I haven’t had the Covid vaccine and I don’t know what to do now?

growstuff mostly before vaccination was introduced and because so many refused to have vaccination when it became available. Some people have died despite vaccination but far, far fewer than among the unvaccinated.

Many health care workers are from the black and Afro-carribean community or of non-British origin and these communities were substantially less likely to be vaccinated than those of white or Asian origin. the reasons for this are not fully understood. www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-23927-x

I do know that a disproportionately high number of care home staff lost their lives because they caught Covid.

Given the virulence and death rate associate with COVID before the vaccination. A vaccination that just reduced the severity of the disease was a huge step forward. Far fewer deaths, far fewer hospitalisations, and a reduction in the severity of any long term effects. And by definition a shortening of the time anyone with COVID is likely to be infectious and pass the disease on, so reducing transmission as well.

It would be ridiculous to refuse the vaccine because it only ameliorated the disease rather than stopping it entirely. You would be saying that you would rather face the high risk of severe illness, death and long term side effects that goes with not being vacccinated rather than receiving a vaccination that reduces the threat of death, severe illness and long term damage to your health.

I am sure that in time a vaccination will be developed that does protect all but a small minority from getting the disease (no vaccination is 100% effective). In the meantime let us be grateful for any vaccination that makes this disease less fatal and less severe and for the speed with which scientists developed a usable and useful vaccination.

Individuals being seemingly immune to epidemic diseases is not uncommon. No one in my immediate family has ever had flu; not my parents, my sisters or me, or my children. This despitemy sisters and I being at boarding school during the late 1950s Asian flu pandemic and when the school closed for two weeks returning to home on an army camp where my father was going into work everyday throughout.

Also there will be people who seem immune, but it eventually catches up with you. DH, DD, and I have all had COVID in the last month, caught when we were on holiday together.

All of us obeyed the mandatory mask wearing when it was imposed but all of us stopped wearing them when it was no longer required. DD travelled on public transport in London several times a week, went to the theatre regularly. We travelled less, but didi not wear masks. We did all this from March 2020 to August 2022, well over 2 years and never caught COVID, but it caught up with us in the end. DH and DD tested negative within three or four days. I had it longer and worse, but, for me, it followed hard on being ill for over a month with a bacterial infection, so my immune system had probably not full recovered from that.

be thankful for what we have rather than rejecting it because it was not perfect at the first attempt.

MadeInYorkshire

Pfizer have admitted yesterday that they knew the vaccine wouldn't prevent transmission of the virus - how many tens of thousands of social care workers lost their jobs because they 'had to protect their residents'? Lies, lies, lies - how many more are there? Follow the money ....

No idea! How many tens of thousands of social care workers did lose their jobs?

But it isn’t actually health policy for all children to have it unlike America. I also didn’t realise that children did die of chicken pox. For children like the little girl with the liver transplant to be protected the majority of children would need to be vaccinated and it would, I assume, reduce the risk of shingles when people get older.

MayBee children in the UK can have a vaccine against chicken pox. All my grandson's have had it.

I think that we all thought initially that the vaccine would prevent or reduce transmission because I remember how disappointed I felt when I heard it didn’t do so. And I feared at the time that anti vacc’ers would gleefully use it to advise people not to have it. At least it makes our immune system recognise the virus. I spoke to a friend who works at a vaccination centre yesterday and she said we’ll be having the vaccine for the foreseeable future. I still don’t understand why some people don’t seem to catch it. My friend is older than me and is immune suppressed but has been working at vaccination centres throughout and has never caught it.

I have fact checked this claim on AP News and it does not appear that Pfizer made this claim prior to the vaccine being released.

I have always known that vaccination wouldn't prevent transmission of the virus, but that it lessened the effect of it, and presumably also the length of time that patients were ill with it, which would itself mean that they would pass it to fewer others.

I can't remember exactly where that information came from, but I presume that care home managers and staff had the same access to knowing it as I did.

MadeInYorkshire

Pfizer have admitted yesterday that they knew the vaccine wouldn't prevent transmission of the virus - how many tens of thousands of social care workers lost their jobs because they 'had to protect their residents'? Lies, lies, lies - how many more are there? Follow the money ....

As a carer ????????????

Pfizer have admitted yesterday that they knew the vaccine wouldn't prevent transmission of the virus - how many tens of thousands of social care workers lost their jobs because they 'had to protect their residents'? Lies, lies, lies - how many more are there? Follow the money ....

To be fair volver many GPs do not understand medical statistics in my experience.

David Spiegelhalter is worth listening to in understanding risk and has podcasts on YouTube. One can be found where he discusses on Ben Yeoh Chats - Covid stats. Thinking about risk in life and Medicine. Covid by Numbers
for those interested nerds like me.

I’ve found him very helpful and reassuring throughout the pandemic. He doesn’t say he’s right. He asks people to read the links and interpret them as they see fit. And he talks all the time about his experiences as a nurse and never pretends to be anything other than a nurse. I found the chat about chicken pox very interesting and thought provoking. I don’t always agree with what he says but I found him more informative throughout the pandemic that the government and it’s advisors.

Here I am again MayBee70

Nothing wrong with Dr Campbell's qualifications. He has a PhD in nursing education. He has never hidden that, but he doesn't exactly advertise it either.

He is a very good educator, but he knows diddly squat about medical statistics and draws conclusions from published and pre-published work that are not justified. He doesn't admit the limits of his own knowledge.

He's the Liz Truss of the Covid world.

M0nica

So he is not a medical docto?. Now that does explain a lot.

He did a very interesting web chat the other day with a couple whose 2 year old daughter contracted hepatitis and has had a liver transplant. They explained that the biggest danger to their child is chicken pox and were querying why they vaccinate against chicken pox in America but not here. Dr John does a lot of good. No one has to believe everything he says and he always puts links up so people can read them for themselves.

So he is not a medical docto?. Now that does explain a lot.

M0nica

Boscuitmuncher It's been banned for young men in florida that tells you all you need to know

Well, yes it does, but not quite what you think. It just tells me a lot about the reasoning powers of the person, who thinks a fact like that is the clincher in an argument.

Ahh you mean the ex nurse john campbell who has never been open about his doctorate being a phd. He just churns out any data he can find

even if the adverse events you have read about are related to the vaccine (they are all things that could have happened anyway), compare the numbers of them to the millions of people around the world who have had the vaccine without more than a mild reaction. Then think that 420 people are still dying daily in the UK of covid and over 1100 are sufficiently bad with covid to need admitting to hospital EVERYDAY in England alone. (government figures). The covid vaccines are produced in a different way to the flu ones, so you are unlikely to have a reaction, but talk to your GP, who will have your full medical record and can give you personal advice. As to scientific studies on the new vaccines, there are masses now available. For good summaries look at the work of Independent SAGE and its members. These are all experts in their field and are respected by others. They give regular updates on twitter,even though the government has stopped issuing reports and advice.
Long Covid is also a problem. Good article in guardian yesterday. www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/13/long-covid-patient-testimony
And
www.theguardian.com/society/2022/oct/12/long-covid-coronavirus-data-symptoms-causes-studies

I am having my sixth covid jab tomorrow. This is because I have an autoimmune skin condition. DH had his fifth recently. We have both managed to avoid covid so far. My stepdaughter is a consultant in intensive care and both she her DH and her two children have been vaccinated.

In your place I would make a list of all my properly researched worries and then make a private appointment with a virologist. I would take all my questions and medical notes with me.

I would expect them to be better placed tham my GP to answer things.

It would be worth the money to have a personal answer and a frank conversation with someone who is of that specialty.

As others have said, speak to your GP about your concerns and fears and get both jabs, flu and covid.

I have lost work colleagues through Covid, I never lost one through flu or a reaction to any jabs either.

If you genuinely want to go on the cruise next year, or even travel out of the country then get your jabs.

I have had cancer and a pulmonary embolism and had five covid vaccinations, no way would I walk around unprotected with conspiracy theorists spouting rubbish.
I would never go on a cruise but that has nothing to do with covid vaccination.

We are always being told on here that everyone is entitled to an opinion. Well, in a place where that is true, everyone also has a responsibility not to spout disinformation which will influence and possibly frighten other posters. So, here we go:

The vaccine, of any sort, does not mitigate effects for only 5 months. The effects wane, but they don’t fall off a cliff after 5 months. There is no evidence that we all have to be vaccinated every six months. I haven’t had a booster for 11 months, I’m waiting for my autumn one.

I certainly would not recommend it for children. Are you a medic? A vaccinologist? A public health official? No? Then thanks, but I won’t be acting on your advice.

The Astra Zeneca vaccine has not been discredited. We might all want to remember how bad things were 2 years ago, and we had a vaccine that saved lives and protected us from the worst effects of Covid. Now, we may have new ones that do even better. What’s happened is that an even more effective vaccine has been produced. That’s what’s you want to happen B9exchange. That doesn’t mean the earlier ones are c**p, just that the newer ones are even better.

The whole world are not guinea pigs, and saying that makes some people think the whole thing is experimental. That is not the case. This is how new medications are introduced. Calling people guinea pigs is a basic misunderstanding of how research works.

I think there is now quite a consensus that the vaccine won't actually stop you getting the virus. medium.com/molyneuxpost/who-chief-believes-covid-vaccine-doesnt-prevent-infections-and-spread-of-virus-3383e7dd76c9 The reason for having it is only to prevent you from suffering badly if you do get it, as it mitigates the effects, for about 5 months. Whether we will all be happy to get jabbed every six months for life I am not sure, and I really hope that a more effective vaccine will be produced.

The travel companies need to accept that a fully vaccinated ship will not prevent the virus running right through it. The only reason to accept a vaccine is to protect yourself from the worst effects of Covid.

Anyone under the age of 40, especially men, really needs to weigh of the risks of the vaccine against the risks of covid, because the balance tends to swing the other way for the younger population, and I certainly would not recommend it for children. The UK Government now won't give the Astra Zeneca vaccine, which has largely been discredited, and is moving to Moderna for the boosters. We are in such early stages of the research and to an extent the whole world are guinea pigs, much more will be learnt in the years to come.

BTW the reason that more vaccinated people are hospitalised with covid is that the vast majority of the population have now been been vaccinated!

I was hospitalised and left with heart failure due to COVID. Over two years later I am still not right and will be on medication for the rest of my life. I was 54 and never unwell prior to COVID. My cousin died of COVID and I know at least eight other people who died of COVID; one a very fit and healthy 40 year old. Believe me, you do not want COVID.