POLL: Will you have the COVID-19 vaccine?

[Boatbuilder]

I'm sorry to hear that you have experienced worse side effects than after the first jab, Fiona. I do hope you are feeling much better tomorrow. It can't be much fun with a young child to look after - although it's good to have somebody to 'take them off your hands' for a while.

I suppose this brings up the question "Would you have booster jab if deemed necessary in the furture?" From my own experience with the AZ vaccine I would be saying 'Yes'.

[Fiona1986]

I doubt I'd be eligible for a booster but I'd probably have one if I was, I may feel a bit rubbish just now but I'd likely be feeling a lot worse had I caught COVID!

[Boodi 2]

Sorry to hear that you felt so awful Fiona and hope you are feeling better today. Perhaps you can console yourself with the idea that the vaccine is working, as due to the absence of side-effects after my second jab I began to wonder if the vaccination I received was the real thing! From my observations of people I know it seems that younger people (under 40 years) and men are more affected by the second jab than the over-40s and women, but that may be sheer coincidence.

[Fiona1986]

I still felt rough this morning but as the day went on I've slowly felt better. Not completely myself yet but I managed an afternoon at the beach (including paddling about looking in rockpools) so I can't be that far off!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Hope you soon feel completely better, Fiona. My daughter (aged 26) has just had her second jab but my son (aged 21) has only had one so far.

Currently, 40 people have voted in the poll and 91% have either had the jab or intend to have it when it's offered to them.

[Boodi 2]

Glad to hear you were feeling a bit better yesterday as the day went on Fiona, so hopefully you are now over the worst and back in form again.

Anita, did your daughter have any side-effects from her second jab?

[Anita Bensoussane]

My daughter had a sore arm both times but the soreness only lasted about 24 hours. She had the Pfizer jab.

[Boatbuilder]

I just had a look at the poll and 102% have voted.

Because all the numbers are 'odd', each one is exactly 0.5% lower than the stated percentage but the system has rounded them all up.

[Boodi 2]

Thanks Anita,
that is good news! It really seems to vary from person to person, as my son and his girlfriend both had their second jabs last week and were very "under the weather" for about 36 hours, although like us they also had the Pfizer jab. Due to my illness (and presumably my age) I have had to undergo a full medical check-up every year but did not have one last year as a result of the pandemic. My GP suggested I should remedy the situation and I duly did so. Thankfully I am fine and all my values are perfect. The GP then examined my medical records and announced that I did not have the vaccination against shingles, which is recommended for people aged over 60. As the Covid vaccination was so unproblematic I agreed to have it and she duly vaccinated me. To my horror my arm was extremely sore, inflamed and swollen for almost three days and I also felt tired and had absolutely no appetite for about 24 hours (most unusual for me), so I am dreading the second jab in early October...apologies for the digression!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I'm sorry you suffered painful side-effects for almost three days, Boodi. I hope things aren't as bad when it comes to the second jab.

[Darrell71]

My university just announced yesterday that all students, faculty, and staff now must have the vaccine by August 30th or they must risk facing disciplinary measures (which are as yet undisclosed)! About 82% of the student body is currently vaccinated, so this is great news to bridge the gap, especially in light of the delta variant driving numbers up nation and world-wide. We are supposed to have in-person classes, clubs, parties/events, sports matches (some with over 120,000 people!) in the fall, and I am so, so excited. Fingers crossed that stuff doesn't regress again lol.

[Courtenay]

Fingers crossed for you too, Sunskriti. We've had most restrictions lifted in the UK and so far there hasn't been a major resurgence, unlike all the other times when restrictions were eased, so there's reason to say the vaccination program has been a success. BUT there are a lot of concerns about younger people not being vaccinated and a lot of talk about how they can be incentivised to get it, so it's unclear what will happen there. I hope you do have a much freer future very soon!!

[Anne Gracie]

First jab I had a sore arm for 24 hours, and fatigue for two days (I had Pfizer). The second one three weeks later I had the same but the fatigue went for three days. The first 24 hours I had a mild fever and chills, but my body ached from head to toe for that first day too. It was all fine though really. I don’t see the severity of symptoms or how long they lasted as anything but mild inconvenience. Luckily the GP clinic came on board and I was able to book within the first two weeks of availability and the process on the days went well. I didn’t have to fill out or sign anything, just read a card. I liked the info they gave out about the vaccine. I understood a lot more about what it was and went into the immunisation with a fully informed consent and no regrets or maybes.

I’ve already got my certificate on my phone, and the first available perk, aside from not getting really sick should I contract the virus, was Qantas giving out extra frequent flyer points. Pity I still can’t travel anywhere at this time to use them!

Even though the jab is not mandatory it will be interesting to see the divide when it comes to the cans and can nots and what is permitted. There is talk of not being allowed in restaurants for example of you can’t produce your proof of vax. Hopefully there will not be too many forgeries! There are always some who will try. They could make it like they do the drivers licence and use holograms I think they’re called.

[Katharine]

Even though the jab is not mandatory it will be interesting to see the divide when it comes to the cans and can nots and what is permitted. There is talk of not being allowed in restaurants for example of you can’t produce your proof of vax. Hopefully there will not be too many forgeries! There are always some who will try. They could make it like they do the drivers licence and use holograms I think they’re called.

I agree that it will be interesting to see how it can be enforced (if at all). For a start, I don't know how people like myself would be able to prove it as I don't have a phone capable of downloading apps. Even if someone does have an app, surely there's the potential problem that they couldn't get a signal/a network might be down, or they've run out of battery? If there's a paper system alternative, that would be a pain as people would have to remember to take it everywhere they went, just in case they decided at the last minute to go to see a film, have a meal etc.

What about a child out with older friends/family who had recently turned 16 and hadn't had a chance to have one or both vaccines yet - would they be banned?

Finally, there's the fact that being double jabbed doesn't really prove anything any way as I know several people who have caught Covid despite being double jabbed. They have no idea where they caught it from, so hadn't been self-isolating, and by the time they got their positive results, goodness knows where they had been and potentially innocently infected yet more people! Plus according to the news, the jab starts to wear off a bit after a while, so even if someone has been double jabbed, will there be a cut off for how long they can get into restaurants etc, for example, if someone aged 50 was jabbed more than 6 months ago, are they more or less of a risk than someone of 70 who was jabbed 4 months ago, or someone of 30 jabbed 8 months ago, as my understanding is that the rate of decline in the vaccines effectiveness is linked to age.

[Anne Gracie]

They’re good questions Katharine. I’ll let you know how it plays out here, time will tell. There is the option to print out the vax certificate. I also had the option to download a copy for offline viewing on my phone. It’s the same conundrum with the electronic drivers licences and electronic boarding passes in a way. You have to make sure you don’t lose your phone, leave it on the bench at home, damage it or use all the battery power etc.

I think people would get used to having a paper copy in their wallet for example. Just like you have to carry a mask and ID with you at all times. I’m surprised the checking in everywhere could become second nature, although still irksome yeah. Yes, there will definitely be cases from people fully vaccinated. It’s the best that they can do right now I guess. There is certainly lockdown fatigue here, people are tired of it all so the only other alternative to stop the hospitals overcrowding any more is to go with the get vaccinated ‘band-aid’ solution to the problem.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the vax will become a yearly booster for the next couple of years. When I got my second jab the GP said ‘congratulations’ - now you likely will not be hospitalised should you catch Covid (you won’t be adding to our hospital statistics). I replied by stating, ah, now I’ll be able to travel (that is all I was thinking about at the time) - my freedoms, not, not getting sick.