Feeling so low about this new world of vaccines

[blue12345]

Just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat as me? For many reasons, I've decided not to get the Covid vaccine. I' have all my vaccines and all my kids are vaccinated. I state this to show I'm not an anti-vaxxer, although I increasingly feel like one.

I'm feeling very isolated from my friends and family as a result of this. Everyone I meet asks me am I booked in yet, am I double-vaccinated. I don't bother getting into conversations about it , but it still causes me anxiety and has led to friction. A very close friend has asked me a few times have I got an appointment for my vaccine yet and I've tried to brush her off, as I think she will be unlikely to want to spend time around me after she finds out I'm not getting it. I've also found that lots of friends have cut back on their contact with me.

I am very comfortable with my decision, but I'm just so sad that we now live in a world where the segregation of vaccinated and unvaccinated people is allowed, in both interpersonal relations and also looking more and more likely that services like restaurants and travel will be similarly restricted.

@Sloaneslone

Exactly . We have a 27 year old at work suffering long covid and trying to support his family who have all been ill as well. And I could not support or hold the hands of my aunt and uncle who died of covid within a week of each other .

I still don’t think people should be judged who don’t have the vaccine but personally I think they should have the courage of their convictions and just shut questions down .

It feels a bit like saying drunk driving is a personal decision. It's my choice to get behind the wheel and I probably won't crash, because statistically most people don't.
Doesn't mean no one else is at risk and so as a society we condemn it.
Sorry but if you think everyone else gets it without a care in the world you are living on a different planet. We all have some concerns but recognise it's the best option we have to save the most lives

You cannot patrol peoples thoughts. You need to be stronger and not care what others think.

Sorry - flailing baby arm hit post for me!

If you couldn’t have the vaccine because you were allergic or similar then I would still want to see you but I’d be much less keen if you weren’t doing everything you could to protect those around you (including me and my loved ones if I was seeing you). Your decision is 100% up to you and it may not change who you are but it would change how I would see you.

@blue12345 - maybe your friends were also concerned about what they may be having injected into their bodies, but decided they didn’t want to live in a society where people were not willing to take risks for the greater good. Why should they not view you differently if you are effectively saying you only take risks for the greater good if they also happen to coincide with what you think is definitely both for your own and your children’s direct personal benefit and of absolutely minimal personal risk to you (which appears to be your attitude with respect to other vaccines)? It seems they may have different ideas to you about what counts as altruism and what makes for a good society. Or alternatively, they may just see you as an unnecessary risk at the moment and will socialise with you again when the latest wave of infections is over - you are, after all, a walking virus incubator and they may have vulnerable friends they would rather prioritise at the moment over you, as you have the luxury of choices their more vulnerable friends do not have. All choices have consequences after all, and your choice is to protect your own body to the risk of other people’s. They may therefore choose to protect other people in preference to socialising with you for the time being.

[quote blue12345]@LaCerbiatta What about all the poor countries with no vaccinations for their vulnerable? Surely the most selfless thing any of us lucky enough to be healthy and living in a country with low case rates would be to send out millions of vaccines to vaccine the world's vulnerable and not just our own rich countries?

Lockdowns have many costs. There are many schools of thought on how we
have dealt with this and how we have left many of the vulnerable of the behind. There is no one right answer.

Having listened to the 'miserable Winter' Chris Whitty has warned us is coming, I have very little hope that there won't be further lockdowns. [/quote]
Is that what you're doing? Selflessly giving up your vaccine for the poorer countries??

Of course vaccinating the world will be key but other than electing a government that has that as a priority there's not much we can do about it. Only thing we can do is to have the vaccine offered to us now so that infection levels can be controlled here.

Yes, good you understand the costs of lockdown, but what do you mean there's no one right answer?? Protection via vaccination is as close as it gets to the right answer!!

@Unsure33

Quote from WHO this week would disagree that our current levels of sharing are enough:

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, said the sharing of vaccines was “only a trickle, which is being outpaced by variants”, after it emerged that the Delta variant is now present in at least 98 countries.

The variants are being created in lots of other countries and is not something that is currently happening only due to a minority of people not getting vaccinated in wealthier countries.

@blue12345

The reason I struggle to have for those who refuse to take the Covid vaccine is that if everyone did what you did, we'd never exit this Covid nightmare.... You're riding on the coattails of those of those that have had it. It's as though you're free-loading, and no one likes a free-loader I'm afraid.

Also, it's bizarre that you say you've taken every vaccination, as have your children, but not the Covid one!

It’s completely your decision. I have a few friends who have decided not to have the vaccine and this hasn’t impacted my overall opinion of those people however I have other friends who would not wish to socialise with them right now. Some are angry, domes opinions have changed of them, and others don’t know how they feel about it as want space while they figure it out. Their feelings are valid in that that’s what they feel. Your feeling of sadness is also valid - but I would just give everyone time and space.

Regarding the whole' Aren't you hanging out with your unvaccinated kids' argument?" most of us have to hang out with our kids because we do not have a choice. We do have a choice whom to socialise with though. I would not arrogant enough to think that I am as important to anyone as their DC., should I be unvaxxed.

OP I don't think ill of you but I'm afraid I wouldn't want close contact with you - it's not about avoiding you as a person, it's about avoiding putting myself at unnecessary risk. I've only had one vax so far due to health complications, have doubts as to how much protection I'll get, and have very vulnerable relatives. I do what I can to mitigate the risks.
But even healthy people who suffer covid relatively midly can go on to develop long covid - happened to my next door neighbour for one. So I can't blame anyone for deciding they simply won't mix with unvaxed people.

Having said that if you catch Covid and develop antibodies, you are probably as protected as someone who has been vaxed, so maybe that's the way to go.

"I'm just so sad that we now live in a world where the segregation of vaccinated and unvaccinated people is allowed," I understand your feelings but surely you're not suggesting people be forced to mix with those they feel are putting them at risk?

@aiwblam

Very true . I know someone double vaxxed who has covid from his children . He is feeling extremely ill , but he has said he could be in hospital for all he knows if he had not had vaccine

covid is totally unpredictable.

I understand feeling sad about it. It’s possible that some your friends feel sad and conflicted too. Or maybe they don’t and that’s fine as well. A lot of things have changed in the past 1.5 years and there are new social dynamics. I suddenly felt pressured to disclose medical information when the pandemic began because people questioned why I was being so cautious.

@Tana433 I am very sorry you're going through that with your husband. We have had lots of very heated debates about it in our house, but thankfully we're on the same page.

[quote Warhertisuff]@blue12345

The reason I struggle to have for those who refuse to take the Covid vaccine is that if everyone did what you did, we'd never exit this Covid nightmare.... You're riding on the coattails of those of those that have had it. It's as though you're free-loading, and no one likes a free-loader I'm afraid.

Also, it's bizarre that you say you've taken every vaccination, as have your children, but not the Covid one![/quote]
This. You can benefit from our immunity but I'm not surprised if you lose a few friends in the bargain.

@blue12345

Well as it is WHO coordinating COVAX maybe they are at fault ?
Peru is one of the hardest hit countries

“Peru has secured enough doses to vaccinate its entire population, but many of these vaccines are yet to be delivered and the rollout so far has failed to stem infections.
Covid cases remain high - with more than 4,000 reported daily.”

I'm just so sad that we now live in a world where the segregation of vaccinated and unvaccinated people is allowed, in both interpersonal relations and also looking more and more likely that services like restaurants and travel will be similarly restricted.

I think the use of the word segregation is a bit offensive tbh @blue12345

Currently there is nothing in the UK that you can't do because you aren't vaccinated.

What is looking increasingly likely if you aren't vaccinated, for large events and for travel you may need to show immunity in other ways - such as a previous infection, negative test result or presence of antibodies.

We can't control what other countries choose to do, but if they require vaccination as proof of entry then surely that's fair enough? They have the right to take steps to prevent the import of new cases/variants, and you'll have to decide if that makes vaccination worth it for you.

[quote headintheproverbial]@Whyevencare - are you honestly giving that as a good reason NOT to be vaccinated? You're just being nonsensical.

Yes as a double vaccinated person I have some chance of catching Covid and passing it on. But I'm being as socially responsible as I can in reducing my risk of doing so as far as I possibly can. [/quote]
No it was in response to you suggesting that the op would be causing deaths due to their decision.

This is nonsensical when the vaccinated can also pass on the virus.

"Hospitalisation rates and deaths are not rising in relation to higher cases though, which means the most vulnerable are protected."

Leeds General Infirmary is full. Covid wards full and they're having to open up a new one. Cancer operations being cancelled.

Leeds rate increased by 1000% in five weeks.

(Sorry, looking for article I read half an hour ago to link but can't find it.)

@blue12345 Thankyou, thats kind of you. Im hoping it will blow over in a few weeks once we get to July 19th and beyond. I have absolutely no problem with carrying on wearing my mask and social distancing and i dont go out loads anyway. Just a couple of concerts booked in Oct and Nov and ive already resigned myself to maybe not being able to go to those.

@blue12345

Having listened to the 'miserable Winter' Chris Whitty has warned us is coming, I have very little hope that there won't be further lockdowns.

Part of the reason why we'll have a miserable winter is the millions who are choosing not to be vaccinated. They'll disproportionately fill hospital beds. You won't try and be part of the solution, and yet you are concerned about lockdowns returning... I'm not surprised you're having issues with your friends. I would imagine you've lost the respect of many of them.

We went through the same with brexit , I know a family it split forever . Social media makes it worse .

This too will pass

Just make sure you have your facts right and then have the courage of your conviction. Just remember you don’t want people to judge you , but in return you should not judge their fear of thinking you are a risk to them . It works both ways .

This too will pass

Yes. Because of people having the vaccine.

@Whyevencare

No it was in response to you suggesting that the op would be causing deaths due to their decision.This is nonsensical when the vaccinated can also pass on the virus.

You're argument is a bit like a drunk driver saying "sober drivers can have accidents too, so why do you have a problem with my drink driving?"

@PleaseReferToMeAsBritneySpears

So here is the important missing information . How many of those in those hospitals are vaccinated and how many are not ?