and tweaked to respond to variants of this, or any in fact, virus as part of a modern vaccine program. One that will keep going for years to come as this particular virus becomes an endemic, nasty respiratory virus that we all live with because we can vaccinate the people who are currently vulnerable to it. The science of DNA sequencing and vaccine design tell me that the overwhelming probability is that this is how it will go.

Some people cant cope with levels of risk. All risk must be obliterated as far as they're concerned.
Of course that only applies to covid. And if they turned up at hospital they'd expect others to accept some risk in order to treat them. Or when they want a pizza delivered, becasue they're staying at home you know, its not worth the risk.

The impact on transmission is a good example. No evidence it reduces transmission does not mean it doesn't. And of course we've found what most people expected, that it massively reduces transmission.

Is it people don't want to believe or are simply asking questions?

Ask a question about the risk of long CV and you can get shot down for being anti-vax or not wanting to believe they aren't effective. It's something that is still unknown I believe.

Possibly anti-vaxers who are annoyed that people aren't dying or morphing into robots since having the vaccine (20,000,000 have had it in the UK and despite the anti vax lot saying there would be deaths/massive side effects etc this hasn't happened).

Or general doom mongers who don't want this pandemic to end....

Or stupid people...

Or people that are scared and anxiety and so just come forth with lots of reasons why things will not get better....

The impact on transmission is a good example. No evidence it reduces transmission does not mean it doesn't. And of course we've found what most people expected, that it massively reduces transmission.

Exactly this

I found this really frustrating when people on here kept banging on about "but we don't even know if it reduces transmission ..." (after months of "but we will never have a vaccine", but it will have hideous side effects ...) when of course they effing would - to some degree.

No one ever said any vaccine would ever offer 100% protection or stop transmission 100%, but if lots of people are not getting Covid, or getting it asymptomatically, because they're vaccinated, or even getting it mildy rather than being very ill - that's less coughing and spluttering over other people, less sneezing, less going to the GP surgeries, less getting in ambulances and less people in hospital. OF COURSE that is going to bring transmission rates down!

@MistressoftheDarkSide

I think there is alot of misunderstanding of how this vaccine works. I was a bit when I read that it lowers the risk if serious illness but may not prevent transmission because all the vaccines I'm familiar with seem to prevent catching / developing said illness. That's not to say I don't believe in its efficacy, just it took a bit of reading to get my head round.

The reason scientists were saying that vaccines may not prevent transmission was because, at that point, they didn’t have good data to prove that they did prevent transmission.

Now, they have got that data, so they no longer need to say ‘may’. They know it does. That’s how science works.

5 months ago it was 'I don't think they'll ever get a vaccine. Sorry'.

Then it became 'I'm afraid the vaccines don't prevent transmission'.

Now we have 'You do realise the vaccines won't be effective against variants?'

What's next? Any guesses?

@minchinfin

The impact on transmission is a good example. No evidence it reduces transmission does not mean it doesn't. And of course we've found what most people expected, that it massively reduces transmission.

Exactly this

I found this really frustrating when people on here kept banging on about "but we don't even know if it reduces transmission ..." (after months of "but we will never have a vaccine", but it will have hideous side effects ...) when of course they effing would - to some degree.

No one ever said any vaccine would ever offer 100% protection or stop transmission 100%, but if lots of people are not getting Covid, or getting it asymptomatically, because they're vaccinated, or even getting it mildy rather than being very ill - that's less coughing and spluttering over other people, less sneezing, less going to the GP surgeries, less getting in ambulances and less people in hospital. OF COURSE that is going to bring transmission rates down!

Very true ..... some just want to look on the negative side at all points... the glass half emtpy type....

There's no vaccine we will all die.
They are working on a vaccine - it will take years to get one
Vaccine is developed --- it's not safe, it hasn't been tested for YEARS
Vaccine pasts the tests - but it has been rushed - it's unsafe
Vaccine roll out begins - there will be side effects and deaths
Very large numbers are vaccinated without major side effects and deaths --- but it doesn't reduce transmission so what's the point
Shown to reduce transmission ---- but it won't work against any of the other variants so what's the point
Or it doesn't work on elderly, the other vaccine is 'better', why won't France use on elderly (must mean there is something not being said) ..... gradually each and everyone of these concerns are dealt with but some will just look for more and more ever evolving concerns..... that's the life of a pessimist