Covid Vaccine

[Chocolate]

Hi all, my mother is due her first Vaccine on Monday but I am really worried and dont know if she should have it, as it is not 100% that you cannot catch Covid. Is there anyone else concerned about their elderly parents. They have survived this whole year of Covid, so to inject a Vaccine that hasnt been out for long, should we risk it. The government are delaying the second jabs so there is a risk of catching Covid. My mother has underlying conditions so am really worried, any advice please

[Curmudgeon]

There is absolutely no doubt that your mother should be vaccinated, particularly if she has comorbiditites

What exactly are you concerned about?

[Chick]

Yes get her vaccinated.

[sammi86]

I would not risk it

[EDguy89]

Chocolate Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> They have survived

> this whole year of Covid, so to inject a Vaccine

> that hasnt been out for long, should we risk it.

> The government are delaying the second jabs so

> there is a risk of catching Covid. My mother has

> underlying conditions so am really worried, any

> advice please

Yes.

Your mentality of "well they made it this far, so does she REALLY need it?" is dangerous. Mostly it's dangerous to your mother. ESPECIALLY if she has underlying conditions. They're providing vaccines to the most vulnerable first because they have the greatest probability of dying from COVID.

If your only hang up is that it doesn't provide 100% protection, then you don't have anything to lose from getting somewhere between 70-95% from Pzifer or Astrazenaca.

It is better than just relying on the current methods your mother is using for protection.

[Monkey]

Please protect your mum and take her to be vaccinated.

[AylwardS]

I think the consensus is clear Yes your mother should be vaccinated.

The vaccine doesn?t give 100% protection so she will still need to take other precautions and it doesn?t stop her from catching Covid but It does reduce the symptoms.

The vaccine has been tested and over 2 million doses given in England, more in all countries. If it was unsafe we?d know by now.

You say she?s been ok so far - she might not have caught Covid but has she been able to see you / friends? Think about it like this

Possibility of your mum catching Covid now 100% and all the restrictions on her day to day life.

She has the first dose of the vaccine and carries on as now.

She has the second dose of the vaccine and restrictions should have eased and you / friends can see her again - socially distanced, with masks or whatever the restrictions are then but you can start to get together for birthdays / special occasions being careful if not exactly what she did pre-Covid.

If she catches Covid hopefully her symptoms won?t be as bad. Good for her and the NHS.

Does your mum remember people getting mumps before the vaccine was developed for that - it was only in the 1970?s. Or does she have a flu jab each year? The Covid vaccine hasn?t been around as long but its been developed to the same standards.

The benefits make the answer yes for me. I just hope people don?t relax hand washing and social distancing too soon. The virus hasn?t gone away because there?s a vaccine.

Stay safe everyone.

[cigolem]

Hi I had my Pfizer vaccine last week; I am 48 years old. First of all, vaccine is 95% protective 7 days after the second injection.

I had some strong reaction, my arm was sour and I had flu-like symptoms for 48 hours but then it was over. Never had respiratory issues.

Of course the effect / side effect of a vaccine depends very much on the individual background (i.e underlying medical conditions, demographic etc) in the end it provides protection to us and if the medical professionals advised vaccination for you mother then I would accept.

Best wishes Cigdem

[worldwiser]

Vitally important she gets the vaccine.

[Peckhampam]

In fact, two weeks after the first jab you have good protection. No vaccine gives 100% protection - but they have seen off most of the diseases that people used to die from.. Don't delay

[Nigello]

Vital that she get it - and that she tell all her friends and even strangers! I am shaking my head at all those people - generally poorer and in groups that may be more susceptible in the first place - saying they won't get it (some South Asians, according to the BBC, and older folk in general). I hope this pandemic makes more people more aware of their responsibility to themselves and others when it comes to health and the health service - it is limited in its possibilities, even with all the money we throw at it, so better to do your utmost to stay well. (Flu levels are down because people are not mixing as much and are washing hands, getting inoculated, etc.)

[Pugwash]

Years ago most of us oldies were offered the pneumonia jab as well as the flu jab. In my previous job as a key worker, we were encouraged to have an annual flu jab. To make things easier - the clinic was held on the 2nd floor of our building so we did not have the excuse of having to travel.

Even if the vaccination is not 100% it gives you a degree of protection.

[KidKruger]

I heard on LBC yesterday that %72 of BAME citizens in UK would refuse to take the Covid vaccine, while they are the most vulnerable demographic with respect to the virus.

This is really sad news and (the anti-vaccine aspect) is probably due to mistrust of Govt.

Nigello Wrote:

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> Vital that she get it - and that she tell all her

> friends and even strangers! I am shaking my head

> at all those people - generally poorer and in

> groups that may be more susceptible in the first

> place - saying they won't get it (some South

> Asians, according to the BBC, and older folk in

> general). I hope this pandemic makes more people

> more aware of their responsibility to themselves

> and others when it comes to health and the health

> service - it is limited in its possibilities, even

> with all the money we throw at it, so better to do

> your utmost to stay well. (Flu levels are down

> because people are not mixing as much and are

> washing hands, getting inoculated, etc.)

[Chocolate]

Thank you for all your feedback but I agree, its the mistrust of the Government, they havent been honest with us all the way. Where is the proof that the vaccine works?? I will take her as she wants her piece of mind but i dont trust this government, elderly friends of ours have has it but been cancelled their second vaccination. The govmt needs to

Follow through their rules.

[Blah Blah]

Hi Chocolate. The proof any of the vaccines work is in the three stages of trails these vaccines have gone through before gaining approval. That is not something decided by government, but by the science. And it is an independent body of vaccine experts who decide whether a vaccine is safe and effective enough to authorize, based on the results from those trials.

By having the vaccine, your mother's chances of becoming seriously ill if she catches the virus are significantly reduced. Only if she has underlying conditions, particularly around the immune system, or previous allergic reactions to vaccines, is there a potential need for caution, but she and/or you can have a chat with your doctor for some reassurance if that helps. Any problems so far have been in a tiny number of people and well within the accepted levels of adverse reactions found with other widely used vaccines. So lots to be hopeful about here.

[Nigello]

If you or your relatives are poorer and/or belong to a group that is statistically more likely to suffer from Covid and don?t get vaccinated then you are both stupid and dangerous.

[EDGman]

PLEASE, please get your Mum vaccinated.

Even with being ultra-cautious there is always a possibility of getting the virus e.g. by touching something such as shopping that has not been decontaminated.

If it is a matter of trust, then the only body to trust is the MHRA which is the body that approves the vaccines. They are totally independent and all their decisions are based on a rigorous testing regime. Government is not involved.

[KidKruger]

So does it follow that 72% of BAME citizens in UK are stupid and dangerous, or just the ones you select ?

Nigello Wrote:

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> If you or your relatives are poorer and/or belong

> to a group that is statistically more likely to

> suffer from Covid and don?t get vaccinated then

> you are both stupid and dangerous.

[Seabag]

I?m getting mine tomorrow, I can?t wait.

Get vaccinated, the odds are better than catching the virus ( for me) for many people.

[JohnL]

This reminds me of sitting outside the nurses office at school waiting for my vaccination for whatever (there were a few different ones in the 1980s).

Nothing to be worried about in the end although we all compared marks.

[EDGman]

C'mon, be fair, Nigello did not target any specific group.

Using the word "stupid" may be a bit inappropriate. Maybe better to have said mis-informed, ill-advised, mis-guided, unaware, sceptical, irresponsible and dangerous.

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> So does it follow that 72% of BAME citizens in UK

> are stupid and dangerous, or just the ones you

> select ?

>

>

> Nigello Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > If you or your relatives are poorer and/or

> belong

> > to a group that is statistically more likely to

> > suffer from Covid and don?t get vaccinated then

> > you are both stupid and dangerous.

[Spartacus]

JohnL Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> This reminds me of sitting outside the nurses

> office at school waiting for my vaccination for

> whatever (there were a few different ones in the

> 1980s).

>

> Nothing to be worried about in the end although we

> all compared marks.

Lol

I suspect covid vaccine scabs won't be a patch on BCG scabs

[Peckhampam]

There is no scar after COVID vaccine as it is given intra musclularly. BCG vaccine was given under the skin and was meant to leave a scar.

[ianr]

Kid Kruger wrote yesterday at 22:45:

----------------------------------_

> I heard on LBC yesterday that %72 of

> BAME citizens in UK would refuse to

> take the Covid vaccine

I recommend a look at the abstract of the paper from which this snippet was derived, https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.12.27.20248899v1.full-text. I'm also attaching three of its data representation figures (as licensed by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

[Blah Blah]

Useful links Ianr. The expectation at present is that around 70 percent of those offered the vaccine will take it. Another 20 percent are expected to follow once they see the vaccine is safe over the longer term. So even is the end result is 80 percent vaccinated for example, that would be a good result, especially if the take up is near 100 percent in vulnerable groups. Beyond that, it is a question of lasting efficacy and whether or not the virus significantly mutates.