Man. Is half the country really that dumb? I've been trying to give people the benefit of the doubt. FFS if any of you 51% are reading: It's not that hard to get a stab. You can do it at the same...
Man. Is half the country really that dumb? I've been trying to give people the benefit of the doubt. FFS if any of you 51% are reading:
It's not that hard to get a stab. You can do it at the same time as the Flu. You get the Flu shot right? If not you're a bit of a selfish prick. You don't even need an appointment if you want the more-traditional-style Novavax instead of the high-tech mRNA version. You walk into a pharmacy and you'll be vaccinated in less than 20 minutes if there isn't a big line.
I know I was a bit of a "end of masking pessimist," but this really just hammers home that I wasn't really wrong...just burnt the fuck out and unable to care anymore.
I sincerely hope if you're able-bodied and choosing not to vaccinate you suffer some serious damage when some other idiot as selfish as you returns the favor. It's your duty as an able-bodied low-risk person to help build herd immunity for all the vulnerable out there. Stop shirking on your duty to others.
Do most people in the US get the flu jab? Here in the UK and Germany, the elderly and at-risk get it, and people in certain professions get it (doctors, nurses, teachers, etc), but it's not...
Do most people in the US get the flu jab? Here in the UK and Germany, the elderly and at-risk get it, and people in certain professions get it (doctors, nurses, teachers, etc), but it's not recommended for everyone. (It's not not recommended, and some employers and health insurances provide it, it's just not seen as necessary that everyone get it, and most people don't.)
The same has been the case for the more recent COVID jabs as well - recommended for older and other at-risk groups, but not widely taken up outside of those demographics, because of the significantly reduced risks.
Iirc the doctor's office was always very pro-everyone getting their flu shot when I was a child in the US (my mother otherwise got us vaccinated but didn't have us get flu shots). Hard to tell if...
Iirc the doctor's office was always very pro-everyone getting their flu shot when I was a child in the US (my mother otherwise got us vaccinated but didn't have us get flu shots). Hard to tell if that was because children are an at-risk group or something though. I've got asthma now so my doctors here in Germany have been very proactive about recommending it.
I grew up in the US and live in Australia now. In my experience, there is a big push in both countries for everyone to get an annual flu vaccine. That's not to say everyone does it, but it is...
I grew up in the US and live in Australia now. In my experience, there is a big push in both countries for everyone to get an annual flu vaccine. That's not to say everyone does it, but it is generally agreed that everyone should do it—not just for their own health, but for the health of more vulnerable people around them. I have found that the more knowledge someone has in the medical field, the more likely they are to suggest that everyone get vaccinated, not just the vulnerable members of the public.
That being said, flu vaccines are not offered for free outside of vulnerable populations, so this seems to be a case where the medical profession and the political profession are at odds about who should be getting vaccinated. (For comparison, covid vaccines are still free for everyone in Australia.)
Where I live in Australia, the covid vaccine was pushed extremely hard to the general public. It was all over the news, we were getting texted and emailed about it, etc. Lockdown rules lasted longer for unvaccinated people than for vaccinated people; for quite a while, you couldn't step inside a restaurant without proving you had received both doses of the vaccine, for example. Even to this day, my local pharmacy lets me know when I'm due for another covid vaccine.
I was curious, so I looked up the vaccination rates of the US, Australia, the UK, and Germany.
So Germany does not push the general public to get flu vaccinations like the other three countries do, but it looks like they still pushed for covid vaccination very hard. The US has the lowest covid vaccination rate of these four countries, but it's worth noting that it matches their flu vaccination rate, which is actually quite good. (Granted, covid is a lot more dangerous than the flu, so covid vaccinations should be higher than flu vaccinations, like we see in the other three.)
For the initial Covid vaccinations, both the UK and Germany put a lot more effort into getting people vaccinated, but I think the consensus seems to be that these later waves are no longer as...
For the initial Covid vaccinations, both the UK and Germany put a lot more effort into getting people vaccinated, but I think the consensus seems to be that these later waves are no longer as dangerous, are much more spread out, and the herd immunity tactic (reduce infections by reducing the number of viable carriers) is less useful now. Vaccinations now seem to be about protecting individuals who are particularly at risk, with the assumption that the vaccination will be good enough by itself, and the majority of people who get Covid will be fine. But I guess that's also due to the differences between our strategies overall.
I'm somewhat sceptical of that data, it could be correct but I don't trust that page directly. The source it links to looks more trustworthy (it's the OECD data page), but it also shows different numbers and says that they're vaccination levels amongst people aged 65+. In which case, that is a very surprisingly low number for Germany, but I would expect fairly high numbers across the board, because people aged 65+ are one of the risk groups for these sorts of diseases. All in all, odd, but interesting data, thanks!
I can only speak to personal expedience. I went about a decade without getting a flu shot once I was an adult and on my own. I wasn't intentionally avoiding it, but I didn't have health insurance...
I can only speak to personal expedience. I went about a decade without getting a flu shot once I was an adult and on my own. I wasn't intentionally avoiding it, but I didn't have health insurance and it just wasn't something that ever popped into my mind. I'm well into my 30's now and have been getting one every year, but that's largely because I have I have a chronic health condition that sees me stopping by the pharmacy once a month. Around flu season the pharmacists offer the vaccine and I accept. If they weren't proactive about it, I probably wouldn't get around to it.
I used to be adamant that the chickenpox vaccine was stupid and everyone should just cope with the week of itching that I did as a kid. But that really was just born out of an overblown sense of...
I used to be adamant that the chickenpox vaccine was stupid and everyone should just cope with the week of itching that I did as a kid. But that really was just born out of an overblown sense of entitlement and ignorance toward inflicting danger on others.
If there's a vaccine for it, you should get it if you can. Full stop. It might not be an emergency anymore, but that's like saying you don't need to maintain and build levies after a hurricane destroyed your last ones.
It is that attitude of entitlement and lack of preparedness that caused the pandemic to be so bad in the first place.
If you had severe reactions? Yea maybe you have a reason not to get it. You can safely lump yourself under "not able-bodied" in that case. Just like someone who has had seizures from other vaccinnes. You're not the target of this post. But severe reactions are uncommon. Like, much less than 2%.
Economic factors can be at play, yes. But considering that the group with the highest "get vaccine" rate is also the most likely to be impoverished, I certainly don't think that's the deciding factor for most of that 51%.
They’re still free in the US, right? Not even the “don’t feel like spending money” argument against it holds. That said, they seemed to have changed things, at least in my hometown, such that they...
They’re still free in the US, right? Not even the “don’t feel like spending money” argument against it holds. That said, they seemed to have changed things, at least in my hometown, such that they no longer run drive-through vaccination clinics—you now have to deal with the proper paperwork and using your insurance. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Some people have anecdotally had difficulty with insurance coverage of the most recent booster. It is supposed to be covered but I've had a few online friends get bounced around I got my flu shot...
Some people have anecdotally had difficulty with insurance coverage of the most recent booster. It is supposed to be covered but I've had a few online friends get bounced around
I got my flu shot from a campus clinic run by student nurses, but they weren't doing covid there too, so now it's scheduling it for a day where I can feel sick
The idea that in the USA people pay for vaccinations which are meant to offer herd immunity is absolutely insane. It looks like those without insurance will have to pay well over 100 USD!
Previously there were was funding covering COVID shots for people without insurance, but I don't believe they're in effect as the emergency has ended. It is absolutely wild.
Previously there were was funding covering COVID shots for people without insurance, but I don't believe they're in effect as the emergency has ended.
Covid is only one of many, many vaccinations where the individual takes it for the benefit of the herd. Vaccinations should definitely be free but, if the vaccination uptake rate isn't high enough...
Covid is only one of many, many vaccinations where the individual takes it for the benefit of the herd. Vaccinations should definitely be free but, if the vaccination uptake rate isn't high enough for herd vaccines, they should offer incentives to the individual.
You're preaching to the choir. Vaccination rates have dropped for a number of diseases here (though I haven't checked to see if it's gone up or down since COVID) I have a hard time budgeting a day...
You're preaching to the choir. Vaccination rates have dropped for a number of diseases here (though I haven't checked to see if it's gone up or down since COVID)
I have a hard time budgeting a day to be sick right now and thats my only hesitation.
FWIW compared to the first few go-arounds, I took in the late afternoon. I only had about 5 waking hours of mild nausea the next day, and my arms sore for 2 since I sleep on them. Much milder than...
FWIW compared to the first few go-arounds, I took in the late afternoon. I only had about 5 waking hours of mild nausea the next day, and my arms sore for 2 since I sleep on them. Much milder than last time when I felt sick-sick for a day and a half, complete with fever.
I typically have about 18 hours of solid sleeping just due to feeling bleh. I just have a disabled partner and it's hard to make time to be sick. (And I know the illogic there)
I typically have about 18 hours of solid sleeping just due to feeling bleh.
I just have a disabled partner and it's hard to make time to be sick. (And I know the illogic there)
Yes, this is all true and absolutely why I haven't gone yet. But I also cannot schedule actually getting sick and avoiding the vaccine is not going to help me not get sick. And spreading COVID to...
Yes, this is all true and absolutely why I haven't gone yet.
But I also cannot schedule actually getting sick and avoiding the vaccine is not going to help me not get sick. And spreading COVID to my partner would be even worse.
I'm also just exhausted and adding more exhaustion sounds bad. It's all a bit circular
It should still be free for people without insurance coverage in the US still through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program. Personally, my insurance wouldn’t cover it but I was able to get the shot at...
It should still be free for people without insurance coverage in the US still through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program.
Personally, my insurance wouldn’t cover it but I was able to get the shot at CVS for free. Initially the assistant there didn’t think the program was still active, so the Pfizer vaccine was going to cost $200, but the pharmacist did some calling and confirmed that it was still active, so I didn’t end up paying anything.
These were people with insurance whose insurance denied it - and then similarly thought the program was inactive and then maybe insurance was going to cover. It took a week of back and forth phone...
These were people with insurance whose insurance denied it - and then similarly thought the program was inactive and then maybe insurance was going to cover. It took a week of back and forth phone calls and happened to a couple of folks with variations of details.
Thanks though, I think I'd figured that it was in fact inactive!
The thing is, the vulnerable are practically certain to get it whether everyone vaccinates or not, as the vaccine only slows transmission AFAIK. I feel like that changes the moral calculus of not...
The thing is, the vulnerable are practically certain to get it whether everyone vaccinates or not, as the vaccine only slows transmission AFAIK. I feel like that changes the moral calculus of not getting vaccinated/boosted a lot compared to the early days of the pandemic when Covid could theoretically have been exterminated.
Slowing transmission is huge. Remember how there was a crisis of ER availability when we couldn't slow transmission? And if it reduces your window of being infectous that's even better in a...
Slowing transmission is huge. Remember how there was a crisis of ER availability when we couldn't slow transmission?
And if it reduces your window of being infectous that's even better in a non-lockdown world. Especially since you're infectious before you show symptoms. If you were infectious for 10 days, but with vaccines you were only infectious for 9 days, that's 10% less people that risked exposure by being near you.
I want to point out: Just because the strains have trended towards less dangerous so far, does not mean they will continue to do so. Thats the thing about genetic mutations. They are random. And...
I want to point out: Just because the strains have trended towards less dangerous so far, does not mean they will continue to do so.
Thats the thing about genetic mutations. They are random.
And now we have three major respiratory illnesses that can interact badly with each other.
The vaccine also makes it easier for your body to fight off a real infection because it already has the antibodies it needs on hand. This means that if you catch covid, the disease will not last...
The vaccine also makes it easier for your body to fight off a real infection because it already has the antibodies it needs on hand. This means that if you catch covid, the disease will not last as long and the symptoms will not be as severe.
This white-ish person just got their Moderna bivalent booster last weekend. To do it, I had to stop immunosuppressive antirheumatic medications for two weeks, which is hell, and take an additional...
This white-ish person just got their Moderna bivalent booster last weekend. To do it, I had to stop immunosuppressive antirheumatic medications for two weeks, which is hell, and take an additional day off work to deal with the unlucky 1% severe side effects of high fever, joint and muscle pain, lingering lymphedema and arm swelling, etc.
I do this because:
I routinely work around severely immunosuppressed cancer patients and other vulnerable hospitalized people;
If I react so badly to the tiny dose of viral RNA in the vaccine, then a full infection would likely be crippling or fatal;
It's the right thing to do to avoid an infection that seeds more mutations which can escape immunity;
I travel and don't want to be responsible for spreading infections, especially living in a small town with limited hospital resources;
Wearing a mask all the time is kind of miserable, though I do it while I'm working in hospitals.
I recently visited a hospital where staff weren't wearing masks; no one was fully practicing protocols in COVID patient rooms; the ER was overflowing with community-acquired respiratory illness cases, most of which were testing positive for COVID... and also had to visit an urgent care with a coworker who got sick (fortunately not COVID).
Please, please, go out of your way to get your shots, whether you're personally vulnerable or not.
Mildly irritating that they focus on “race” in the title when the main driver is actually political alignment. Race has basically nothing to do with it.
Mildly irritating that they focus on “race” in the title when the main driver is actually political alignment. Race has basically nothing to do with it.
Race has something to do with it to the extent that many American public health programs focused on increasing vaccine uptake amongst Black and Hispanic Americans. There weren't any programs...
Race has something to do with it to the extent that many American public health programs focused on increasing vaccine uptake amongst Black and Hispanic Americans. There weren't any programs really focused on White Americans, but maybe there should have been. Even if it's political, beliefs are rarely set in stone.
I'm a white male an intend to get it. But the amount of people I know who won't get a regular flu shot... Let's just say that I'm starting to believe the US really does reflect the will of the...
I'm a white male an intend to get it. But the amount of people I know who won't get a regular flu shot... Let's just say that I'm starting to believe the US really does reflect the will of the people, and that it's NOT for the better.
That said, I think it's a lot like the old programming joke (can we argue that you are actually programming your body?): when everything is working fine (due to the behind-the-scenes work), the boss says "Everything works, so why are we paying you?". When it's a flaming dumpster fire, the boss says "Nothing g works! Why are we paying you?". To liken this to the vaccine: when you take time to get it and nothing happens (which is the whole damned point!), you wonder "Why did I even get it?". On the other hand, if you get it and experience side effects or get sick anyways, you might go "I got sick anyways! Why did I get the vaccine?". Side note, this assumes that you may be paying for the vaccine in some cases- I've heard the vaccines aren't always free.
Also, I tend to be in the latter camp myself: flu shot is annoying because I'm in a situation where I will be paying for it. COVID has the issue of possible side effects, which I HATE with a passion.
PSA: The novavax protein-subunit vaccine has fewer side effects than the mRNA vaccines, and has equivalent efficacy. I got mine a few weeks ago and had no symptoms, whereas the Moderna booster...
PSA: The novavax protein-subunit vaccine has fewer side effects than the mRNA vaccines, and has equivalent efficacy. I got mine a few weeks ago and had no symptoms, whereas the Moderna booster triggered full-body itching and dermatographia that lasted for a year.
If you are on the fence for any reason, please consider the novavax vaccine.
Holy cow, I think this is the first time I’ve seen anybody link the Moderna vaccine with dermotographia, but that’s a symptom I’ve been experiencing the past few years. It’d crossed my mind that...
Holy cow, I think this is the first time I’ve seen anybody link the Moderna vaccine with dermotographia, but that’s a symptom I’ve been experiencing the past few years. It’d crossed my mind that it might be linked to the vaccine, but lines up with it starting to fade now that it’s been quite some time since the last Moderna booster.
I personally feel the most unsafe right now than at any other time during the current pandemic. Well, except maybe early 2020. Masks are gone. People are congregating in large numbers. All vaccine...
I personally feel the most unsafe right now than at any other time during the current pandemic. Well, except maybe early 2020. Masks are gone. People are congregating in large numbers. All vaccine uptakes are extremely low. Healthcare systems are broken/fracturing. Brain damage, cancer increases and heart problems are airborne. Measles and polio will be a thing again. Cool.
I shouldn’t have to weigh dying/getting very sick/more disabled from a respiratory disease against getting routine dental or medical work. But here we are. The extremely simple act of wearing a N95 or higher to protect patients and others in medical environments is a complete no-brainer but for some reason they just DGAF. I’ve put off multiple cancer screenings because it’s not even safe for that let alone if I needed treatment and had to be in unsafe medical facilities all the time.
Most likely my cause of death will not be from a COVID complication. Rather the complication of COVID existing and nobody really giving a shit.
The pandemic is killing about 1,200 Americans a week https://mastodon.social/@WeeklyAmericanPandemicDeaths I got the new booster shot as soon as it was available. I still wear a mask when indoors...
The pandemic is killing about 1,200 Americans a week
Good on ya. I only mask up anymore if going in doctor's offices or know that I am sick. I do isolate more and use grocery pickup instead of walking stores in the bad seasons though. When your kid...
Good on ya. I only mask up anymore if going in doctor's offices or know that I am sick.
I do isolate more and use grocery pickup instead of walking stores in the bad seasons though.
When your kid is in school, it's basically a given you're gonna catch everything that comes through. And there's been a lot of trips to Disney among the elementary kids. :(
Not this black Hispanic. I never had a Covid vaccine nor did I ever get Covid. I’ve not had a flu shot in 10 years. I much rather my body fight the virus naturally rather then infect myself with a...
Not this black Hispanic. I never had a Covid vaccine nor did I ever get Covid. I’ve not had a flu shot in 10 years. I much rather my body fight the virus naturally rather then infect myself with a little bit of it to build a tolerance. However I do realize by working in the ER from age 17-24 may have help me build up a bit of defense.
You simply do not understand how vaccines work. You're not building up a defense, you're serving as a vector for the disease. And in a fucking ER of all places, jesus christ.
You simply do not understand how vaccines work.
You're not building up a defense, you're serving as a vector for the disease. And in a fucking ER of all places, jesus christ.
Though I agree that being anti-vaccine does present collective harm, from the age span given, it is likely that they are no longer an employee at the ER.
Though I agree that being anti-vaccine does present collective harm, from the age span given, it is likely that they are no longer an employee at the ER.
Reread your post and imagine someone was saying that to you; do you think you'd be convinced? I have a feeling very few people are susceptible to that sort of messaging, and most will become...
Reread your post and imagine someone was saying that to you; do you think you'd be convinced? I have a feeling very few people are susceptible to that sort of messaging, and most will become defensive or double down.
A higher vaccine uptake is the goal and to do so we need to convince those that are hesitant. Please watch what you say.
Do you get the regular Flu shot? COVID is just another type of Flu. Just one that we don't have 100's of years of exposure to. What about all the other vaccines? You think MMR and TDAP should be...
Do you get the regular Flu shot? COVID is just another type of Flu. Just one that we don't have 100's of years of exposure to. What about all the other vaccines? You think MMR and TDAP should be optional and you should build natural immunity to Tetanus and Measles?
There is no "naturally building up" because it continually mutates the way other influenzas do. It might have been the case early on, before major varients started popping up, and there was (now incorrect) conjecture you couldn't get re-infected. Having those head-start antibodies can make the difference between being down and out for a few days and being in the ER.
This is true but so are a lot of other things people call "flu". Infections by other coronaviruses are pretty often called "flu" by laypeople (at least in the US). Which makes some sense, since...
This is true but so are a lot of other things people call "flu". Infections by other coronaviruses are pretty often called "flu" by laypeople (at least in the US). Which makes some sense, since pre-pandemic you'd be unlikely to get tested for exactly which virus was causing your flu-like symptoms.
I would still highly recommend it! Your body will still fight the virus naturally. It’s actually a really neat process. Inactive vaccines Inactive vaccines are made from the virus, but the virus...
I would still highly recommend it! Your body will still fight the virus naturally.
It’s actually a really neat process.
Inactive vaccines
Inactive vaccines are made from the virus, but the virus has been killed, so your immune system can see the markings of the virus and be more prepared with antibodies in the future
Live vaccines
Live vaccines are generally “attenuated” which means grown for many generations in a very cold environment, so that they adapt to that temperature and can’t replicate at human temperatures. Meanwhile your immune system can be like “the hell is this??” and prep defenses
MRNA
MRNA vaccines contain some number of proteins that will actually have your cells build the spikes or other signatures of the virus. So it’s the most separate from the actual virus. More like a fire drill for the immune system.
I would encourage you to consider it! Even if it’s not as helpful for you, you could be a good role model for more vulnerable people in your community.
I also know of a very healthy 25 year old ER nurse who got the flu (years before this whole mess) and died. I’ve gotten the shot every year since then.
Man. Is half the country really that dumb? I've been trying to give people the benefit of the doubt. FFS if any of you 51% are reading:
It's not that hard to get a stab. You can do it at the same time as the Flu. You get the Flu shot right? If not you're a bit of a selfish prick. You don't even need an appointment if you want the more-traditional-style Novavax instead of the high-tech mRNA version. You walk into a pharmacy and you'll be vaccinated in less than 20 minutes if there isn't a big line.
I know I was a bit of a "end of masking pessimist," but this really just hammers home that I wasn't really wrong...just burnt the fuck out and unable to care anymore.
I sincerely hope if you're able-bodied and choosing not to vaccinate you suffer some serious damage when some other idiot as selfish as you returns the favor. It's your duty as an able-bodied low-risk person to help build herd immunity for all the vulnerable out there. Stop shirking on your duty to others.
Do most people in the US get the flu jab? Here in the UK and Germany, the elderly and at-risk get it, and people in certain professions get it (doctors, nurses, teachers, etc), but it's not recommended for everyone. (It's not not recommended, and some employers and health insurances provide it, it's just not seen as necessary that everyone get it, and most people don't.)
The same has been the case for the more recent COVID jabs as well - recommended for older and other at-risk groups, but not widely taken up outside of those demographics, because of the significantly reduced risks.
Id say that it's exactly the same here. But we've been becoming less science accepting apparently
Science became political and a part of identity now. All I can do now is shrug and enjoy the periodic Herman Cain Award.
Iirc the doctor's office was always very pro-everyone getting their flu shot when I was a child in the US (my mother otherwise got us vaccinated but didn't have us get flu shots). Hard to tell if that was because children are an at-risk group or something though. I've got asthma now so my doctors here in Germany have been very proactive about recommending it.
I grew up in the US and live in Australia now. In my experience, there is a big push in both countries for everyone to get an annual flu vaccine. That's not to say everyone does it, but it is generally agreed that everyone should do it—not just for their own health, but for the health of more vulnerable people around them. I have found that the more knowledge someone has in the medical field, the more likely they are to suggest that everyone get vaccinated, not just the vulnerable members of the public.
That being said, flu vaccines are not offered for free outside of vulnerable populations, so this seems to be a case where the medical profession and the political profession are at odds about who should be getting vaccinated. (For comparison, covid vaccines are still free for everyone in Australia.)
Where I live in Australia, the covid vaccine was pushed extremely hard to the general public. It was all over the news, we were getting texted and emailed about it, etc. Lockdown rules lasted longer for unvaccinated people than for vaccinated people; for quite a while, you couldn't step inside a restaurant without proving you had received both doses of the vaccine, for example. Even to this day, my local pharmacy lets me know when I'm due for another covid vaccine.
I was curious, so I looked up the vaccination rates of the US, Australia, the UK, and Germany.
For the flu vaccine:
For the covid vaccine:
So Germany does not push the general public to get flu vaccinations like the other three countries do, but it looks like they still pushed for covid vaccination very hard. The US has the lowest covid vaccination rate of these four countries, but it's worth noting that it matches their flu vaccination rate, which is actually quite good. (Granted, covid is a lot more dangerous than the flu, so covid vaccinations should be higher than flu vaccinations, like we see in the other three.)
For the initial Covid vaccinations, both the UK and Germany put a lot more effort into getting people vaccinated, but I think the consensus seems to be that these later waves are no longer as dangerous, are much more spread out, and the herd immunity tactic (reduce infections by reducing the number of viable carriers) is less useful now. Vaccinations now seem to be about protecting individuals who are particularly at risk, with the assumption that the vaccination will be good enough by itself, and the majority of people who get Covid will be fine. But I guess that's also due to the differences between our strategies overall.
I'm somewhat sceptical of that data, it could be correct but I don't trust that page directly. The source it links to looks more trustworthy (it's the OECD data page), but it also shows different numbers and says that they're vaccination levels amongst people aged 65+. In which case, that is a very surprisingly low number for Germany, but I would expect fairly high numbers across the board, because people aged 65+ are one of the risk groups for these sorts of diseases. All in all, odd, but interesting data, thanks!
I can only speak to personal expedience. I went about a decade without getting a flu shot once I was an adult and on my own. I wasn't intentionally avoiding it, but I didn't have health insurance and it just wasn't something that ever popped into my mind. I'm well into my 30's now and have been getting one every year, but that's largely because I have I have a chronic health condition that sees me stopping by the pharmacy once a month. Around flu season the pharmacists offer the vaccine and I accept. If they weren't proactive about it, I probably wouldn't get around to it.
I used to be adamant that the chickenpox vaccine was stupid and everyone should just cope with the week of itching that I did as a kid. But that really was just born out of an overblown sense of entitlement and ignorance toward inflicting danger on others.
If there's a vaccine for it, you should get it if you can. Full stop. It might not be an emergency anymore, but that's like saying you don't need to maintain and build levies after a hurricane destroyed your last ones.
It is that attitude of entitlement and lack of preparedness that caused the pandemic to be so bad in the first place.
If you had severe reactions? Yea maybe you have a reason not to get it. You can safely lump yourself under "not able-bodied" in that case. Just like someone who has had seizures from other vaccinnes. You're not the target of this post. But severe reactions are uncommon. Like, much less than 2%.
Economic factors can be at play, yes. But considering that the group with the highest "get vaccine" rate is also the most likely to be impoverished, I certainly don't think that's the deciding factor for most of that 51%.
They’re still free in the US, right? Not even the “don’t feel like spending money” argument against it holds. That said, they seemed to have changed things, at least in my hometown, such that they no longer run drive-through vaccination clinics—you now have to deal with the proper paperwork and using your insurance. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Some people have anecdotally had difficulty with insurance coverage of the most recent booster. It is supposed to be covered but I've had a few online friends get bounced around
I got my flu shot from a campus clinic run by student nurses, but they weren't doing covid there too, so now it's scheduling it for a day where I can feel sick
The idea that in the USA people pay for vaccinations which are meant to offer herd immunity is absolutely insane. It looks like those without insurance will have to pay well over 100 USD!
Previously there were was funding covering COVID shots for people without insurance, but I don't believe they're in effect as the emergency has ended.
It is absolutely wild.
Covid is only one of many, many vaccinations where the individual takes it for the benefit of the herd. Vaccinations should definitely be free but, if the vaccination uptake rate isn't high enough for herd vaccines, they should offer incentives to the individual.
You're preaching to the choir. Vaccination rates have dropped for a number of diseases here (though I haven't checked to see if it's gone up or down since COVID)
I have a hard time budgeting a day to be sick right now and thats my only hesitation.
FWIW compared to the first few go-arounds, I took in the late afternoon. I only had about 5 waking hours of mild nausea the next day, and my arms sore for 2 since I sleep on them. Much milder than last time when I felt sick-sick for a day and a half, complete with fever.
I typically have about 18 hours of solid sleeping just due to feeling bleh.
I just have a disabled partner and it's hard to make time to be sick. (And I know the illogic there)
Yes, this is all true and absolutely why I haven't gone yet.
But I also cannot schedule actually getting sick and avoiding the vaccine is not going to help me not get sick. And spreading COVID to my partner would be even worse.
I'm also just exhausted and adding more exhaustion sounds bad. It's all a bit circular
It should still be free for people without insurance coverage in the US still through the CDC’s Bridge Access Program.
Personally, my insurance wouldn’t cover it but I was able to get the shot at CVS for free. Initially the assistant there didn’t think the program was still active, so the Pfizer vaccine was going to cost $200, but the pharmacist did some calling and confirmed that it was still active, so I didn’t end up paying anything.
These were people with insurance whose insurance denied it - and then similarly thought the program was inactive and then maybe insurance was going to cover. It took a week of back and forth phone calls and happened to a couple of folks with variations of details.
Thanks though, I think I'd figured that it was in fact inactive!
The thing is, the vulnerable are practically certain to get it whether everyone vaccinates or not, as the vaccine only slows transmission AFAIK. I feel like that changes the moral calculus of not getting vaccinated/boosted a lot compared to the early days of the pandemic when Covid could theoretically have been exterminated.
Slowing transmission is huge. Remember how there was a crisis of ER availability when we couldn't slow transmission?
And if it reduces your window of being infectous that's even better in a non-lockdown world. Especially since you're infectious before you show symptoms. If you were infectious for 10 days, but with vaccines you were only infectious for 9 days, that's 10% less people that risked exposure by being near you.
I want to point out: Just because the strains have trended towards less dangerous so far, does not mean they will continue to do so.
Thats the thing about genetic mutations. They are random.
And now we have three major respiratory illnesses that can interact badly with each other.
The vaccine also makes it easier for your body to fight off a real infection because it already has the antibodies it needs on hand. This means that if you catch covid, the disease will not last as long and the symptoms will not be as severe.
Able-bodied and neurotypical. For some neuro-atypical people, needles are seriously traumatic.
I lump them under able-bodied. We don't need to split hairs here.
This white-ish person just got their Moderna bivalent booster last weekend. To do it, I had to stop immunosuppressive antirheumatic medications for two weeks, which is hell, and take an additional day off work to deal with the unlucky 1% severe side effects of high fever, joint and muscle pain, lingering lymphedema and arm swelling, etc.
I do this because:
I recently visited a hospital where staff weren't wearing masks; no one was fully practicing protocols in COVID patient rooms; the ER was overflowing with community-acquired respiratory illness cases, most of which were testing positive for COVID... and also had to visit an urgent care with a coworker who got sick (fortunately not COVID).
Please, please, go out of your way to get your shots, whether you're personally vulnerable or not.
Mildly irritating that they focus on “race” in the title when the main driver is actually political alignment. Race has basically nothing to do with it.
Race has something to do with it to the extent that many American public health programs focused on increasing vaccine uptake amongst Black and Hispanic Americans. There weren't any programs really focused on White Americans, but maybe there should have been. Even if it's political, beliefs are rarely set in stone.
I'm a white male an intend to get it. But the amount of people I know who won't get a regular flu shot... Let's just say that I'm starting to believe the US really does reflect the will of the people, and that it's NOT for the better.
That said, I think it's a lot like the old programming joke (can we argue that you are actually programming your body?): when everything is working fine (due to the behind-the-scenes work), the boss says "Everything works, so why are we paying you?". When it's a flaming dumpster fire, the boss says "Nothing g works! Why are we paying you?". To liken this to the vaccine: when you take time to get it and nothing happens (which is the whole damned point!), you wonder "Why did I even get it?". On the other hand, if you get it and experience side effects or get sick anyways, you might go "I got sick anyways! Why did I get the vaccine?". Side note, this assumes that you may be paying for the vaccine in some cases- I've heard the vaccines aren't always free.
Also, I tend to be in the latter camp myself: flu shot is annoying because I'm in a situation where I will be paying for it. COVID has the issue of possible side effects, which I HATE with a passion.
PSA: The novavax protein-subunit vaccine has fewer side effects than the mRNA vaccines, and has equivalent efficacy. I got mine a few weeks ago and had no symptoms, whereas the Moderna booster triggered full-body itching and dermatographia that lasted for a year.
If you are on the fence for any reason, please consider the novavax vaccine.
Holy cow, I think this is the first time I’ve seen anybody link the Moderna vaccine with dermotographia, but that’s a symptom I’ve been experiencing the past few years. It’d crossed my mind that it might be linked to the vaccine, but lines up with it starting to fade now that it’s been quite some time since the last Moderna booster.
Will be looking into novavax for sure.
I personally feel the most unsafe right now than at any other time during the current pandemic. Well, except maybe early 2020. Masks are gone. People are congregating in large numbers. All vaccine uptakes are extremely low. Healthcare systems are broken/fracturing. Brain damage, cancer increases and heart problems are airborne. Measles and polio will be a thing again. Cool.
I shouldn’t have to weigh dying/getting very sick/more disabled from a respiratory disease against getting routine dental or medical work. But here we are. The extremely simple act of wearing a N95 or higher to protect patients and others in medical environments is a complete no-brainer but for some reason they just DGAF. I’ve put off multiple cancer screenings because it’s not even safe for that let alone if I needed treatment and had to be in unsafe medical facilities all the time.
Most likely my cause of death will not be from a COVID complication. Rather the complication of COVID existing and nobody really giving a shit.
The pandemic is killing about 1,200 Americans a week
https://mastodon.social/@WeeklyAmericanPandemicDeaths
I got the new booster shot as soon as it was available.
I still wear a mask when indoors and not at home.
Good on ya. I only mask up anymore if going in doctor's offices or know that I am sick.
I do isolate more and use grocery pickup instead of walking stores in the bad seasons though.
When your kid is in school, it's basically a given you're gonna catch everything that comes through. And there's been a lot of trips to Disney among the elementary kids. :(
Not this black Hispanic. I never had a Covid vaccine nor did I ever get Covid. I’ve not had a flu shot in 10 years. I much rather my body fight the virus naturally rather then infect myself with a little bit of it to build a tolerance. However I do realize by working in the ER from age 17-24 may have help me build up a bit of defense.
You simply do not understand how vaccines work.
You're not building up a defense, you're serving as a vector for the disease. And in a fucking ER of all places, jesus christ.
Though I agree that being anti-vaccine does present collective harm, from the age span given, it is likely that they are no longer an employee at the ER.
Reread your post and imagine someone was saying that to you; do you think you'd be convinced? I have a feeling very few people are susceptible to that sort of messaging, and most will become defensive or double down.
A higher vaccine uptake is the goal and to do so we need to convince those that are hesitant. Please watch what you say.
Do you get the regular Flu shot? COVID is just another type of Flu. Just one that we don't have 100's of years of exposure to. What about all the other vaccines? You think MMR and TDAP should be optional and you should build natural immunity to Tetanus and Measles?
There is no "naturally building up" because it continually mutates the way other influenzas do. It might have been the case early on, before major varients started popping up, and there was (now incorrect) conjecture you couldn't get re-infected. Having those head-start antibodies can make the difference between being down and out for a few days and being in the ER.
This is true but so are a lot of other things people call "flu". Infections by other coronaviruses are pretty often called "flu" by laypeople (at least in the US). Which makes some sense, since pre-pandemic you'd be unlikely to get tested for exactly which virus was causing your flu-like symptoms.
I would still highly recommend it! Your body will still fight the virus naturally.
It’s actually a really neat process.
Inactive vaccines
Inactive vaccines are made from the virus, but the virus has been killed, so your immune system can see the markings of the virus and be more prepared with antibodies in the future
Live vaccines
Live vaccines are generally “attenuated” which means grown for many generations in a very cold environment, so that they adapt to that temperature and can’t replicate at human temperatures. Meanwhile your immune system can be like “the hell is this??” and prep defenses
MRNA
MRNA vaccines contain some number of proteins that will actually have your cells build the spikes or other signatures of the virus. So it’s the most separate from the actual virus. More like a fire drill for the immune system.
I would encourage you to consider it! Even if it’s not as helpful for you, you could be a good role model for more vulnerable people in your community.
I also know of a very healthy 25 year old ER nurse who got the flu (years before this whole mess) and died. I’ve gotten the shot every year since then.