Why the hand wringing about sections of the population not taking up their jab.....

[TransplantedScouser]

I keep hearing people banging on about it.

They’ve been offered it
They refused

The outcome of any is surely their choice. Either by restricting what they can do due to passport or if they suffer badly from covid.

Variants

It’s the new mask debate, people will get bored and move on shortly

Unfortunately their decision impacts on the rest of us:

• if they get seriously ill they will use up NHS resources and hamper our ability to get on with other treatments
• they give the virus the opportunity to mutate faster than we can keep up with it
• the vaccinated can still catch covid, so restrictions designed to keep Covid from transmitting will have to stay in place

And when they come into contact with people who can't have the vaccination or got whom it's not very effective?

When they enable it to mutate into a vaccine escaping variant?

Social responsibility.

@TransplantedScouser

I keep hearing people banging on about it.

They’ve been offered it
They refused

The outcome of any is surely their choice. Either by restricting what they can do due to passport or if they suffer badly from covid.

Because many of the people not accepting the vaccine live in high risk environments - there's a major overlap with deprivation. So they will continue to contract covid, end up in hospitals, pass on covid to others including the unvaccinated and unlucky who may get very sick (even vaccinated, it's not 100% efficacy, and not everyone vulnerable can get vaccinated, for example people having chemo). Many are hesitant because of years of prejudice and poor treatment at the hands of authorities.

Even if you would accept their deaths and illness - which I personally don't - it's bad for society.

@Purplewithred

Unfortunately their decision impacts on the rest of us:

• if they get seriously ill they will use up NHS resources and hamper our ability to get on with other treatments
• they give the virus the opportunity to mutate faster than we can keep up with it
• the vaccinated can still catch covid, so restrictions designed to keep Covid from transmitting will have to stay in place

But we’re told the vaccine doesn’t prevent infection or passing it on, just lessens the symptoms. Won’t this still allow for the so called mutants?

Fortunately they are in the minority on the whole vaccine uptake has been good
I see little point in keep chasing those who dont want it let's get on with vacinating those who do

The vaccine does help reduce transmission. Pretty well ever day on MN someone will post to a reputable link that proves this.
Here is one link, for example.
www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/02/single-dose-of-astrazeneca-vaccine-could-cut-transmission-by-67

Jo99996, please keep up! This has been debunked on every MN thread for weeks now. The vaccine reduces transmission by at least 65% and the risk of serious infection by 85%.
And that’s just the early data from Israel. It may be even more effective than that over here, as we are spacing out the first and second shots, which research suggests improves efficacy quite a bit.

Mostly because they are people considered to be more vulnerable and spme may have been scared off by people feeding them misinformation or refuse because of their strongly held beliefs based on things that have happpened before.

It would be REALLY shit to just leave them to it because , well, they were offered, fuck 'em! That's the prejudice of privilege!

As they aren't slowing down the roll out it does no harm at all to explore ways of engaging with them

On a personal level I see it as personal choice and fully respect that.
However I have a friend who had been basically saying directly to people on the Internet who have had vaccine that they have shortened their life expectancy or wishing them luck if they say they are having it or trying to discourage others from having the vaccine. Tbh I am not sure if our friendship will recover. She doesn't want to be around shredders apparently abd thinks the vaccine will give us AIDS.

People don’t make choices in a vacuum. If, say, some Muslims are being told by unreliable non-mainstream sources that the vaccine is haram and making their decision based on that, I wouldn’t class that as “their choice, nothing to see there”. And also “clumpy” lack of take up in the vaccine is mathematically more risky than the same number of vaccine refusers spread across the population.

Children still can’t be vaccinated either, so surely we need as many people who can to have the vaccine.

Yes @FourWordsImMuNiTy the take up amongst certain communities is very low probably due to misinformation.

I know someone in France I spoke to recently - she said she wouldn't get it because it was full of metals - like mercury!?

As Chris witty said yesterday the majority will have no symptoms or very mild symptoms. The majority will not end up in hospital so won’t be putting pressure on the NHS.

Many are weighing up the personal risk to them and many have already had it. Vaccinated people can still contract it so variants can still exist.

This coercion for a virus that has a lower death rate than everything else that we are vaccinated for doesn’t sit right for many .

Rather than demonise people, people should perhaps try understanding and respect others view.

This coercion for a virus that has a lower death rate than everything else that we are vaccinated for doesn’t sit right for many

This is just not true. Most vaccinations are to prevent disease and disability rather than death. MMR, DTP, tetanus, flu, chicken pox, TB.

@Purplewithred

Unfortunately their decision impacts on the rest of us:

• if they get seriously ill they will use up NHS resources and hamper our ability to get on with other treatments
• they give the virus the opportunity to mutate faster than we can keep up with it
• the vaccinated can still catch covid, so restrictions designed to keep Covid from transmitting will have to stay in place

Spot on. I don't understand why people dont get this.

@BigWoollyJumpers but for the bulk of the population Covid doesn’t cause death either.

I guess there's also the moral view of whether those rejecting the vaccination are doing it from a position of educated choice, or if they, in fact, have been manipulated into believing something that is untrue.

I don’t think people should be pressured & forced to take something that they don’t want. For what it’s worth, I’m pro-vax, take the flu jab every year due to my job, have all my childhood vaccines & my baby has too, but I just don’t like the control aspect of this full pandemic.

[quote Jo99996]@BigWoollyJumpers but for the bulk of the population Covid doesn’t cause death either.[/quote]
Where have you been for the last year?

You think that's news? Anyone who has kept even vaguely in touch with what is happening knows what the strategy is and why the vaccine is important to it.

And if you want to play the odds with your life, those that depend on you, go for it. Be be honest and say that is what you are doing. Don't dress it up with "But it doesn't kill many".

I just don’t like the control aspect of this full pandemic. even when for some cohorts that 'control' is actually an honest attempt to provide accurate infomration so they can make an informed decision?