Im not convinced the covid vaccine will make any difference!

The Covid virus can’t be compared with the flu virus EllanVannin, because there are a large number of flu viruses circulating worldwide, so each year the content of the vaccine is adapted to match the strain that is the most prevalent elsewhere at the time of development in the world - typically the UK vaccine is based on the experience in Australia in their winter before ours. Usually the predictions are not too far off, but some years the vaccine that is developed doesn’t match the strain of flu that is prevalent in the UK.
At the moment, because Covid 19 is a new virus, and is being studied worldwide for mutations, we will know quickly when a mutation that doesn’t respond to the vaccination develops, the scientists are already predicting what that might be and working on the vaccines to counteract.

I am deeply concerned that while the manufacturers tested their vaccines on a two jabs three weeks apart regime the govt. is attempting to alter the schedule without any research being done. Surely this is completely unethical in the medical sense.

Plus as honey rose says , what else do you suggest ExD?

Sparklefizz

Genty One concern I do have is the long term effects of this 'rushed' vaccine! No one knows if this vaccine will cause any side effects in years to come.

How many times does this have to be explained? And how long do you want to wait? 5 years? 10 years?

Also I’d be inclined to think the long term effects of Covid would be much worse.

But the vaccines can be altered quite quickly to account for new variants. Just a matter of weeks I believe. We can’t look on the vaccine as the be all and end all of this pandemic, just another weapon in our war against it. Going forward we need to re appraise a lot of things, one of them being our relationship with animals as there will be more of these viruses in the future. By that I don’t mean having family pets etc but animal husbandry, the hunting and eating of wild animals etc.

The vaccine is only as good as the virus it's protecting. I remember reading an article based on the 'flu vaccine in 2019 which said that it hadn't worked against the strain of 'flu doing its rounds at the time. Viruses are changeing all the time.

I am willing to take that chance! I don't want to die of old age while being stuck in Lockdown!! If we are given a chance of going out and about again, I will grab it with both hands for as long as I can! If the vaccine causes me problems I'll just have to get on with it!!

I’m another who can’t wait Kim19!
?

An extended family member, aged 95y and totally self caring, had his second Pfizer jab 10 days ago. Great news! As he said, strangely he got his before Prince Philip and he’s even older!

Genty One concern I do have is the long term effects of this 'rushed' vaccine! No one knows if this vaccine will cause any side effects in years to come.

How many times does this have to be explained? And how long do you want to wait? 5 years? 10 years?

Surely it's best to be a little optimistic.... There is every chance that the vaccine will offer some protection, which is better than nothing.

Whereas my SiL had covid, also in March, and has just had it again.

Just an anecdote, but I know someone who had covid last March. He was very recently tested (I assume with the antigen test) and still has antibodies 9 months later.

ExD

I've lost faith in the vaccine. They're wasting their money and giving a false sense of security.

Will you be refusing yours, then?
I hope you let them know so that someone else can move up the list.

ExD

I've lost faith in the vaccine. They're wasting their money and giving a false sense of security.

How can you lose faith in something that is hardly yet under way?

How do you know it is a waste of money? Will it cost more than COVID has cost us - not just the economy but lives?

Why will it be a false sense of security?
Do you have the flu vaccine? Do you take out house insurance, travel insurance? You still have to take care even if you do those things.

And who are they. Government, scientists, the NHS?

I've lost faith in the vaccine. They're wasting their money and giving a false sense of security.

It’ll be interesting how things go in Israel given that they’re way ahead of everyone else in vaccinating the entire population.

If the bulk of the population is vaccinated by autumn, will just be about time for flu jabs again, then possible annual doses of Covid vaccine again.

The NHS will constantly be vaccinating all year round at this rate.

The two doses provide a much higher level of protection than the annual flu vaccines do - at least 90% compared to about 60% for flu vaccines.

Like the flu vaccines, it will need to be updated and an annual vaccination may be required. The first wave of the Spanish flu was not as deadly as the second wave which had mutated.

The vaccine seems to be our only way out of this pandemic to my way of thinking. The poor NHS is so badly stretched now, it is absolutely terrifying. Yes, we’ll still have to be very careful for some time yet with the precautions we’ve been following, but the vaccine seems to be our only hope. Surely we want some normality restored, to see our friends and family, to go about our daily lives, to not have this constant worry. We cannot go on like this, the NHS cannot go on like this, the economy cannot go on like this. The situation right now is dire, of nightmare proportions. So many deaths, so many life-changing health conditions (long COVID). So many other health conditions going untreated. COVID is a modern-day plague. My arm is more than ready! I’m in my 60’s, so the vaccine will be a few more weeks (or even months?!) away, but i’m waiting patiently! To the doubters amongst you, please seriously reconsider having the vaccine. What other choices you we have?

What the vaccine will afford me is a degree of peace of mind. I'm absolutely with teacheranne. Can't wait to be offered, and take up mine. Obviously I will continue to practise all the safeguards but I know I will have a huge degree of inner contentment and that means a lot to me.

M0nica

DH was one of the participants in the Oxford trials who was admitted to hospital during the trials after a heart attack and needed triple bypass surgery. Nothing whatsoever to do with the vaccine. I believe this applied to all of those taken to hospital during the trials, and there were not many, whatever their illness, it was unrelated to corona virus.

You sure about that, unrelated I mean?

DH was one of the participants in the Oxford trials who was admitted to hospital during the trials after a heart attack and needed triple bypass surgery. Nothing whatsoever to do with the vaccine. I believe this applied to all of those taken to hospital during the trials, and there were not many, whatever their illness, it was unrelated to corona virus.

I will have the vaccine when my turn comes although I have reservations about how much difference it will make. In the short term almost none I imagine. We are probably all going to be staying home until Easter anyway.

Regarding no hospital admissions taking place in people who have been vaccinated. : This refers to the people on the trial, so they had their injections longer ago than the people being vaccinated now.

Genty what worries you about the COVID vaccine applies to all vaccines. Did these problems worry you when your children had their vaccinations?

My 2 children had all their jabs, but DS still had a very mild attack of measles and both had very mild whooping cough.

On the other hand, before the whooping cough vaccination both my sisters had it so severely it was expected to leave them with damaged lungs for life, thankfully that didn't happen, but a friend has been prone to severe respiratory problems all her life, several requiring hospital admission following the lung damage caused by whooping cough.

No vaccine, in fact no pharmaceutical product, can be guaranteed to be fail safe, always curing/protecting with no side effects. Thats life!