I have to have the vaccine or I loose my job

[wingingmumlife]

I am absolutely prepared to get flamed for this but I am really worrying.

I am 22 year years old, healthy and unvaccinated (by choice).

I am not anti-vax, I have had every single vaccine from being a child to now and my daughter is up to date with all of hers too.

I work in dentistry and myself and 4 other colleagues have been told we have to be fully vaccinated by April 2022 otherwise, we lose our jobs.

I just can't believe it has come to this. I feel like my human rights have been taken away. I'm not a conspiracy theorist and I am a big believer in science but as a genuine question ... Can someone please tell me why this vaccine is being pushed so much to the point where soon we probably won't be able to even go into a restaurant without having this vaccine?

I have to wear AGP PPE every single day for every single patient but this still isn't enough?

I test myself every single day, but this still isn't enough?

Can someone please help it make sense to me? That is a genuine question.

Im not looking for an argument and I'm not wanting anyone to tell me "how stupid I am" I just want this to make sense.

For anyone wondering why I haven't had the vaccine - the main reason being, I have severe health anxiety, ironic I know since most would think I'd jump for the vaccine, but at the moment I'm more scared of this vaccine then I am of catching Covid itself.

I just feel sick to my stomach at the thought of not having a job unless I have this vaccine, it really doesn't sit well with me but everyone on here seems to be supporting it?

@wingingmumlife

I wish more people on this thread understood health anxiety.

Every week it is something new I worry about, I wish I didn't - but I do.

I've tried to self medicate, I've tried counselling and I've tried prescribed medication. Nothing helps.

Just to put it into perspective how bad my health anxiety is, not so long ago, I was having heart palpitations - rang my GP who prescribed beta blockers except I didn't take them because I thought they would stop my heart.

I rang my GP about a deep throbbing pain, they suspected DVT, sent me for a chest x-ray except I didn't have one done but I was scared of radiation risks (even though I use a microwave and have been on aeroplanes) I spent hours researching into x-ray risks and possible side effects until finally I had an x-ray but then suffered with depression after because I though that the x-ray was going to kill me.

Those are just two examples of many. Unless you've experienced it, you will never know. I hate it, I wish it wasn't me and I don't understand it. It sounds ridiculous to most and a lot of people tend to laugh at me (I'm used to it now) but believe me it is severely draining.

And yet you and your daughter have had all your childhood vaccinations!

?? Don't dental staff already have a legal requirement to be vaccinated against Hep B; and recommended to have a list of others?

www.dental-nursing.co.uk/features/immunisations-for-the-dental-nurse

   My doctor son has to prove his Hep B cover at regular intervals.   Back when I  qualified  in teaching , BCG  (against TB)  AND a clear chest xray  were a requirement for registration. Military staff  have compulsory vaccinations for overseas travel; and I've often had to get vaccines for third world travel to countries that demand certificated proof to enter their border. 

It's nothing new to  "have to be vaccinated" in order to pursue the life /career we choose . It's been the case for many diseases  since last  century.

It sounds like you need treatment for your health anxiety as that is causing you all sorts of worries, not just about having the vaccine.

I can’t imagine your employer telling customers that some of their staff isn’t vaccinated, kind of absurd during a pandemic.

Oops pressed post too soon. Could you see your GP for a referral or do some online CBT?

I've had both doses of the vaccine and the booster and I've just been to the Caribbean and back so I'm pretty pleased with the freedom it's allowed me compared to this time last year!!

@Lostinacloud

I am amazed that people still blindly think that all we need to do is get everyone vaccinated. That was the promise earlier this year wasn’t it? Well most people did go out and get vaccinated so where’s the end? And where’s the freedom? Oh we all need boosters now and then it will be the end and no more threat of lockdowns or restrictions. But what about when they run out in 6 months time……..

Nope, not blindly.

The situation is dynamic, delta threw a massive spanner in the works, increased rates of vaccination will be key to managing coronavirus (of 1st & 2nd doses).

pretty sure you could get another job but eventually you won't find any that wont require the vaccine as this seems to be the way it is going. Personally i got the vaccine as i love travelling and going to concerts , etc and not getting it would have a detrimental affect on my life. Pre Covid also got other vaccines because the countries i visited required it.

@Kikkomam not an anti vaxxer. I’m an anti-losing control of my bodily autonomyer.

What about the health anxiety of customers who don’t want to be treated by unvaccinated staff? It’s a business.

If you catch Covid and end up in hospital you will have to have a whole range of medical interventions. Get the vaccine, keep your profession and set a good example to your child. Don't give your anxiety the power to run your life.

I wish more people on this thread understood health anxiety. Every week it is something new I worry about, I wish I didn't - but I do. I've tried to self medicate, I've tried counselling and I've tried prescribed medication. Nothing helps.

I do understand this @wingingmumlife and I don't think you should have a vaccine you're not comfortable with.

But as a requirement for healthcare staff, it's not unreasonable.

I understand it's a horrible situation to be, but some jobs have requirements, and vaccination has always been one for HCPs.

Vaccinated people are 63% less likely to infect the unvaccinated according to this article www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.newscientist.com/article/2294250-how-much-less-likely-are-you-to-spread-covid-19-if-youre-vaccinated/amp/

OP I have to be brutally honest with you. My husband is a dentist and is in the process of letting two dental nurses go who refuse to get vaccinated. All his colleagues are dealing with similar issues but are more relieved that it's official as they have legal basis rather than being a grey zone. No dentist wants to fire staff and have to restructure their team. However Covid is a once in a century disaster that is bigger than any individual person or business. There are too many risks that come with unvaccinated staff. Vaccinated staff and doctors wearing PPE is basically a 0% transmission chain which is crucial for the entire medical field post-covid. Unvaccinated staff with PPE will always have a slightly higher absolute risk. Sending unvaccinated staff for regular PCR testing reduces that risk but is costly and time-consuming and logistically difficult for a small team.

In your particular case, your problem is health anxiety and not the compulsory vaccine. I have emetophobia and there are situations where I feel absolutely triggered by certain things (eg lack of hygiene in food preparation, places which may involve people being sick) but I am also aware that the problem is entirely my own. There are certain jobs I cannot do because of my phobia (eg nurse, flight attendant, working with small children) and I am willing to take responsibility that it's my own fault due to MH issues. So regarding your original post, you have to understand that it's NOT about you. The bigger picture is much more complex and serious than one dental nurse with a phobia of the vaccine. Covid is a disaster of epic proportions. We have friends who work in hospitals and they have had to witness countless people suffocate to death. Young doctors have to live with the fact that they may be indirectly responsible for killing people due to lack of resources, training and supervision. There are tens of thousands of families mourning loved ones and millions of people who have lost their livelihoods as a result of the pandemic and lockdown. It will only be over once enough people are vaccinated. Catching covid and recovering is not good enough because a small percentage of those patients invariably end up in hospital which will crush a buckling system even further.

If you don't want to get vaccinated then you need to leave the job and retrain as something else. Nobody owes you the job because you have an anxiety disorder that prevents you from being vaccinated. There are many jobs that do no require vaccinations so it doesn't mean you will lose the chance of earning an income.

If you do not want to seek therapy for your health anxiety, then spare a thought for doctors and nurses who have battled the front lines of covid for the past two years. They have worked 24 hour shifts in full-body PPE and watched people die every single day. Imagine the therapy they need for that. The "work" in a dental office is a joke in comparison (husband admits that he got off the easiest from all of his medical colleagues).

Can someone please tell me why this vaccine is being pushed so much to the point where soon we probably won't be able to even go into a restaurant without having this vaccine?

Because we're in a pandemic, because around 40K people are still catching Covid every day, because the vaccine at the very least reduces the symptoms, because death rates have fallen massively since the vaccine has reduced.

What a fantastic post @User3443525643

It's absolutely wrong.

@Whatwouldnanado

If you catch Covid and end up in hospital you will have to have a whole range of medical interventions. Get the vaccine, keep your profession and set a good example to your child. Don't give your anxiety the power to run your life.

That is not how anxiety works.

When I was pregnant I went to the dentist a few times and never did I think to myself - hmm, what if the dental nurse hasn’t had her rubella vaccine. After the dentist I went to the hairdressers and never did I think to myself - hmm, what if the hairdresser hasn’t had her measles vaccine. Why? Because 1. It’s none of my damn business and 2. I’d had my rubella and measles vaccine and so was protected.

Some people have lost all sense of comparison and rational thought when it comes to covid.

@user698312578

What about the health anxiety of customers who don’t want to be treated by unvaccinated staff? It’s a business.

Why are they scared of unvaccinated staff? Is it because they don't trust the vaccine?

Every time I see a headline:
You Tube Antivaxxer Age 23 Dies of Covid or Antivaxxer Parents Die One Day Apart, Leaving Four Orphan Children
a part of me thinks how sad it is and another part of me thinks serves them right.
Maybe the only way to achieve maximum vaccination rates is to let the anti-vaxxers die off through "herd contagion".
But then I feel sad for all the orphaned children.

[quote wingingmumlife]@userperuser yep! [/quote]
I'm in the same position OP. I have palpitations today as I'm so worried.

@wingingmumlife

I wish more people on this thread understood health anxiety.

Every week it is something new I worry about, I wish I didn't - but I do.

I've tried to self medicate, I've tried counselling and I've tried prescribed medication. Nothing helps.

Just to put it into perspective how bad my health anxiety is, not so long ago, I was having heart palpitations - rang my GP who prescribed beta blockers except I didn't take them because I thought they would stop my heart.

I rang my GP about a deep throbbing pain, they suspected DVT, sent me for a chest x-ray except I didn't have one done but I was scared of radiation risks (even though I use a microwave and have been on aeroplanes) I spent hours researching into x-ray risks and possible side effects until finally I had an x-ray but then suffered with depression after because I though that the x-ray was going to kill me.

Those are just two examples of many. Unless you've experienced it, you will never know. I hate it, I wish it wasn't me and I don't understand it. It sounds ridiculous to most and a lot of people tend to laugh at me (I'm used to it now) but believe me it is severely draining.

Sounds like you need to step away from Google and stick to the NHS website. And try not to be so defeatist about it- you can overcome your intrusive thoughts.

WRT medications, steel yourself and go for it. When it gets bad, do something to take your mind off it- I listen to audio books to shut mine up.

@User3443525643

OP I have to be brutally honest with you. My husband is a dentist and is in the process of letting two dental nurses go who refuse to get vaccinated. All his colleagues are dealing with similar issues but are more relieved that it's official as they have legal basis rather than being a grey zone. No dentist wants to fire staff and have to restructure their team. However Covid is a once in a century disaster that is bigger than any individual person or business. There are too many risks that come with unvaccinated staff. Vaccinated staff and doctors wearing PPE is basically a 0% transmission chain which is crucial for the entire medical field post-covid. Unvaccinated staff with PPE will always have a slightly higher absolute risk. Sending unvaccinated staff for regular PCR testing reduces that risk but is costly and time-consuming and logistically difficult for a small team.

In your particular case, your problem is health anxiety and not the compulsory vaccine. I have emetophobia and there are situations where I feel absolutely triggered by certain things (eg lack of hygiene in food preparation, places which may involve people being sick) but I am also aware that the problem is entirely my own. There are certain jobs I cannot do because of my phobia (eg nurse, flight attendant, working with small children) and I am willing to take responsibility that it's my own fault due to MH issues. So regarding your original post, you have to understand that it's NOT about you. The bigger picture is much more complex and serious than one dental nurse with a phobia of the vaccine. Covid is a disaster of epic proportions. We have friends who work in hospitals and they have had to witness countless people suffocate to death. Young doctors have to live with the fact that they may be indirectly responsible for killing people due to lack of resources, training and supervision. There are tens of thousands of families mourning loved ones and millions of people who have lost their livelihoods as a result of the pandemic and lockdown. It will only be over once enough people are vaccinated. Catching covid and recovering is not good enough because a small percentage of those patients invariably end up in hospital which will crush a buckling system even further.

If you don't want to get vaccinated then you need to leave the job and retrain as something else. Nobody owes you the job because you have an anxiety disorder that prevents you from being vaccinated. There are many jobs that do no require vaccinations so it doesn't mean you will lose the chance of earning an income.

If you do not want to seek therapy for your health anxiety, then spare a thought for doctors and nurses who have battled the front lines of covid for the past two years. They have worked 24 hour shifts in full-body PPE and watched people die every single day. Imagine the therapy they need for that. The "work" in a dental office is a joke in comparison (husband admits that he got off the easiest from all of his medical colleagues).

Thank you for saying (nearly) all that I want to say on this subject. I agree.

@Lostinacloud

When I was pregnant I went to the dentist a few times and never did I think to myself - hmm, what if the dental nurse hasn’t had her rubella vaccine. After the dentist I went to the hairdressers and never did I think to myself - hmm, what if the hairdresser hasn’t had her measles vaccine. Why? Because 1. It’s none of my damn business and 2. I’d had my rubella and measles vaccine and so was protected.

Some people have lost all sense of comparison and rational thought when it comes to covid.

You understand that the reason you're not worrying about rubella or measles is because we're not in pandemic of rubella or measles? @Lostinacloud

And that this is because we have a sufficient proportion of the population vaccinated against these diseases, allowing the generation of herd immunity?