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

Luckily I don't know anyone in our circle refusing the vaccine, quite the opposite in fact.
Have no idea how I would react if that were the case but imagine I would be totally pissed off with such selfishness.
Years ago a few parents in our area decided not to give their kids the MMR jab reading total rubbish from a doctor in America stating it would lead to autism. Remember that ?
Upshot being two children died from measles that I knew. So sad.

Well-said!

Classic it must still vary across the UK. I’ve just checked, and 95.5% of healthcare staff have now been vaccinated in Wales, compared with 92% of care home staff. The percentages are creeping up for both groups though, presumably at least partly due to pressure being put on staff by employers short of a change on the law that would be required to enforce it. 95.5% is in line with the vaccination rate in the rest of the population though anyway, and there will be some people who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons.

A friend and her middle aged daughter are both refusing to have it. This has upset me a great deal as I feel they are being selfish; they are relying on herd immunity - not to mention everyone else who has taken the small risk of having the vaccine. They want to visit us, but when they try to make a date I fear they are going to be disappointed. I will take no pleasure in refusing them, but there is a vulnerable adult in our immediate family who has had the first jab, been quite unwell with side effects, but has willingly gone on to have the second. We can't take risks, however small, and two unvaccinated guests staying for a week is a risk too far. Am I being harsh and unreasonable?

No one I know or am friends with has not had or is not going to have the vaccinations, which is good as it would certainly change my opinion of them. The people who work in care homes that I know, have to have the vaccinations, or they are not allowed to work, this differs considerably with the NHS staff, who are not required to have the jabs, and in Hampshire the uptake of the jab within the NHS is only 90%. It should be compulsory, many things are, for instance I cannot get the licence I need to do my job without a full medical, eye tests and back ground checks every other year, and neither can my husband who is a courier. People accept that there are qualifications required for most activities, having a vaccination should be part of those qualifications

Anyone who lets something like a vaccine come between them aren't friends.

Similarly, anyone who doesn't care enough about their friends to want to protect them by getting vaccinated, isn't really a friend either.

romaroot

Anyone who lets something like a vaccine come between them aren't friends.

Just because someone doesn't want the vaccine, they aren't relying on anyone else to protect them, it's a personal choice and nobody else's business.

There is no difference ito results between those who are medically unable or those who choose not to.
You could just as easily be affected by either.

Yes you could just as easily be affected by either. But in the case of someone who is medically unable to have it they aren't being selfish and that has to be taken into consideration. I really wouldn't want to continue a friendship with someone who did not think of others. As a group my friends and I have protected a clinically vulnerable person as much as we can during the pandemic and continue to move at the pace she feels happy with. We have all been vaccinated.

If everyone is vaccinated we can get back to normal.
That's what I tell people I know who are unvaccinated. We will always have the virus but the vaccine will get us back to full normality.

I’m glad your friend is a minority if we all refused the vaccine what an awful state we’d be in and so many more dying

My 19yrs old grandson won't have it and he was reluctant to even wear a mask. His mum and I have badgered him constantly but he says he won't have it till he's forced. I think Covid passports to travel abroad will eventually make him.

Anyone who lets something like a vaccine come between them aren't friends.

Just because someone doesn't want the vaccine, they aren't relying on anyone else to protect them, it's a personal choice and nobody else's business.

There is no difference ito results between those who are medically unable or those who choose not to.
You could just as easily be affected by either.

Unless they have a very good health reason not to be vaccinated these people are being selfish. If they become ill they will still expect 100% attention from those that have, to help them recover - if they do!

My SIL won’t have it and he is totally convinced that in 10 years everyone will regret it. I said,well that would be millions of people then and if you get Covid you might not even be there in 10 years . Our grandson is a medical student who lives at home with him (he is fully vaccinated) so I said that it could be that he will bring Covid home from his patients. No response.

I am thankful that all my friends have been doubly vaccinated. Even one whose doctors were on the fence about her getting it due to a medical condition. No one has had anything other than the listed side effects and we feel lucky to have some protection now. I feel if you gave millions some everyday medications you would have a few with significant, maybe fatal issues but folk are happy to take that risk. Seemingly not with a vaccine! My DCs are also starting to get the vaccine too which I am delighted about. Locally there was a drop in clinic for the vaccines and the wait at one point was over 2 hours. It was amazing to see how determined the younger generation in our area were to get their vaccine.
I am afraid I wouldn't have anything to do with anyone who didn't have the vaccine for selfish reasons. We have to think about others. There are people with medical conditions who can't take the vaccine and children who are still having to isolate due to this illness. I despair for their mental health and the anguish they and their parents are suffering. Given this, how can any caring person not have the vaccine. When working for NHS I complied with any medical requirements and feel strongly that all medical staff and carers should put their patients/clients first and get vaccinated.
I am sure ongoing a lot of people will feel very differently about those who have chosen not to be vaccinated.

aonk

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!

Looks more like he was being coerced into having it...and then having it in order to travel abroad seems to have been a pointless exercise.

My daughter knew a woman who died after having the Astra Zeneca vaccine. It's incredibly sad but her family has urged everyone to get vaccinated. They recognise that what happened to her is extremely rare and that the risks of serious illness or death from Covid-19 are so much greater. There is always a risk of a reaction with any medicine which you have to weigh against the risk of the disease.

My sister-in-law refuses to be vaccinated even though her son, who is a doctor, has tried to persuade her. She is very religious, a vegan and practises kinesiology. Her husband, who has had the vaccine, says "Oh, she knows what is in it. She knows more about it than we do." I don't know how she has acquired this inside knowledge, as she is a retired graphic designer with no scientific knowledge. She is also blind, which must make it difficult to do social distancing.

Fortunately we never see them, partly because of restrictions but mainly because her husband, my husband's brother, is loathsome. She has a nicer personality than him, but so does everyone.

I feel that anti-vaxxers, unless they have a genuine medical reason, are selfish. If enough people refuse the vaccine, we won't achieve herd immunity. If we do, then anyone who hasn't had the vaccine will benefit from the actions of those who did have it. Either way, I think it is a selfish decision.

I am aware that it is a matter of choice. However, in some situations individual choice should be weighed against the common good. We are fighting a war against this disease. In WWII, what would have happened if people had said, "It's my decision and I don't like the dark, so I have decided to leave my curtains open during the black-out?"

Interesting topic !
Only this morning I was talking to someone who hasn’t had it and does not want it. Her elderly mother says she won’t see her unless she does have it. She feels very angry that she is being forced into having it so she can see her mum. She said she didn’t understand why people were cross with those choosing not to have it, if you’ve had the vaccine you’re safe she said!
She went on to talk about holidays and where she hoped to go next....I bit my lip, but did want to ask how she would feel if countries will only accept those fully vaccinated. I agree with being able to choose for yourself and can’t get too het up about it, but I do find it somewhat selfish. If everyone chose not to have it...we’d be stuck for ever.

DS1 texted yesterday to tell me he'd just had second vax. He had been asked to bring it forward to 8 weeks rather than 12. DGD1 and DGS1 are fully vaccinated because they are vulnerable and now only the teenagers in the family are still to be 'done', and all keen to have it.

rivercross

My husband and I have not gone for the vaccine and neither have several of our friends. A true vaccine protects you for like and doesn't need regular boosters - not the case with Covid 19 sacs

My brother in law died from clots after the Astra Zenica one.

I am, of course, very sorry for your loss.

Sad thought it was for you and your family, many more people die from blood clots who have not had the Covid vaccinations than those who have. In fact I understand that the risk of blood clots caused by having Covid is higher than the risk of blood clots from the vaccination.

As regards vaccinations requiring more than one dose or needing later boosters: what about the polio vaccine which has virtually eradicated the disease and saved so many lives? Or the other childhood vaccinations which reduce the occurence of deafness, blindness and death (rubella, measles, whooping cough etc)? These need more than one dose in most cases.
Tetanus, which is often fatal in those who are unvaccinated, also needs a couple of boosters during a person's lifetime.
The flu vaccination saves lives and needs to be updated and boosted annually.
There are many other examples of diseases conquered by vaccinations requiring more than one dose.

Nightowl I agree with you.

One of the best known psychological tactics known is to deliberately start a conspiracy theory yourself when putting out something that people may not agree with, and then leave it to do its job. Works incredibly well, apparently.

Laurensnan Exactly!

Jennyluck

My son in his 30’s won’t have it. He thinks it’s pointless and won’t work. The rest of the family have all had it. No adverse reactions for any of us. I’ve tried everything to change his mind, but it’s his choice.

My son (also in his 30's) initially said that he reckoned that we would all catch a mild dose in the end so there was no need to be vaccinated. However time has gone by and we've realized how serious the illness can be. As the death toll mounted, he changed his views and had both doses.

PurpleStar
"So far the only people, who I know, aren't getting vaccinated are men, smokers I might add who are concerned about blood clots. Funnily enough they have no issues with the clots that smoking can cause! Also no issues with their partners going on the pill or hrt!"

I may have misuinderstood, but I thought that the very low risk was associated with only one vaccine (Astra Zeneca) and was related only to relatively young women? It is simple enough to choose to have another vaccine.

Biscuitmuncher

I'm not having the vaccine. In fact having it terrifies me. I've had a lot of friends who have felt very unwell after it

I was very unwell after the first (AstraZeneca) vaccine - physically sick/diarrhoea/fluey - for 3-4 days. I was dreading getting the second but put the big girl pants on and had it last week. And all good apart from a sore arm.
And so very grateful to get it.
My three in their 20s children were online at midnight to book their jabs - I’m very proud of the way the younger generation are stepping up.
I feel that by having the jab I’m protecting myself, my family and my colleagues and I’d like to think they care enough about me to do the same.
I do have a friend who has come out as a non mask wearing, conspiracy theorist, anti vaxxer. Whilst she is entitled to her views I totally fail to understand and would actively avoid talking to her.