Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Anyone thinking about skipping the latest booster?

421 replies

WoolyMammoth55 · 26/09/2023 12:11

I've had 3 jabs in total so far, and the last one made me REALLY poorly - couldn't get out of bed for a few days, crazy fever, hallucinating.

They didn't stop me getting Covid, which I've had 2 positive tests for since the first jab, and which was mild compared to how bad I was after the last booster!

I've been invited for the next booster and just can't see why I'd get it. I've had 3 jabs already so must have some protection, right? And since I keep getting it despite the jabs, I'm fairly likely to get it again in the next 6 months whether I do or don't get jabbed?

I can't see the upside.

I'm studying hard for a career change and have 2 little kids. If I had a reaction like last time I'd really struggle to keep all the balls in the air...

I'm being offered the booster because of my high BMI but don't have any co-morbidities, blood pressure good, not pre-diabetic, generally well.

Curious to know what others are thinking?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
ilovemyholidaysssss · 01/10/2023 12:33

@lightpineapple I don’t think anyone is going to ban mRNA vaccines anytime soon but as with any clinician who sticks their head above the parapet ,only time will tell whether they become another Andrew Wakefield or whether robust evidence later proves their point. It’s already been very clear that, as with Covid itself ,most people continue to receive vaccines with absolutely no bad response but others had severe responses to their one and only…..whether you are the one of many or one of the few is somewhat likely to colour your responses, and clinicians who work in highly specialised areas can sometimes be very over focussed on their patient group without considering the wider impacts. I am happy to hold in my head that people can be both wrong and right in their thinking!

Mytholmroyd · 01/10/2023 12:41

I work with heavy metals - I always refused versions of the MMR - for my children that had thimerosal (ethylmercury) as a preservative. They all had the MMR but not one with thimerosal in. Why anyone would think it's okay to deliberately inject ANY mercury compound into a tiny baby with an under-developed gut I cannot fathom as they cross the blood-brain barrier so easily and bioaccumulate there. All that 'well it clears from the blood stream really quickly so it's safe' isn't reassuring when it's probably all gone to the brain. There isn't enough research.

You just have to look at the safety data sheets for the chemical though - signal word Danger - to think - ah, maybe we won't risk that at any concentration. Fatal if swallowed, inhaled, skin contact etc etc.

So I am a little sceptical about believing everything is safe just because current experts say it is - there are too many instances of unpredicted consequences throughout recent history. We used to pass liquid mercury around the class in chemistry lessons for fun and take radium drops for 'vitality and health'. We don't do that anymore.

Biochemist · 01/10/2023 12:48

Mytholmroyd · 01/10/2023 12:41

I work with heavy metals - I always refused versions of the MMR - for my children that had thimerosal (ethylmercury) as a preservative. They all had the MMR but not one with thimerosal in. Why anyone would think it's okay to deliberately inject ANY mercury compound into a tiny baby with an under-developed gut I cannot fathom as they cross the blood-brain barrier so easily and bioaccumulate there. All that 'well it clears from the blood stream really quickly so it's safe' isn't reassuring when it's probably all gone to the brain. There isn't enough research.

You just have to look at the safety data sheets for the chemical though - signal word Danger - to think - ah, maybe we won't risk that at any concentration. Fatal if swallowed, inhaled, skin contact etc etc.

So I am a little sceptical about believing everything is safe just because current experts say it is - there are too many instances of unpredicted consequences throughout recent history. We used to pass liquid mercury around the class in chemistry lessons for fun and take radium drops for 'vitality and health'. We don't do that anymore.

But despite being used since the 1930s, there is absolutely no evidence that thimerosal causes issues, including in childhood vaccines? This is something that has been extensively studied due to the theoretical concerns.

We now have alternative childhood vaccines that no longer contain this compound but this was purely due to the precautionary principle, rather than that evidence was found to back this decision up (i.e., assumes that no harm in exercising caution even if it turns out to be unnecessary)

I don't think this is a good example of something later being found to be harmful - particularly when it is something that has been jumped on by the anti-vaccine industry and used to spread harmful and outdated myths about autism @Mytholmroyd

ilovemyholidaysssss · 01/10/2023 12:48

@Mytholmroyd i agree, scepticism is healthy , we used to use a treatment that was then halted because newer research evidence showed patients did WORSE that those receiving placebo!!

henlee · 01/10/2023 12:51

ilovemyholidaysssss · 01/10/2023 12:48

@Mytholmroyd i agree, scepticism is healthy , we used to use a treatment that was then halted because newer research evidence showed patients did WORSE that those receiving placebo!!

Yes - this is the basis of evidence based medicine.

As discussed, this is not the case for the SARS-COV-2 vaccines - we have up-to-date, robust evidence to suggest the benfits outweigh the costs (both in terms of side effecte and resources/finanical) for specific demographic groups, hence why they are being offered to these groups.

Bbq1 · 01/10/2023 12:59

I had cancer 12 years ago and get offered the booster regularly. Ive had Covid but my immunity is low. Will be ne 6th jab.

ilovemyholidaysssss · 01/10/2023 13:00

henlee · 01/10/2023 12:51

Yes - this is the basis of evidence based medicine.

As discussed, this is not the case for the SARS-COV-2 vaccines - we have up-to-date, robust evidence to suggest the benfits outweigh the costs (both in terms of side effecte and resources/finanical) for specific demographic groups, hence why they are being offered to these groups.

Edited
Show quote history

I'm certainly not disagreeing with the current strategy around vaccines, i have no problem with vulnerable groups having their covid boosters. I have been discussing whether or not we should dismiss out of hand Dr .Dalgleish's comments around his clinical experience with cancer patients. Some people seem to think any mention of negative effects comes from an anti vaxxer and is a criticism of the vaccine - it's not, its like all medicines and treatments we use, even everyday analgesia.

Lolmorons · 01/10/2023 13:33

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Mytholmroyd · 01/10/2023 13:34

@Biochemist I get that but how do you know there is no impact on brain development in an individual child? What do you measure it against? During my career the WHO has reduced the 'safe' level for blood lead for example - another neurotoxin - and now say that for children it is not 'safe' even at sub-clinical, asymptomatic levels.

That was a line in the sand for me because there is no reasonable need to inject mercury into babies. I filtered all drinking water for my kids after I measured our house water in the lab (old Victorian house with lead water pipes to the mains - way over any 'acceptable' level) because why knowingly pour any lead down your babies throats when their brain is developing and their gut can't expel it properly if you can avoid it - not worth the risk.

It worked - the amount of lead in my kid's baby teeth was comparable with children living ~6000 years ago before we started polluting our environment, and orders of magnitude lower than most people born in the 19th/20th centuries.

IClaudine · 01/10/2023 14:29

Crikey, I had a scroll through the Twitter account that lubylo linked to. My goodness. Scary that there are people like that out there, with tens of thousands of followers.

JerryLovesMargo · 01/10/2023 14:35

Had my 8th last week, no side effects whatsoever. The flu jab however laid me low all week!

Mytholmroyd · 01/10/2023 14:40

@Biochemist But despite being used since the 1930s, there is absolutely no evidence that thimerosal causes issues, including in childhood vaccines? This is something that has been extensively studied due to the theoretical concerns.

Yet, this is the current (2021) SDS for thiomersal - note 'the toxicological properties have not been fully investigated' and 'substances known to cause developmental toxicity in humans'. There just isn't enough evidence to my mind. Nobody would read this SDS and think it was a good idea to inject it into babies surely?

Anyone thinking about skipping the latest booster?
Marmunia10667 · 01/10/2023 14:45

I'm curious also as to why people are on a sixth or seventh vaccine. If you'd switched off the TV and radio over the last few years, would you have witnessed the death of friends and family due to a virus? No.

Would you have seen the increase in blood clots, heart attacks and strokes? Yes. And I don't need the media to tell me.

Mytholmroyd · 01/10/2023 14:58

Marmunia10667 · 01/10/2023 14:45

I'm curious also as to why people are on a sixth or seventh vaccine. If you'd switched off the TV and radio over the last few years, would you have witnessed the death of friends and family due to a virus? No.

Would you have seen the increase in blood clots, heart attacks and strokes? Yes. And I don't need the media to tell me.

I lost 3 close family (parent, uncle, cousin) to COVID - the cousin an unvaccinated fit and healthy 40 year old - which was a real shock tbh. So it was very real to my family.

TooOldForThisNonsense · 01/10/2023 15:15

Marmunia10667 · 01/10/2023 14:45

I'm curious also as to why people are on a sixth or seventh vaccine. If you'd switched off the TV and radio over the last few years, would you have witnessed the death of friends and family due to a virus? No.

Would you have seen the increase in blood clots, heart attacks and strokes? Yes. And I don't need the media to tell me.

But lots of people did lose friends and family. Also covid causes clots, heart attack, strokes.

JassyRadlett · 01/10/2023 15:20

Marmunia10667 · 01/10/2023 14:45

I'm curious also as to why people are on a sixth or seventh vaccine. If you'd switched off the TV and radio over the last few years, would you have witnessed the death of friends and family due to a virus? No.

Would you have seen the increase in blood clots, heart attacks and strokes? Yes. And I don't need the media to tell me.

I think that if you didn't have a friend or family member die or become very seriously ill with Covid, you should count yourself as being extraordinarily lucky.

Perhaps reflecting on your good fortune might help you to access a degree of empathy for others. It is clearly something you struggle with.

lightpineapple · 01/10/2023 15:28

I'm curious also as to why people are on a sixth or seventh vaccine.

Given that it's common to a) offer a primary series of multiple innoculations (e.g., hep B, HPV, the 6-in-1), and b) offer annaul boosters for pathogens that have a rapid mutation rate (e.g., 'flu), were you not "curious" before 2020? @Marmunia10667

Plenty of people must be "on" their 20th or so 'flu vaccine at this point in their lives.

sunglassesonthetable · 01/10/2023 15:30

*I'm curious also as to why people are on a sixth or seventh vaccine. If you'd switched off the TV and radio over the last few years, would you have witnessed the death of friends and family due to a virus? No.

Would you have seen the increase in blood clots, heart attacks and strokes? Yes. And I don't need the media to tell me.*

What are you talking about??

God it's exhausting. You might not know anyone affected by Covid but guess what you're not a population of one.

Grow up.

sunglassesonthetable · 01/10/2023 15:31

@Marmunia10667

JerryLovesMargo · 01/10/2023 15:42

JerryLovesMargo · 01/10/2023 14:35

Had my 8th last week, no side effects whatsoever. The flu jab however laid me low all week!

I'm on somewhere in the region of my 30th flu vaccination and fourth pneumonia vaccination.

What's your point?

lost78300 · 01/10/2023 15:44

I had the booster last year and 6 weeks later caught covid. It was bad for the first few days and I would hate to think what it would have been like without the booster.

I've had the booster again this year. Sore arm and tired but no other symptoms.

Iwasafool · 01/10/2023 16:06

Biochemist · 30/09/2023 13:40

You said:
These are the stats on how many people died as a result of Covid vaccines

What you are quoting actually says:
"The European Medicines Agency (EMA) reported that 11 448 people have died in the EU following COVID-19 vaccines"

Can you see how those two statements are different?

And as always, when you follow it back to the linked source, it explains that just yellow card/VAERS etc, this is a surveillance tool based on spontaneous reporting. It is not used to infer causality @Yellowlily8. I would recommend anyone interested reads the full document if they're interested.

A certain number of people die each year. When the vast majority are vaccinated, the vast number of people dying are therefore going to be vaccinated.

As always, we don't care about raw numbers, we care about how these numbers compare to the normal background rate of death, as humans are not immortal.

This is something that has been explained over and over though, and I feel at this point if you're still pushing it, you're doing it deliberately.

Edited
Show quote history

I have an elderly relative, in their 90s, been in a care home for over 5 years with dementia. In the late stages now, sleeping almost constantly, losing their swallow reflex, skin and bones. Had their covid jab this week and if they die in the coming week it won't be because of the covid jab although I am sure some would make that connection.

Parker231 · 01/10/2023 16:20

Marmunia10667 · 01/10/2023 14:45

I'm curious also as to why people are on a sixth or seventh vaccine. If you'd switched off the TV and radio over the last few years, would you have witnessed the death of friends and family due to a virus? No.

Would you have seen the increase in blood clots, heart attacks and strokes? Yes. And I don't need the media to tell me.

Hundreds of thousands died from Covid. I had two healthy friends die - weeks before the vaccine roll out started. If they had caught it after the vaccine perhaps they would have survived. I don’t know anyone who had side effects from the vaccine - DH is a GP and none of his patients had side effects more than a sore arm for a few days.

Xenia · 01/10/2023 17:26

I remain pleased the UK did not have compulsory covid vaccination. I have not had the vaccine and I had mild covid and that was my choice. Unlike some other vaccines where I actively chose to give my children potential side effects for the good of others as it were, I didn't feel with the Covid 19 vaccine the same way and even if my not having the vaccine has damaged others I made the right choice for me.

nopuppiesallowed · 01/10/2023 18:24

@Marmunia10667
There are one and a half people with Long Covid. I caught Covid before I was vaccinated. I'd urge everyone to get the vaccine. A sore arm or feeling rotten for a few days isn't the end of the world. Long Covid has a hugely negative impact on lives....

Swipe left for the next trending thread