Do you have friends who have declined to be vaccinated.........h ow do you deal with this (stay polite!)

Like you CafeAuLait I have friends who have different views about the vaccine and have made individual decisions about whether or not to have it. I am not at all anti-vaccine but I am concerned about this one. I thought long and hard about whether or not to have it. That doesn’t mean I was willing to rely on others to protect me, just that I weighed up all the information available to me and made a decision based on lots of factors.

I think I am more concerned about the psychological effects the last year or so has had on us all. Like Galaxy I struggle with people who can’t accept that everyone is entitled to hold a different opinion and to make their own choice. I find the judgments about people who decline to be vaccinated unpleasant and unhealthy. They are not all anti-vax conspiracy theorists, nor are they necessarily stupid or selfish or anti-authority. They may be quite the opposite - either way, they have every right to make their own choices, anything else would be dictatorship.

Lucca it’s an Authority thing, he refuses to do anything if he thinks the Government are behind it.

He’s an idiot and that’s only one of his many faults.

However he likes to go to a certain place for his holiday so if they have to have it for that then they will, in his head he is then making the decision.

BTW he is a Private Health Care professional, very fit for his age , non smoker , doesn’t drink alcohol, has his own Gym in his house because his Gym was closed due to lockdown, so doesn’t fit the profile that another poster put on earlier.

One of my SILs informed me he wouldn’t be having the covid jab. I told him he couldn’t come to our house or to any family gatherings until he had had it. My DH told him we’d have to consider carefully whether we could look after his child once a week. Guess what? He’s had it! Only because he wants to travel abroad to visit family though!

As far as I know everyone I know has been vaccinated, most of them fighting to get to the top of the queue. My mother was very ill after she had the smallpox vaccination when she was in the ATS in the 40s. She knew she was really ill because her sergeant, who was a total cow, was bringing her drinks and mopping her brow and calling her darling! This seems far worse than the 24 hours with a headache that my son had after the Astra Zeneca jab - he was fine after the second one,

I would (controversially, I know) back a system under which refuseniks (not those who are unable to have the vaccine, or who have not yet been offered it) were banned from going to gatherings of more than a few people, from going abroad, from using public transport etc.

But as that hasn't happened, and is unlikely to happen, I accept that it is none of my business if a friend or colleague chooses not to have it. I would never try to persuade people to do things that are against their principles - that seems to me impertinent, and akin to cross-questioning a vegetarian about their choices. Also, if someone chooses not to tell others about their vaccine status, or lies about it, how would one 'deal with' that situation?

I don't see myself as some sort of unofficial law-enforcer. I disapprove of those who refuse, and think the attitude that those who have had the vaccine should act as lab rats so that others can wait to see if we suffer side effects before getting theirs is arrogant and selfish, but as long as that is legal there is nothing I can do.

I understand its a personal choice for everyone, some people feel they have good reason to refuse the Covid vaccine. What I can't get my head around are those people who refuse but then decide to have the vaccine so they can travel.

I don't know anyone who has declined the vac...and that's not a "to my knowledge" as I know they have had it. I do challenge anti vac views on public forums but I challenge anything that is provably untrue. I do believe firmly in personal choice about pretty much everything so I probably wouldn't evangelise about it but would listen to concerns. Anybody who went off on a rant would no longer be a friend!

I respect my friend's decision not to have the vaccination and didn't question her as to why, I just wish she had afforded me the same respect and not made sneering remarks about people having 'stuff' put in their body without knowing what it is. It does irritate me though that refusers will be able to downplay the pandemic as the number of deaths in this country drop, without acknowledging that it is those of us who have had the vaccine that are responsible for society becoming safer for them and all of us. I firmly believe in choice though, and would not countenance compulsory vaccinations.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.

I have not had the vaccination and probably won't. I don't question or challenge other people's choice to have it - that is their choice and their right.

There are two ways that getting vaccinated can slow the spread of the virus. First, it can help prevent you getting infected. Second, even if you are unlucky and catch the virus, it may reduce the risk of passing it on. It is crucial to understand how big these benefits are.

Two huge new studies have taken advantage of the successful UK vaccine rollout. An Oxford-ONS analysis of more than 370,000 survey participants found infections were reduced by 65% after a single dose. For protection against the virus, one dose was similar to having had a prior infection. There was no major difference between the two available vaccines.

www.theguardian.com/theobserver/commentisfree/2021/may/02/vaccinated-people-less-likely-to-pass-covid-on

No one I know has told me that they will not be vaccinated, but if they did I would refer them to the evidence that they are at so much more risk of getting covid, being hospitalised, passing it on to others and either dying or causing the death of others if they refuse the vaccine.

I have a friend who says she won't have it. No health problems that I know of, she is against vaccines in general.
So far, she claims that she just won't go out anywhere. I don't know how well that will last.

i would not associate with anyone who rejected having the jab.

Everything in life is a risk, we walk down the road, we run the risk of getting in an accident or falling over. We all have to make decisions about how much risk we are willing to take, I’ve been jabbed twice, I understand there’s just as much risk of blood clots from everyday over the counter medication like paracetamol and the pill. I don’t get how people do not want to get the jab, the delta variant is more prevalent in those not jabbed including the young. If we want to get back to normal in the near future there is no doubt this helps. I log on the Zoe covid app daily and their information and analysis is worth taking a look at ?

I see that several posters have said that the delta variant is more prevalent in those not vaccinated including the young.
I think that the vaccine roll out has been brilliant and has been successful.
I have watched many documentaries on the pandemic and am always interested in what the professional doctors and head of medicines have to say and after listening to two professionals only two days ago they said they had some concerns over the delta variant as several of the hospitalized
people had actually had 2 doses of the Astrazenica vaccine
but had still got Covid 19. This must show that no vaccine is 100 per cent wiping out Covid.
Another health doctor spoke of the use of the vaccine on the 12 to 18 year old group and said that he thinks it is not worthwhile vaccinating this group at all, he even said he would not vaccinate his own children of that age.
(I think they are still trialing that age group anyway ) and am sure they said it would be another 2 years for it to get finished.
I know someone that is not vaccinated and it is the persons own choice to decide what they put into their body.

I would never dream of asking anyone even close friends whether they had been vaccinated or not. It really is none of my business. I certainly would not be so judgemental as to either try to persuade them to have it or to stop any further contact with them.

No vaccine is a miracle cure, it’s been identified from the beginning that some vaccinated people would still become ill with the virus. It’s important that on Gransnet we don’t put inaccurate information out there though.

3nanny6 I don’t think they have said that of the people who have had two doses of the vaccine who had to be admitted to hospital that they had the Astra Zeneca vaccine specifically?

As far as I know they also haven’t said how ill those people have been with COVID, or whether their admission was for something else and they were found incidentally to have it, or how soon after those people were vaccinated with the second dose they became infected with COVID, or how old, frail or immune compromised they were.

welbeck

i would not associate with anyone who rejected having the jab.

But how would you know?

Doodledog

I would (controversially, I know) back a system under which refuseniks (not those who are unable to have the vaccine, or who have not yet been offered it) were banned from going to gatherings of more than a few people, from going abroad, from using public transport etc.

But as that hasn't happened, and is unlikely to happen, I accept that it is none of my business if a friend or colleague chooses not to have it. I would never try to persuade people to do things that are against their principles - that seems to me impertinent, and akin to cross-questioning a vegetarian about their choices. Also, if someone chooses not to tell others about their vaccine status, or lies about it, how would one 'deal with' that situation?

I don't see myself as some sort of unofficial law-enforcer. I disapprove of those who refuse, and think the attitude that those who have had the vaccine should act as lab rats so that others can wait to see if we suffer side effects before getting theirs is arrogant and selfish, but as long as that is legal there is nothing I can do.

I understand the sentiment of what you are saying, but a vegetarian isn’t putting anyone else at risk by their choice. I agree with the rest of what you say.

A friend I used to see a lot but haven’t bothered with for years. We went to the same schools and lived in the same road. He refuses to be vaccinated as it’s a waste of government money. Now I know why I stopped bothering with him he is an idiot.

3nanny6 Some of the claims you have made need putting in context.

Currently, the Delta variant is the predominant one. Secondly, nearly 60% of cases are in young people from 10-29. It stands to reason that most of the new cases will be of the Delta variant. The two facts are not independent of each other.

The majority of people under 29 have not yet vaccinated, so it's not surprising that the majority of cases are in this group. On the face of it, it seems to indicate that the vaccine is working in those who have had it.

Nobody has ever claimed that any of the vaccines would be 100% effective, although the statistics do seem to show that they are having a positive effect. I don't know who these professionals and heads of medicine are. I happen to know two very senior scientists very well, both of whom have been working on Covid over the last year. Both of them would disagree with the views you've cited. I prefer to read properly published data and articles rather than believe the views of unknown "health doctors".

I understand the sentiment of what you are saying, but a vegetarian isn’t putting anyone else at risk by their choice. I agree with the rest of what you say.
True, but I meant that (as someone said they would do upthread) explaining the reasons why people should have the vaccine is as intrusive (and probably pointless) as telling vegetarians that humans are designed to eat meat, or asking them about their leather shoes.

As long as the law does not insist on vaccination, it is up to the individual, however misguided you or I might think they are. They will have heard all the arguments anyway, and have chosen their path - what we have to say is most unlikely to make a difference.

I don't ask friends if they've been vaccinated but it is a conversation piece at present. I have 2 friends who are refusing the jab. One of them is an old school friend who had cancer 10 years ago and for this reason she's opted not to have it. The other is vegan and opposed to all medication. I'm still friends with them. It's not up to me to tell them what to do. I have had my 2 and it appears the take up in the UK is high.

Out of all my friends and acquaintances I know only one who has refused and I knew she would She is totally antiestablishment in every way she can be, she also won’t wear a mask she reluctantly pulls some kind of flimsy scarf up if totally necessary but otherwise doesn’t believe in all ‘that old rubbish’
She is against virtually anything and everything ordinary people happily conform to including ‘I would never send my children to a school where they have to wear a uniform blah blah blah my children never wore a uniform….. except, one of them had a considerable jail sentence for importing drugs so I guess he did wear a uniform (she doesn’t know I know but it was in the local paper)
Anyway up to her I only see her once a month but she does irritate me, not only over this but all her ‘anti’ raves

We have a friend who has declined the vaccination, he is relying on those who are vaccinated to keep him safe . Hope he is never disappointed! It is regrettable that some people have been quite ill after vaccination, but if they had caught Covid they could well have been very very ill indeed!!
What do the decliners think would happen if we all thought like them - does'nt bear thinking about!!!!