Are you really prepared to take every single vaccine

[Talsaml]

It worries me that we may have to keep having vaccines going forward. I’m due my booster which I will take but I’m hearing that AZ are in the process of tweaking the current vaccine to combat the new strain. So we are then required to take another booster. Many variants can crop up, suppose another one does very soon. I’m concerned about the number of vaccines we could be taking. Is anyone else? And no I’m not an anti vaxer.

I know self employed people who have the flu jab at their own expense each year as being laid up with the flu for a week is not something they can afford to do.

yes, next question.

Everybody has to play a part.

The vaccines clearly don't provide sterilising immunity (not getting into an argument on the level of prevention of transmission). To my mind that means that they are a great tool to prevent those with greater risk factors, be they age, obesity, underlying health conditions, get seriously ill from covid whilst they are still immune naive.

I absolutely hate how they have become a blunt tool, and how polarising the whole debate has become, and how there is no longer scope to weigh up individual risks and benefits. It's a dangerous road imo and there's risks for long-term societal damage and mistrust in the health service that have the potential to dwarf covid.

I genuintely don't think anyone should be expected to take one for the team when it comes to medical decisions. That doesn't sit right with me at all. But clearly many feel differently.

What about people who compromise their immune systems (and vaccine efficacy by extension) through lifestyle choices like alcohol use, poor diet, short sleeping hours.

I have the flu jab every year as a healthy adult as flu is horrible to catch. I'm very happy to also have a Covid booster as often as is medically recommended. It's here to stay, it'll continue to produce new variants, I'd prefer to have a vaccine to protect myself against it than risk having it.

My cousin is the same age as me (31) and has long-term health issues from getting it early in the pandemic- it's absolutely shit and I'd prefer to avoid that risk.

@itsallgoingpearshaped

I'm starting to think anyone who refuses to be vaccinated against serious diseases like this (that flood our hospitals with critical patients and prevent other care), shouldn't be able to rock up to hospital if they catch it.

Medical exemptions? Of course. But choosing not to help protect everyone? Nope.

But then of course we have the argument about smoking, drinking, poor diet. Should we refuse to treat those people? After all it’s their choice and you could argue that those choices are preventing others from receiving care.

As a nurse I can not ever imagine refusing to treat someone. If you are unwell and consent to treatment you will be treated.

I didn’t realise that so many people were having annual flu shots. Genuinely thought it was only offered to OAPs.

People who travel a lot and pick up bugs as they go, should they be denied care?
Don't go down the authoritarian path, it leads places that might affect you one day.

Delighted to.It means I’m a lot less likely to get covid and very unlikely to end up in hospital with it. It’s a no brainer. I get the flu jab every year after my partner ended up very ill in hospital it, so this isn’t any different.

I’ll be delighted to take any I can!

Yes. I've had a pneumonia vaccine too and I have a flu vaccination annually.

We are nowhere near giving stats such as 1 in 100,000 about how frequent and what side effects are possible - it is not informed consent IMO. And we certainly don't have long-term data on 3 and 4 jabs within a short time period. The original trials were for 2 doses

I take your point, hamstersarse, especially the bit about the original trials being for 2 doses

Then of course, some will no doubt remember what's happening with America's FDA over the release of Pfizer's trial data: www.reuters.com/legal/government/wait-what-fda-wants-55-years-process-foia-request-over-vaccine-data-2021-11-18/

This is exactly what they do for the flu vaccine. Vaccines are safe. Like any medication, there are of course side effects which may or may not impact on you but that's life with modern medicine.

Happy to have any and all vaccines.

Vaccines have been in use for hundreds of years and have saved literally millions of lives.

Vague aspersions about 'the number of vaccines' don't scare me in light of the cold, hard fact that vaccinations save lives.

I'd rather take vaccines than die tbh.

@RestingMurderousFace

I didn’t realise that so many people were having annual flu shots. Genuinely thought it was only offered to OAPs.

Nope, a lot of people are offered free flu jabs; everyone working in the NHS, immunocompromised people, over 50’s and 2-18 year olds. We (DP and I) get ours privately (can cost anywhere from between £7-£14) primarily because it can lay you up for a couple of weeks and we think it’s better to avoid that if we can.

But most of us don't have the flu vaccine.
The " tough shit" attitude to any side effects is part of this wider issue.

yes please. All the vaccines.

Had 3 pfizers. Those who had AZ are having Pfizer boosters so they get the dual benefit of the two different mechanisms of action (increased T cells and increased antibodies). Those who only ever had Pfizer don't get the long-term T-cell benefit delivered with AZ apparently - according to a study last week. So those with 3-4 Pfizers should maybe get an AZ booster to level up!

No as I have a needle phobia. I might be able to have one annually (although I've never had a flu jab) but no way am I putting myself through it every 6 months if that was what happened. I had the first two jabs stupidly thinking that would be it, I'm not doing it indefinitely.

@RestingMurderousFace

I didn’t realise that so many people were having annual flu shots. Genuinely thought it was only offered to OAPs.

It used to be over 65 and vulnerable people but was changed to over 50 last year, I think you have to be quite vulnerable though to qualify for a free one if you are not in the age group because DH has asthma and he didn't qualify for one

I'm mixed on it, mainly because it feels weird for the UK and similar to buy more boosters for the whole population when there are articles and reports that even with the vaccine promises from wealthier nations, some other countries will have significant parts of their population that won't be reached until 2023 at the rate things are going.

It's one thing for CV and CEV people, but for me - a low risk person, living a low risk lifestyle, it feels a bit off. I'm not against it, I'll likely go along when others in my household do, I just don't think my getting further vaccinated and pushing for more for myself is actually going to have much benefit and really, I think the government are pushing the idea of further boosters more to placate a part of the electorate than to actually deal with COVID or saving lives.

Yes. Having a vaccine is easy. I just had covid, and that wasn't easy at all - I might have been a gonner without the vaccine

I have had a 'flu jab every year for almost 30 years. It isn't difficult.

@EffOrfagain to qulify for a free flu jab for asthma you need to be on a preventer steroid inhaler.

I’m halfway through my 15 minutes post jab wait at a booster clinic. Very happy to report it’s very busy indeed!