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Coronavirus

Friendship vs vaccination

(158 Posts)
Patsie Thu 04-Mar-21 10:29:14

I have a friend who I've known for many years. We get on very well although our views on many subjects are completely opposite. She can be very stubborn and has refused to have the vaccination although she has no medical or religious reasons. She just doesn't like to be told what to do. We had a rather heated discussion about it, at a distance, obviously, and it seems to have cast a cloud over our friendship. I know it is absolutely her choice, but I find it a bit selfish. Why do I feel so bad about the way I feel and how it's affected our friendship. Has anyone else had this dilemma.

Kittye Sat 06-Mar-21 22:55:17

I find there are so many people who have a total disregard for others, be it people who ignore the rules to people who refuse to have the vaccine. We’ve decided we’ll just keep ourselves to ourselves and carry on doing what we’ve done for the past year and adhere to the rules and hope we’ll come through this pandemic safely. It’s no use relying on other people , there are too many who think only of themselves and have no regard for others. They don’t have a brain cell between them.
I could weep for mankind ☹️

sazz1 Sun 07-Mar-21 10:04:07

I have several friends and family members with vastly different views on Brexit, politics, masks, vaccines etc but they are still my friends and family. Many people are terrified of this virus and conspiracy theories that it doesn't exist can reassure them (wrongly unfortunately) that they will be ok. My best friend won't have the vaccine. She has a friend who has a severe allergy and carries an epipen who was wrongly given the vaccine and had anaphylaxis. Although this person is fine now it's put my friend off. My friend has no allergy to anything but still won't have it. But she's still my friend and always will be hopefully. Friends are for keeps and we are all different.

Hetty58 Sun 07-Mar-21 10:13:11

FarNorth, your friend is talking rubbish. I heard all that from my friend too.

Unless her GP has advised against vaccination, it's all just excuses.

I have severe allergies, yet still, I didn't need the hospital tests before vaccination - as they're unrelated to the vaccine ingredients.

GrannyRose15 Sun 07-Mar-21 21:09:28

we shouldn’t lose friends because of these weird times we are living in.

Absolutely agree. This has been a very stressful time and all our friends, no matter what their opinions re vaccines etc, need our support. It is the only way we will come out of this awful situation unscathed.

Pammie1 Mon 08-Mar-21 11:18:18

@FunOma. Sorry, but I had to respond. Your attitude is very selfish and is obviously coming from the point of view of someone who hasn’t had Covid and has very little idea of the devastating effects. You don’t expect others to keep you safe, and you know what to do to ‘minimise’ the severity of Covid should you get it. What utter nonsense statements. The vaccine is designed to keep us all safe and to stop the health service being overwhelmed. If you know of some way to minimise the effects of Covid, please do share with the rest of us because my partner and I had a severe bout with Covid a few weeks ago after he was admitted to hospital and contracted it there. There was NOTHING we could do except let the infection run its’ course, trying to keep temperatures under control with paracetamol and keeping in touch with NHS111 and test and trace to monitor the severity of symptoms. It was a horrible, frightening experience and even now, some weeks later we are still suffering the after effects - a cough that takes your breath away, airway deficiency and extreme fatigue. You are trying to minimise this awful disease to support your stance on the vaccine. You know what they say, if you’re not part of the solution then you’re part of the problem.

Pammie1 Mon 08-Mar-21 11:30:23

One final thought - read it on another thread, but I think it’s very relevant. If the symptoms of Covid were the same as Smallpox, would there be as many people flouting the lockdown rules and would we still be having these conversations about vaccination ? I think not - we’d be locked, bolted and barred in our homes. The nature of Covid - mild in some people, severe in others - divides opinion on how to tackle the pandemic. What some people on this thread seem to be saying is that we should be very suspicious of any vaccine and be willing to take our chances without it. Why ? Without vaccines we’d still be in the grip of so many awful diseases, so why should this one be any different ?

Pammie1 Mon 08-Mar-21 11:37:26

Anne2108. Typical example of disinformation spread by anti Vaxers. All UK vaccines have gone through safety trials - speeded up because of the urgency of the situation. I do wish people wouldn’t try to skew the facts to suit their own conspiracy theories.