Vaccine or not?

[vaccineornot]

I’m not sure if it’s possible to have a rational conversation about it but I’ll post!
I’ve had vaccines, missed my last as I was unwell and couldn’t rebook in time

I am doubting myself massively about whether I should have more or not
My doctor and consultant say basically “duh, yes, why wouldn’t you”

Social media seems to be (before anyone tells me not to listen, it’s every single person I see) that it’s a scam, a con, the vaccines don’t do anything, the more I have the higher the risk and the push NOT to have it is so strong that I’m thinking am I wrong to have it?
I just can’t seem to work out if I’m more at risk from Covid (which people are saying is a load of shit anyway) or more at risk from the vaccine (which everyone is saying is dangerous to health)

NC as I don’t want people thinking I’m an idiot for questioning myself

PLEASE whatever you do, don’t make a decision based on ‘what most people say on social media.’ Read reputable sources and then make your decision.

The algorithms of social media work by feeding you content they think you’ll most like - based on things you’ve clicked, liked, read etc. So it can feel like you’re seeing loads of posts about the same thing, but it’s the algorithm choosing what to show you.

That's how it was referenced to me!!

They stopped giving it to that age group which says enough. Who cares what wording they used 🙄

I was offered one in pregnancy but the vaccination centres were miles away and my GP didn’t offer it so I didn’t do it. If it was more accessible, I would have, or if I was in a high risk group.

The things you will see on SM, or in the papers will be the odd reaction someone will have that’s incredibly rare but people like posting as it makes a good headline.

I’m early 40s and “healthy”, so not eligible via NHS, but would be very happy to get vaccinated! There’s no actual evidence of any harm of the vaccines, and plenty of evidence of benefit.

Yeah I guess “I had all the vaccines and I’m fine” is a boring comment!

If you have an auto immune condition or a heart condition I would not.

Both these issues can make you hugely vulnerable to Covid!

…um, accuracy matters. Saying it was banned when it wasn’t makes it sound scary and dangerous. The risk was a,ways very small.

I have 3 autoimmune conditions and am immunocompromised

its completely up to you. You’re clearly been offered it for a reason so you need to weigh up the risks vs benefits with that in mind.

personally I’m up to date on it because of an autoimmune condition and immune suppressing treatment. There are known side effects that I’m aware of and alert to, but I’m also not in a group that are most prone to those side effects. That weights it heavily on the ‘pro’ side for me.

I imagine your social media algorithms are feeding you lots of people with anti vax opinions, making you feel like 95% of people are against it. This is an echo chamber and isn’t actually reflective of wider society. Maybe check out the ONS data for more accurate take up rates, bearing in mind this data is a couple of years old.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/vaccines#:~:text=In%20the%20UK%20by%20the,received%20three%20or%20more%20doses

I personally think it’s sensible to get the vaccine.

I have lots of medical professionals in my extended family including GPs, senior cardiologists, A&E nurses etc. I was pregnant when the vaccine first launched and was worried by the scaremongering. These people who love me and who are experts in their field advised I go ahead with the vaccine as they were seeing the effects. My midwife was very sensible and balanced in her answer but after seeing first hand covid in her pregnant patients she said she would advise her daughter to get it. I had them all and was absolutely fine.

You can find articles and facts on the actual stats, not anecdotal from the CDC, BMJ, Lancet etc. the exact numbers will of course depend on you as an individual. Some can't have the vaccine, it is a risk, for most it is safe and effective.

Expert isn't a dirty word, talk to them and look up peer reviewed studies.

I’m very sorry to hear that. You’re dealing with a lot. This might be of interest: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9420842/#:~:text=We%20experienced%20four%20cases%20who%20died%201%E2%80%9310%20days%20after%20receiving%20their%20second%20COVID%2D19%20vaccination.&text=Although%20we%20have%20no%20way%20of%20knowing,after%20vaccination%2C%20resulting%20in%20SIRS%20and%20death.

I had the first two. I fainted after the second one. A friend was rushed to hospital after theirs and couldn’t breathe and was paralysed for a couple of days, was in hospital for weeks and then had to learn how to rewalk, they got Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Then a young mum near us died due to a jab causing a blood clot. These people weren’t vulnerable.

Needless to say I’d never get one again. And I didn’t get my kids vaccines against it either. Even the nhs leaflet that came through the door with the letter for my eldest, mentioned about the risk of heart issues in kids! No thanks. They’re vaccinated against everything else.

Plus when they were doing the third lot of boosters we had just had Covid so would have been totally pointless!

Thanks, that’s helpful to see the vast majority of people have had it
I haven’t clicked on anything anti vax as such but was reading comments on a post about the spring booster

I know of one anti vaxxer who died of covid, after the first rush for vaccines when he could easily have got one, and it seems a terrible waste.

That said, I experienced unexpected vaginal bleeding within hours of my covid vaccine, with all 3 that I had. That led me to do some reading about how many vaccines and medicines in general are not tested for specific effects on women, based on an assumption that we are just little light men with the same physiology. Since then I've been hesitant about all medicines, and weigh up the risks and benefits with a bit more thought.

The problem is that things like vaccines are presented as if all other things are equal. I have had conversations with people who are utterly convinced that if they have a vaccine they will have dreadful side effects or die. These same folks never seem to think if they don't have it they could become seriously ill.
Of course some people react to vaccines, no one denies that, but the NHS and other actual professionals weigh the risk and then offer their advice based on evidence. Anti vaxxers and vaccine shy folks use anecdotes as if they are universally applicable.
I once fainted having a jab for something exotic to travel in Asia. It was just a hot day and I was tired and stressed.
The only real freedom we have is to make our own decisions, good luck with yours OP.

I'm offered a covid jab once a year and I take it. I also have friends and family who have paid to have private boosters since they stopped being offered routinely (they're all over 45 though).

Having a vaccine can feel like the worse risk because you're making a deliberate choice to go somewhere on a particular day and have something injected into you. But if you never have it, you're also making a deliberate choice, this time to go through your next covid infection without the support of having had a recent vaccine. That's quite a risky choice if you have a known vulnerability.

I do see a fair amount of antivax stuff popping up on social media, but I have to ignore most of it, because even if there were to be something there that's a valid concern that hasn't been given enough weight, the chances of me being able to identify that valid concern amongst the mountains of absolute rubbish are remote. All in all social media is just too messy a place to base this sort of decision on.

I accept that vaccines have a certain small risk, covid has a certain larger risk, and so it's the smaller vaccine risk that I take (and I've always been fine so far).

I have only ever had the first two. I don't plan on more. The immune compromised person in my household will be having it. My doctor doesn't care whether I have it or not as I do have an autoimmune condition but am not on immune suppressants. Only you can decide for you. Don't base your decision based on what other people are doing.

There was proof of blood clots though hence why they restricted some types to different ages once they realised this.

Covid itself also causes devastating blood clots. The risk of a clot with the vaccine is incredibly low.

I’m a big believer in your body, your choice. I personally didn’t have any because I felt as though we were being coerced into it and as a result I had to find a new job. Only you can decide if the benefits outweigh the risks, everyone will make the choice for their own personal reasons and they will all be different.

Low per population yes but it if happens to you it can be lethal. Whereas Covid for a lot of people is a mild illness. I can totally understand getting the jab if you’re in a vulnerable category. But if you’re a healthy person for me the risk isn’t worth it. Especially when I know someone who died from that happening to them and has left two young children. I do think that we were sold it as everyone needing to be vaccinated when actually maybe they should have concentrated on certain populations. It’s the only jab I’d never get again.

Actually Covid increases the risk of many medical problems for everyone, even in the low risk groups. There’s just been a new study about this. It hugely increases the risk of cardiac problems. There have been some massive data studies tracking it now for a while, led by prestigious universities like Johns Hopkins. That doesn’t mean everyone who gets Covid will have a heart issue, no, but it’s just not accurate to assume that Covid = mild illness with no risks and vaccine = risk. There is risk to both and the risk of Covid itself is proven to be bigger.

That said, I’m not in favour of coercing people to have the vaccine and I do believe it should be individual choice. I just think the correct info needs to be shared because a lot of people don’t keep up to date with the true risks of Covid. It’s not being widely publicised now.

My friend (anti vaxer) is currently in ICU with COVID and not expected to recover
It hasn't gone away his wife (anti vaxer) has just had her first jab as a result