If you not yet vaccinated how did today’s news make you feel?

[Namechanged4thi5]

I’m yet to be… decided against it due to family history of clots and allergies but not against taking the vaccine. I’m waiting until my husband has his second dose this week and once he is all ok I’m going to have mine. I’m scared of the vaccine but todays need makes me scared of going out as well

I’m 40, not underlying conditions that I know of with a child in primary school.

I thought a year back a news like today’s will make me so happy but I feel numb…

It’s so difficult. I have a blood clotting disorder, had to inject thinners when pregnant etc. After discussing with my gp and nurse friend I went ahead and had the Astra zenica (only one available for me for several months). From what I read and was told if you get Covid when you have a clotting condition it can be much more serious. Good luck and do what’s best for you x

I'm not due my 2nd vaccine until the 19th (and I'm not that young so there will be a lot of people still only half vaxxed) so I'll be keeping my distance from people and wearing my mask still. It feels too early to me, although I think our restrictions are staying in place for a few more weeks (I live under the reign of Queen Nicola).

I’m inclined to go for AZ - I know I’ll be terrified either way but I cannot cope with a new vaccine either

I think I should just get it done- I’ll spend as much time as I can with my daughter in the next few days and mentally plan that I won’t be around possibly in a week or two’s time.

That really isn't likely you know that right? Even if you did develop a clot, the chances of you dying from it, now they know it's a possible side effect in a tiny minority of people, is also much lower. There are treatment protocols and processes now for the tiny minority who develop blood clots. And you will obviously be on the ball and looking out for any possible symptoms of a clot so would seek medical help really quickly if it did happen, which would also massively reduce the risk of death. In the early weeks, people waited days and weeks to seek medical help and that's largely why they died.

Given your family history couldn't you go to the GP for daily or every couple of days reassurance checks for a cpupl of weeks after the vaccine? I hope you manage to get on top of your anxiety and get the vaccine as, in the long run, once it's done and dusted that's going to be a lot less anxiety-inducing that being in the ever decreasing pool of unvaccinated people waiting to pick up covid and then go through it with the uncertainty of having no prior antibodies.

I feel for people in their 20s who were most likely to be furloughed or lost jobs. Many work in retail or hospitality so will be mixing with lots of people. They had to wait until last for their vaccine and won't have had their second for a while. If cases do reach the 100,000 suggested then they will bare the brunt in terms of isolation. Feels a bit unfair.

It’s a tricky decision OP and I can fully understand your predicament. There’s recent news about data from Israel showing lower efficacy than expected with Pfizer which has made me pause for now. It is impossible to tell which vaccines we have now are best to go with given the conflicting data. If you are healthy and under 50 I would consider to carry on taking sensible precautions and wear a mask.

For me, I’m hopeful that over the coming months we will have a better understanding about which vaccines work best and the risks each one carries to be able to make an informed choice for myself.

I can’t help but feel this whole notion of freedom day and the concept around it is to encourage those with vaccine hesitancy to take it.

There is almost 100% certainty that everyone will catch COVID at one point in their lives, and multiple times. It will circulate forever like cold and flu. There will come a point when we don't test anymore, and you'll not whether it's covid or not. Please get the vaccine so your body knows how to fight it, rather than seeing it for the 1st time. Government should be clear on this point, so those hiding away are clear that they will be hiding for a long time.
For the CV and CEV, I feel extremely sorry for them. Hopefully boosters will be available to this population every year, and the risk will be low as a result. Hopefully they also make a decision soon for children in this category.

I can’t help but feel this whole notion of freedom day and the concept around it is to encourage those with vaccine hesitancy to take it.

I've wondered about this too @Thewiseoneincognito But it does seem a bit of an extreme action to take, just for that.

OP - I have the same dilemma and health anxiety issues. You are not alone.

@Dustyboots you are not alone too…many don’t speak out

Are you still waiting for your 1st dose?

I’ve ordered my daughters school uniform and all the other school stuff fit September- I’ll get as much organised before getting the vaccine/Covid…whichever ‘gets’ me first I suppose

I'm not waiting for my 1st dose - I've turned it down and am still in a dilemma about it.

I need more time as someone further up said - to work out which one works best against these variants and which one has the least side effects. I also need to build courage.

Like you I've tried cbt. It worked for a while, but after a traumatic hospital event all came flooding back. This stems from when I was a teenager.

@Dustyboots ahh apologies I missed your earlier post… it’s so difficult to be sitting on the fence like me.

Part of me want to just get it over with.

I understand how cbt is a bit of a hit and miss..

I have a history of blood clots and was given my first dose Astra Zeneca before the news broke about the clots issue, I was very hesitant about my second but there had only been one case of clotting after second dose at the time so had it. I was fine!

@Dustyboots

I'm not waiting for my 1st dose - I've turned it down and am still in a dilemma about it.

I need more time as someone further up said - to work out which one works best against these variants and which one has the least side effects. I also need to build courage.

Like you I've tried cbt. It worked for a while, but after a traumatic hospital event all came flooding back. This stems from when I was a teenager.

You are aware it's your own immune system that makes you feel rubbish arent you? You could try a stern word..

Can I just offer a counter argument if you are this anxious about taking the vaccine? I am early 40’s with no serious health conditions and I caught covid at the end of last year. I felt like I had a 3 day hangover and lost my taste and smell for a short while and that is it! No lasting effects, no breathing difficulties, no fever, no extreme fatigue. Yes I felt like lazing on the sofa for a few days watching tv but I was able to continue making my kids their meals and keeping up with a few light household jobs. Not everyone who catches covid is going to end up with long covid or on a ventilator in hospital.
I am now actually annoyed that my natural immunity isn’t considered as counting towards herd immunity or going to be treated in the same way as vaccinated immunity, despite many emerging studies showing that natural immunity will be long lasting, will provide a natural defence against reinfection and therefore against spread to others and is even possibly 2% more effective than vaccine immunity.

Thank you @Lostinacloud.

The people I know who've had Covid have also had it mildly and are in their 50s. I don't know many people who've had it though despite living in a very built up area with high levels of deprivation.

So I'm not terrified of getting Covid. Not at all.

It would help to make a decision if we knew more facts. So much detail is hidden from us, it feels like. This lack of transparency further reduces my trust.

@Lostinacloud thank you for that..the problem is everyone around me and that includes my husband are in the camp that Covid equals death- I cannot even ask a question about the vaccine as that’s a no go

But he does have this habit of throwing a curve ball at me which heightens my anxiety and then when I’m struggling he swiftly moves on…and I’m stuck in this anxiety roller coaster for days…

Hi @Namechanged4thi5 I totally understand how you feel. I have had long covid and also had a bad reaction to the first vaccine, so I was tying myself in knots last week about whether to get my second. It's very hard to think round it isn't it?

If it's any help, I survived both the covid and vaccine 1, so it definitely is possible. I've put off vaccine 2 for a few months to give me some headspace and time to recover.

@StrongLegs thank you- yes it’s a nightmare- due to this constant scaremongering even when I whizz into a shop to get milk I feel so much on the edge- and I’m constantly monitoring for symptoms days after….

Glad you got through both ok- if you don’t mind me asking was it AZ you had?

Hi @Namechanged4thi5, yes it was AZ, but tbh I react to everything, so it was no great surprise. I even get a hypersensitivity reaction when I drink tap water. I always catch viruses, and they always last forever, so the long covid was not exactly headline news either.

As far as I can see, the vaccine and virus do quite predictable things based on people's medical history. It sounds as though you understand your medical history really well though, so that is a great start.

btw I think the key is your own medical history, not your family's medical history. My family have all had a completely different experience from me. It's my body's specific tendencies to react that have shown up with both the illness and the vaccine. So it might be good to think hard about your own specific history of allergy and clotting and examine how severe your situation is on those scales. I'm sorry - but I can't remember if you said. But I think that's the key.

@Namechanged4thi5 I had Pfizer, but I know people who have had AZ and others who have had Pfizer - very few have reported side effects beyond a sore arm. Ignore all the chat about 'well, what about those who worked throughout?' as Covid is not a game of competitive misery.

You'll probably be offered AZ if you go to a hospital/permanent site because of your age, but if you want Pfizer and go to a walk-in that only does Pfizer, you'll get it.

Personally, the way I weigh things, is that the risk of death from the vaccine is so incredibly low. The risk of catching Covid and developing long Covid is so much higher. Death is something I can accept - it happens, and that's the end. Long Covid has so much uncertainty - that's not a risk I want to take.

I was very worried about getting the vaccine as I have a history of anaphylaxis. After discussions with an allergy specialist I was told I could have any vaccine (I had Pfizer nearly 2 weeks ago) No side effects apart from the fact it may have helped my long Covid a little bit. Under cardiologist care due to long Covid affecting my heart!