Vaccine or no vaccine? Opinions please

[gonewiththegin]

I am mid thirties, female with no existing health conditions. By no means an anti vaxer but I feel very uneasy about getting the jab.

I am aware it’s for the benefit of others more than myself, after all I’ve spent the best part of a year wfh and in complete isolation from anyone not in my household. I feel I’ve done my bit, I protected the vulnerable when there was as no vaccine. Now there is one and they’ve all had their first jag.

I think they government is aware the younger generations with no health conditions will likely have the same opinion as myself hence the talk of vaccine passports for gigs etc. IMO this is blackmail and a lot to people who were not planning on having the jag now will do so purely so they can go on holiday.

Is there something I am missing? Should I just get the jag and be done with it, it should I reject on the basis that I am fit and healthy.

[quote gonewiththegin]@Barbadosgirl I had the MMR as a child and ended up very unwell in hospital with measles. Vaccines aren’t miracles[/quote]
Unless you are significantly immunocompromised (in which case you should probably not get the vaccine following medical advice) then you cannot get measles from the MMR.

Full blown measles kills hundreds of thousands of children every year and leaves many who are not killed severely disabled. Describing the MMR as 'not effective' is irresponsible and darn right dangerous. You need to put your sensible hat on and start getting your medical/scientific knowledge from some of the thousands of academic websites available instead of some numpty 'in the media' - social or otherwise.

Vaccination isn't some sort of witchcraft governed by opinion.
It is scientific FACT.
The measles vaccine is a live attenuated virus vaccine, which means that it contains live but significantly weakened (“attenuated”) measles virus. Replication of the attenuated virus in immune cells is essential to develop an effective immune response. The beauty of vaccination with a live vaccine is this “play-acting” of natural infection, in which a safe, limited version of infection induces a full, robust and lasting immune response, which is essentially equivalent to the immune response induced by natural infection. Some children do develop a fever and mild rash 5-12 days after measles vaccination; these symptoms, which usually last for only 1-2 days, are believed to result from replication of the attenuated virus as the immune response develops. Although these symptoms resemble a very mild version of some of the symptoms of measles, it’s important to remember that these symptoms do not represent a case of measles. If like me you have seen children in Asia die or be disabled by lack of MMR - you would never think twice.

As it stands.. whatever 'measles' you got following MMR it didn't kill you or leave you deaf and/or blind . I would call that a resounding success.

I'm mid thirties, with a health condition, but not one that makes me vulnerable to covid.

I've had both vaccines (not in the UK).

I chose to pay for the flu vaccine every year, and elected to give my children the flu vaccine/paid for the Men B vaccine for them once it became available.

I don't fancy the flu or covid. It probably won't kill me, but I don't really like being sick.

Plus it protects those around me if more people are vaccinated.

I understand wanting to wait a while to see how the roll out went, but at over 35 million doses given out, I'd be fairly reassured by this point.

It's your choice, but as the plan is not to keep everyone in lockdown forever, you will begin to engage more with people than you have in the last year. Covid isn't going away, every day someone will catch it, and I'd rather it wasn't me.

I don't ever want to end up in lockdown again after this year (we're in lockdown where I am at the moment) so I'll happily add to the vaccine total to bring us closer to herd immunity.

It's been a horrible 12 months and it's going to take years to get back to where we were in Jan 2020 in terms of mental and physical health and the economy, so anything I can do to speed that up is a positive for me.

A lot of my students have had Covid. Most were fine, but some had a very bad time of it, and were ill for weeks. A couple have had long Covid since last year and are now unable to do much. These are people in their twenties. It’s a lottery.

My best friend who is mid thirties caught covid last summer. She’s still off work now with long covid. We don’t know if she will ever get better. She can’t even walk for more than a few minutes without breathing difficulties. She used to be super fit and work in a gym.

I would get the vaccine. However, it’s your choice.

I think it depends how you're intending to live your life from now onwards. If it's the same as the last year I understand you feel it's not necessary. However, if you're expecting to socialise in homes, go shopping, go to the dentist, doctor etc, then surely both sides have a right to be protected. You have no idea how it's going to affect anyone. I've known 10 people who've had it, even the youngest at 25 felt rough, three have long Covid, two passed away, another ended up in hospital and only three months later is well enough to go out.

@Trickyboy I didn’t ask for any information on measles thanks- I too can copy and paste from a website. I also DID NOT state the MMR as being ‘not effective’.

I'm sure that many people feel as you do, unaffected by covid themselves, and seeing no reason to get the jab. I hope that you can see from the experience of others that there is always a possibility that you could be adversely affected by catching this disease, and that you will realise that when society gets back to normal it is the unvaccinated that will be the target of the virus. What we are aiming for is a level of herd immunity so that all those who are able to be vaccinated will, by having the jab, offer protection to those who are unable to do so. Of course you should question and inform yourself but I hope that you will conclude that it is for the greater good. Even my needle phobic DS is going to have it when offered and he is younger than you.

The vaccine isn’t just to protect you - it’s to protect everyone around you.

I’m low risk but I had it last year. I had a fairly mild dose but the longer term effects completely ruined my summer. I could hardly function for months afterwards. I missed the summer completely as I was either lying on the sofa or in bed.
I think being young or low risk doesn’t guarantee it won’t effect you.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want the vaccination so interesting to read on Mn different thoughts.
Why wouldn’t you want a vaccine which can protect you against a serious illness, at worst, death or long Covid. By you having the vaccine you are also helping to protect others.
Have you read up about Covid and the scientific development and benefits of the vaccine?

[quote gonewiththegin]@Trickyboy I didn’t ask for any information on measles thanks- I too can copy and paste from a website. I also DID NOT state the MMR as being ‘not effective’.[/quote]
I'm sorry but my reading comprehension must be askew. However someone that posts ' I had the MMR as a child and ended up very unwell in hospital with measles. Vaccines aren’t miracles ' sounds very much to me as though you are saying ' I had the MMR and it didn't work. '

I would disagree with your stance. That 'vaccines aren't miracles' Doesn't matter wether it's Measles, Whooping Cough, TB or Covid.

They ARE miracles.

Your case of apparently contracting measles after MMR (only ever heard of in the very severely immunosuppressed patients who shouldn't have been vaccinated in the first place) seems to inform your decision. When logic and scientific research shows exactly how miraculous vaccines are. Just walk around an old cemetery and look at the age of death for a huge number of people prior to the 1940s . Common to see multiple graves of infants, children & young adults. Vaccines against TB, Small Pox and whooping cough alone -along with the discovery of Penicillin had a MIRACULOUS affect on public health and will be our way out of this nightmare.

I fear this is where we will likely fall short of herd immunity. 80% + of a population need to be vaccinated/ have antibodies for herd immunity and if, like to say OP, people like yourself - the young generation (who I am one of, however I have serious health issues and allergies and so genuinely cannot, as agreed by my drs, have the vaccine , otherwise I would ) who think that they may as well not do as they won't be affected by covid - it's all you guys who will let us down as a nation, when we could have achieved the herd immunity we do desperately need to get out of this mess. So yes - if you can have it, which you can, you should.

Now I am on the shielding list but I have chosen not to shield and as I said I cant have the vaccine - but for myself I'm not fussed who has the vaccine or not. I chose not to shield so I can't really expect people to be vaccinated for my account

However I would like to think you would do it for people like my very premature daughter who was born immunosuppressed and so definately did rely on herd immunity for as many things as she could. Or The very very vulnerable children and young adults that I work with, who have shielded and also do genuinely need to have herd immunity...

I'm afraid OP, whilst you say you have done all you can to protect the vulnerable this last year - you see very much ruining that and falling short now if you do not (as I said not for my account, as I've made my own choices) get the vaccine.

Also you bring up the MMR - wouldn't you agree that in 2021, as a nation we are actually not achieving herd immunity for measles .... Because not enough people will take up the vaccine.

To me that is a travesty, and if you don't step up and have this vaccine, when you definately can, you're playing the same part in covid and a potential lack of herd immunity here.

Have we all not given up and been through enough this last year to make you realise that you do actually need to do your bit and get this vaccine?

@Frustratedbeyondbelief you have deliberately taken that out of context- it was in reply to a post that specifically mentioned measles and the likelihood of catching them once vaccinated. That has nothing to do with my decision to not get the Covid vaccine.

@OpheliasCrayon Very easy for someone who absolutely cannot get the vaccine to tell me I absolutely must.

I would never tell someone online or in person what they should or shouldn’t do regardless of my thoughts/feelings. I asked for opinions and I am grateful for those who posted without contempt.

@gonewiththegin what are your reasons to reject the vaccine? Not why you think you might not need it, but why would you actively reject it?

[quote RebeccaCloud9]@Blossomplease6 I am yet to see any serious answer to that question that isn't based on fake news and scare mongering. Unless you have never had a vaccine, taken the pill, used paracetamol, smoked, drank, eaten unhealthy food, then no, I can't see why one would reject it.

That's why I asked, as op may have had a serious reason why she would reject it and I was interested.[/quote]
All the things you have mentioned had been around for decades by the time I took them? Very different kettle of fish? Honestly don’t know why you can’t see that some people are sceptical / anxious!

I was 39 with no health problems when I got covid it was really scary I thought I would die in my sleep, it took me a year to recover. I can't understand why anyone would not get the jab

@Quit4me that would require logic. If you are sceptical you are clearly a hysterical anti vaxer like me

[quote gonewiththegin]@Quit4me that would require logic. If you are sceptical you are clearly a hysterical anti vaxer like me [/quote]
I am honestly on the fence - I don’t know wether to have it or not. Part of my doesn’t want to get sick with covid obviously, but unlike the posters here, I know dozens of people who have caught covid and all but one has made a full recovery after feeling poorly for 2 weeks or not had any symptoms at all. One person admittedly does have some on going problems that are going to take a few months to heal.
The reason why I am anxious is I just have a really bad gut feeling / intuition about this. I really don’t know why but every time I think about getting the jab my blood runs cold and I start to feel upset. Just have an awful feeling about it

To be fair, the vaccine is essentially in stage four trials.

If you are very low risk for covid then it isn’t surprising to have some reluctance.

Adverse data coming out about AZ and the crappy whitewashing by the government, the rumours of period issues not being investigated, the fact there are other unknowns, and the fact the government is trying to now coerce the young effectively all make me say “nah, not right now thanks”.

The covid passports idea has been the final straw for me ironically. That plus a bloody mess around the latest AZ data

@Roonerspismed

To be fair, the vaccine is essentially in stage four trials.

If you are very low risk for covid then it isn’t surprising to have some reluctance.

Adverse data coming out about AZ and the crappy whitewashing by the government, the rumours of period issues not being investigated, the fact there are other unknowns, and the fact the government is trying to now coerce the young effectively all make me say “nah, not right now thanks”.

The covid passports idea has been the final straw for me ironically. That plus a bloody mess around the latest AZ data

About periods I’ve seen comments (threads) in mn about both vaccines delaying the period

@Roonerspismed

To be fair, the vaccine is essentially in stage four trials.

If you are very low risk for covid then it isn’t surprising to have some reluctance.

Adverse data coming out about AZ and the crappy whitewashing by the government, the rumours of period issues not being investigated, the fact there are other unknowns, and the fact the government is trying to now coerce the young effectively all make me say “nah, not right now thanks”.

The covid passports idea has been the final straw for me ironically. That plus a bloody mess around the latest AZ data

Me too- the covid passports have tipped the balance into me not having it. Feel bullied and that is making me even more anxious to have it. Maybe after more 20-30 year old Women have had it and any issues investigated I might go for jt

Even in your 30s you're far more likely to react badly to COVID than you are to have any prolonged react to any vaccine

@Quit4me sorry but I don’t understand it. So you won’t have a vaccine because some places might ask for the passport. So you’d rather risk catching COVID and having whatever side effects that it might give you ... thank have the vaccines and if the passports come into force avoid those places if you’re against it ? Why put your health at risk? You might not die cuz of the age but I’ve read a few young people talking about long COVID ...

My friend in her 30’s caught covid a couple of days after lockdown last March. She’s was very fit and had just been out and done a run that morning before she started coughing in the afternoon. She should have been in hospital as her oxygen level was 84% at one point but this was at the peak of the first wave where you didn’t get admitted to hospital unless you were going blue in the lips. It took a month for her to shake off covid and get out of bed and be able to go for a short walk. She still has long covid a year later as she either can’t taste anything or everything smells like a sewer. She can’t go to the supermarket as the sewer smell make her feel sick.