The public messaging surrounding coronavirus in general and then also the vaccine rollout are a huge part of the reason why having a nuanced discussion about people's choices regarding the vaccine is so difficult.
I use the term force-feeding because we have been effectively force fed a diet of fear and paranoia for the past year, far out of proportion to the risk coronavirus presents to the vast majority of the population. There are 66 million + people who live in this country. Approx 120k people have died from coronavirus. Less than 1% of the population. I'm not negating the individual tragedies behind these deaths, but statistically, this is a tiny number.
However, on Mumsnet, the answer to anything remotely critical concerning coronavirus, is 'well I'm sure you'd rather X than being on a ventilator'. Which is a nonsensical statement to make, because a TINY proportion of people who catch coronavirus end up on ventilators. Only a very small percentage of people who catch coronavirus even end up in hospital at all, and most of those don't end up on ventilators! A third of people who catch coronavirus don't even get symptoms, for goodness' sake!
And yet a huge number of people seem to have convinced themselves that coronavirus is a deadly disease, and if they catch it they will certainly die, or end up on a ventilator fighting for their lives. This is simply, statistically, not true. But because of constant fearmongering and disproportionate media reporting of worst case scenarios and uncontextualised statistics, many people whose personal risk of a bad outcome having caught coronavirus is tiny have been reduced to a state of such fear that they would do anything to avoid catching it. Including unquestioningly consenting to giving up their daily freedoms and now being injected with a novel vaccine that many people don't actually need.
And when anyone does say anything on here suggesting that the vaccine might not be 100% suitable for everyone, the pile on begins. It's this kind of forceful, bullying, belittling, one sidedness of the issue that equates to force feeding. If you question the vaccine, you're told you're stupid, you're ignorant, you're selfish, etc. That makes people feel like they have no other choice but to have it. You don't need to be physically dragged into a vaccine centre to be there unwillingly. Coercion can be emotional just as much as physical.
Making a choice about medication is a personal one based on your own medical history and your own risk factors. The vaccine isn't essential for everyone and it's not right for everyone. It is not the one and only solution to ending the pandemic and not everyone needs to have the vaccine in order for herd immunity to be achieved. If you are young and healthy, the choice to have the vaccine is not the no brainer it might be for someone older and unhealthier. Everyone should read the evidence available and work out what's best for them considering their circumstances. And no one should be shamed, belittled or bullied into getting medical treatment they personally feel isn't right for them. Why people on this thread feel the need to criticise and shame other people for holding a different view to them, I don't understand. If you have had the vaccine, or plan on getting the vaccine, and you're happy with that decision and feel it's right for you, then great. There's no need for you to justify your decision by belittling those who don't feel the same way as you.