General Chat

Joan ................

I also was never vaccinated as a child, but it was because the vaccines did not exist when I was young. Many people held "measles parties", or whichever childhood disease was around, so every child would hopefully get a mild case early in life, although I don't remember going to any such. We just had to suffer through measles, chickenpox, German measles (as rubella was then called), and have whatever scars, poor eyesight, etc might be left..

I got the polio vaccine in my last year of high school, late 1950s, as soon as it was available in my home town, even though I have no memory of an outbreak there.

I got the smallpox vaccine at age 27 as it was needed for entry to the US.

My daughter had all the vaccines when she was young, except for smallpox which she needed at 15 months old for entry to Australia. The doctor refused to give it to her because she had a suspected eczema patch behind her knee, and apparently that was not a good mix.

He had to write a letter explaining why, and then a poor doctor in Perth had to be roused from his bed, drive out to the airport and look at this child, at 2 am in the morning.


I did consider the covid vaccination very thoroughly, and was not certain at first whether I would have it. But looking at all the scientific evidence convinced me it was safe, or as safe as any other vaccine we happily have. Plus it became obvious that life would become very restricted.

For example, we have to have Proof of Vaccination to travel out of province by train, air or crossing provincial land borders by car.

Do you think I never want to see my daughter again, because that is hat not getting vaccinated would mean.

Besides, I wanted to be safer going out and about here, and I wanted others to be safe from me. I want to be able to see my daughter's lovely grandmother-in law, who is 95 and a wonderful lady but has to be kept safe. I wouldn't be able to see her father-in-law who has diabetes and heart trouble, and also has to be kept safe.

It doesn't matter that they are fully vaccinated, I would NOT be able to meet them.

The NHS has had increasing problems with a lack of beds over Winter.
Part of the problem may be because 17,000 beds have been cut since 2010.

Then there's the problem with a lack of NHS staff.

Hi Florence, that bit about the hospital wasn’t a dig at anyone. We get updates in person from time to time. The consultant was incandescent with peoples casaual attitudes in the beginning. Things are not so bad now.

I think the issue over the beds is probably that they have no idea how long Covid patients will stay whilst they would have a good idea how long others would spend in I CU.

Names, I understand what they are saying about Covid patients occupying beds but there are others in ICU like alcoholics with liver problems and stroke patients who are extremely obese. You could say they are occupying beds through their own doing too!

My father did not agree with vaccines and so myself and my 2 brothers never had DTP or smallpox, mumps & whooping cough. I got my BCG done when my daughter was born along with tetanus. Lucky i have never had mumps.

I gave all the vaccines to my own 2 children and they are both triple vaccined for Covid now.

Florence in the hebrides

Maggie. Thanks for posting the link - annoyed that the problem is starting again. Interesting to read that Singapore has already decided to make the non vaccinated pay for their medical treatment.

Florence, there will always be people who cannot take certain vaccinations - it is different to just deciding not to have them .

According to one of the consultants our local large hospital has several Covid patients in icu and major operations have had to be cut because of the lack of those beds.

Florence ................... here you can get an exemption if you really cannot have the vaccine.

There are a few truly medical reasons for that, not anywhere near as many as people think. If it is a true medical reason, your doctor can issue a letter of medical exemption that can be shown whenever necessary.

You should be able to get that letter from your doctor.

The other reason often claimed is for religious reasons. Canada has declared that there are very few religions that ban vaccinations, and that the ones that are do do not exist in Canada ........ this was after a long study.

So exemptions are not given for religious reasons.

Joan ...............

Britain is lagging far behind being a dictatorship so far as covid vaccination is concerned.

Many other countries are doing far more than you guys to get the hesitant non-vaccinators to get their act together.

There are many places we cannot go unless we have proof of double vaccinations ............ including weddings! You might not be interested in going to a restaurant, but we have to have that proof to have sit-down meal inside any kind of cafe or restaurant, unless it is fast food (such as MacDonalds). I've seen some of you talk about going to a nice place to eat lunch in either a grocery store or a book shop?? That would need proof of vaccination.

We HAVE to wear masks indoors in many places, or declared essential or preferable but not mandated in "essential services" such as grocery stores. Doctors won't see us with a mask ............ and they insist on it being a Medical mask, my doctor makes us remove the mask we have on and hands us a new one.

Masks are declared mandatory to ride transit (bus or subway)

I don't consider any of this to be a dictatorship ................. just keeping me and everyone else safe.

The final proof for me is 50-70% of people in intensive care with covid in BC are unvaccinated, and over 50% of the ones who die are unvaccinated. Their ages are mainly under 50.

Vaccinated people in intensive care and dying are almost all over 70.

Yes, vaccinated people can catch covid, it isn't perfect, just as the flu vaccine isn't perfect ............. but their illness is generally much milder, and they don't need to go to hospital.

If you're not concerned about YOURSELF, please think about those you meet who have underlying medical conditions and are very susceptible.

As far as mass vaccinations ............... didn't you HAVE to get the new polio jabs back in the 50s?

There were 2 types, one came out first and then the second was rather rushed out later. I seem to remember that I had 3 "doses", 2 of the first kind and then 1 of the second ............. on a lump of sugar.

This is basically the same as the covid vaccines! If you really read about it, you should realise that the vaccines have not been as rushed as most people think.

Scientists have been working on a vaccine for SARS since 2004, and had got a long way. Covid is actually SARS-COV-2, the vaccine that was in development for SARS only needed minor tweaking to act on COV-2.

In addition, the technique of delivering the vaccine into the cells, mRNA, had been under development for at least 10 years here in Vancouver, and again only needed minor tweaking.

That's why it seems that everything happened too quickly.

Cov-2 is going to continue to mutate, just like the influenza virus mutates every year .................. so just as we have a flu jab every year, then I strongly believe that we will get a covid jab every year.

There is as much mis-information as information! I don't mean the extreme 'anti vax' stuff either.

The virus won't 'go away', 'flu hasn't either. It may continue to mutate and become a disease that needs a tailored jab each year, like 'flu. Many people die as a result of 'flu every year, but often from complications such as pneumonia rather than the virus itself.

Vaccines don't stop you getting the disease either, they just arm your body so that, hopefully, you can fight it off more effectively without suffering the worst symptoms.

The eradication of smallpox was a huge endeavour that never ceases to amaze me (in a good way!) However, humans are the smallpox virus's only host. Various types of 'flu, and many corona type viruses start in the animal kingdom and mutate, and you can bet your life that Covid won't be the last to jump species.

Years ago I was "forced" by my GP to have the flu jag to protect my daughter who was then in remission from a serious cancer ill ness.The vaccine was made with eggs and I took a bad reaction to it as im severly allergic to eggs.
I ended up being rushed to hospital as couldnt breathe! I had pneumonia and my lungs were full of fluid.
I never want to experience that again or an asthma attack, it was truly horrendous.

Given that i nearly died the first time i went to theatre because i reacted to one or more of the drugs, I discussed my dilemma with having the covid vaccine with my GP and she said under the circumstances i do not reccomend you have it as you have enough going on at present.

A good friend of mine was"forced" by his colleagues into having the jag and he reacted badly. He got shingles and was paralysed down his face and couldnt close his eyes for 3 months!!

I thought long & hard before deciding against having the jags as having just been diagnosed with MS and the possibility i had 2 strokes in my sleep, I could not cope if i took a reaction to the vaccine.

So I am housebound anyway, see noone etc. But people here have nearly all been vaccinated including teenagers and triple jagged and we have the highest covid cases in the country just now. My friend had it really bad 10 days ago and she was triple jagged, she said worse 10 days of her life. She thought she would have been better protected.

So please dont judge those of us who have genuine reasons for not having the vaccine. We are not selfish but looking out for our own health in most cases.

Florence in the hebrides

Here we are, names:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59283128

A big :-P to those who doubled our local positive rate over night.

An interesting article about how and what some countries are doing:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59283128

Sorry - my computer has stopped doing links properly again - it the Covid; Austria introduces lockdown article on the BBC home page.

Joan, whilst I knew that you don’t wear a mask I wasn’t aware that you hadn’t had any of the jabs.

I have been musing and wondering how many children did not have the mass vaccinations of the 1950’s.

No one should be forced Joan but take medical advice to find out all the true details and not listen to all the stupid anti vax rumours that are put about. They are so ludicrous it is not funny :-|. The whole family have been jabbed as we felt that the small risk with the vaccine by far outweighs Covid.

We have had very high numbers around here unfortunately I cannot get away from it here as my OH is the affected twin I mentioned. I would most certainly not go as far as to call anyone a moron or insult them but do ask that they consider carefully before refusing the jabs.

Of course the unjabbed are a problem. Once the schools went back after the summer the positive numbers in our little group of villages shot up 5 or 6 fold. Those famillies then kept themselves to themselves and the number dopped considerably.

So if the young people, who were not eligible for vaccinations at that time, are passing it on - then it follows that the adults who have not been vaccinated are also passing it on as well.

I can understand the emotion behind Esthers comment but don't necessarily agree.

You have obviously not seen the suffering Covid causes Joan. We lost a very close relative at the beginning of the year and I would not wish the pain and suffering on my worst enemy. His last text to us was harrowing :-(. and it has caused a lot of distress to us all especially his twin

Some countries are putting the unvaccinated back into lockdown - we haven't done that yet.

My daughter is about to have her booster - one could say that it so the unvacinnated can carry on shopping safely. Rather than she is keeping herself as safe as she can from the morons who are unvaccinated and refuse to wear masks.

Will care homes now allow the fully vaccinated relatives in to see their family member now that they don't have to protect those ex staff members - just a thought.

Those who are risking theirs and others lives by not having them

Looks like Boris is doing a press conference at 3 today. Said to be asking people to get their jabs.

But at 3 pm who is it aimed at?