Choosing not to get vaccine

[InnerDiscomfort]

Not looking to start a fight, but interested if you have made the decision not to get the vaccine and have no condition that you know of that would stop you, why not?

Family members abroad have decided not to get the vaccine (Pfizer I think). Vague concerns about it not being safe and/ or tested enough. They both work outside the home and have families. Fairly fit and healthy so unlikely to be seriously affected by COVID, under 50 years of age.

It's not something I agree with but up to them I guess. I'm also unlikely to get ill but had my first vaccine mainly to help stop the spread (and I'd like to go abroad!)

So if you haven't had it, I'm interested in your reasoning if you would care to share.

I know vaccines have side effects but I've never seen anything like this and such a wide gap between what I am told in the media/social media and what I see in real life. My concerns are amplified by the number of very pro-vaccine people I see posting on my social media accounts- extreme stuff like vomitting, period problems, "the most ill I've felt in years" "shooting pains in my boobs so bad I can't breathe" are just some I read and see people commenting below the posts saying it's all normal and they had the same but don't worry it's just your immune system working!!! That just doesn't feel normal to me. I also know someone my age who was hospitalised after her vaccine and another person with ongoing investigations into a popping effect in her leg.
In contrast I don't know a single person who's been hospitalised or died from Covid. Maybe that's contrary to official statistics but I have to go on what I see around me in real life.

This is my experience too. It's unnerving.

I know what you mean. On another thread people are saying that a lot of the blood clot patients (ie those that don't die) are being sent home with medication. Oh well that's ok then! Since when was medication (possibly long term) caused by a jab acceptable?

I am working in the clinical trial industry, not a scientist but in the business development side-I know for a fact that the approval process of any vaccine/drug is very intense and nothing gets passed by these regulatory agencies- for these vaccines to be approved in such a short time doesn't really mean they had shortcuts- all of the vaccines, drugs that are in the clinical development go through enormous amount of layers of approval process and trust me there is no shortcut! The pharma companies have been conducting trials on Sars for a long time they just changed the indication to covid- since the preclinical, toxicology studies have already been done (takes about 1-2 years) so these steps have been done already, they started with Phase I, II trials and still ongoing- the only thing the regulatory agencies like FDA, EMA have done is that they opened up a covid dedicated application process which reduced the timelines for meetings, advice and the rest of the process. I had covid in December, a very nasty one- have anxieties about catching it again- had my AZ vaccine and it was bad, had two days of mini Covid but if I have chance of being protected from this by 74% with this vaccines, think it is good.

@LondonWFuck

I know what you mean. On another thread people are saying that a lot of the blood clot patients (ie those that don't die) are being sent home with medication. Oh well that's ok then! Since when was medication (possibly long term) caused by a jab acceptable?

So you haven't had the jab then?

No I haven't. Booked in for first one tomorrow, but I'm not going ahead with it if the only choice is AZ.

@Wellbythebloodyhell

My DH isnt having it as he believes that as a 30 odd year old with no health conditions covid is not a significant risk to him - his words- I agree its statistically unlikely to be however if he does get ill from covid there will zero sympathy from me

I will never forget how my fit, healthy and strong-as-an-ox 30 year old brother was completely felled by pneumonia related to swine flu. He was in intensive care for over a week and it was f-ing terrifying for everyone who loved him, not least his wife and young son. We just couldn't believe it was happening. Ten+ years on and his lungs are still delicate. Please do all you can to encourage your DH to get vaccinated for Covid.

All the most common side effects from all the jabs. It is just a matter of whether you think the jab is worth it. Most people in the UK do feel it is worth it. Some don't. The side effects are all well documented from trials and surveys in America and the UK.

I'm not worried about the short term common effects. I'm worried about being one of the unlucky very few who gets this blood clot. For me, it's not worth the risk. However, I totally get that everyone has a different attitude to risk, and that's fine.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

I only know one person in real life who have said they won’t be getting the vaccine. Unfortunately they are a Covid denying, anti vaxx nutter who believes the 5G conspiracy theories! Everyone else I know has said they are happy to have had it, regardless of which vaccine they had

Exactly the same as this

This is my experience too. It's unnerving.

Same. The covidvaccinated page on reddit is full of people having very worrying side effects that aren't even considered severe. Constant bleeding, delayed periods, vomiting for days, tinnitus, fainting etc etc. I know of 2 people who couldn't get out of bed for a few days due to weakness and feeling terrible after it, and 2 who ended up in ICU in very serious condition. It's weird how people are just pretending the side effects don't exist.

Sorry honey that wasn't for you. I meant to link it to a previous person's post

I'm generally not anti vaccine at all, I used to have an annual flu jab via work and have had all sorts of jabs to go abroad. Plus I'd take Moderna or Pfizer straight away. It's just AZ I feel uneasy about; perhaps somewhat irrationally, but there it is.

I have not had it because the risks of Covid are small in my case. I do not know anybody who had it badly but I know is a bastard virus so I am very careful. For me it would be better if an effective antiviral is developed so that you take it quickly if you get Covid. I do not like the idea of several jabs but if cases go out of control I would take the vaccine. For now is wait and see.

@LondonWFuck

No I haven't. Booked in for first one tomorrow, but I'm not going ahead with it if the only choice is AZ.

Can I ask how old you are?

I'm 40, so just a few months too old to be offered a choice.

@LondonWFuck

I'm generally not anti vaccine at all, I used to have an annual flu jab via work and have had all sorts of jabs to go abroad. Plus I'd take Moderna or Pfizer straight away. It's just AZ I feel uneasy about; perhaps somewhat irrationally, but there it is.

You are worried. There is a lot of negative news about the vaccine at the moment. Totally understandable.

Yeah I am worried. I know to a certain extent it's irrational. But I had a major depressive episode about ten years ago linked to a very specific type of health worry/anxiety, and the thought of ending up like that again stressing about any hint of a headache is not something I can deal with. I was off work before and can't do that again! Perhaps I should speak to my GP about all this 🙈

@blueangel19

I have not had it because the risks of Covid are small in my case. I do not know anybody who had it badly but I know is a bastard virus so I am very careful. For me it would be better if an effective antiviral is developed so that you take it quickly if you get Covid. I do not like the idea of several jabs but if cases go out of control I would take the vaccine. For now is wait and see.

That's a good point re antivirals! I hope that happens too

I know a Covid denier, anti vaxxer conspiracy theorist who has been spouting her crap all over SM but has quietly gone off and got her jab.

I bet there are an awful lot of them .

I feel similar LondonWFuck - I have health anxiety triggered by death of mum as a teenager.

I got over it, I thought, with some CBT. But I've still got a distrust of modern medicine. If I have this vaccine I'll be worrying about every single thing that happens after it - and worst still I'll be imagining the damage that it's doing to my body long term. That will never go away. My imagination is very strong.

And I'll beat myself up for having my body injected with potentially harmful stuff.

At least with Covid I can try to avoid it.

Neither a Covid denier nor anti vaxxer but I react badly and randomly to many drugs, have been hospitalised several times as a result.
I Have been told at least three times by HCP's that various treatment/meds/surgery are safe and now im in excruciating pain and other complications with an implanted surgical mesh I was told was absolutely safe.

I am not prepared to guinea pig myself again and for a trial drug for a virus that i have a 98 percent chance of surviving, even with chronic asthma.

@LondonWFuck

Yeah I am worried. I know to a certain extent it's irrational. But I had a major depressive episode about ten years ago linked to a very specific type of health worry/anxiety, and the thought of ending up like that again stressing about any hint of a headache is not something I can deal with. I was off work before and can't do that again! Perhaps I should speak to my GP about all this 🙈

I think being in London? You have a decent chance of getting Pfizer or Moderna. Fair bit of hesitancy here. So they have changed tactics a little to encourage people. More Moderna about. AZ clots and the heart swelling investigation with Pfizer means Moderna is the desired one apparently.

Make sure you take paracetamol or something similar half an hour before you have it. Then top up every four hours if you need too.

Good luck honey. I know this whole situation sucks and is worrying but the quicker we all get these jabs (If we want them). Then we can get some sort of normal back❤

@2pinkginsplease

I don’t know anyone who has refused the vaccine,

For me I have taken the vaccine not just to protect me but to protect older more vulnerable family members who we haven’t seen for over a year, we don’t want to put them at risk as covid would kill them.

Presumably they are now fully vaccinated, though?

I’ll take my chances on being one of the 99.98% who survive the ‘deadly’ pandemic and have said no thanks to mine.

Just to add about side effects, these are the side effects of the two medications I've just taken. I think people who are generally healthy and don't take medication are probably more wary, and I get that
One of the ones I took a photo of will give me bone pain, nausea, feeling faint, back ache, vomiting, headache for 24hrs but that's "normal" because well, it's the side effects of it working. In 6 days time I'll inject it again and so, side effects...

not every one gets the same, and some less severe but if you give so many people a vaccine, some are going to have side effects. I did, it was 24hrs of being rough then fine. My parents had not one, not even a tender arm
If you're concerned for the side effects but want the vaccine then try and book it for when you're off work/can have an easy day the next day, have paracetamol in the house and rest