What are unvaccinated people thinking?

O

OscarW

New Member
I’ve seen a number of posts in this and other forums where vaccinated people ask: “What are unvaccinated people thinking?”

I don’t purport to speak for all unvaccinated people, but I can tell you what I’m thinking.

I’m thinking:
  • I have a healthy respect for Covid-19, but I don’t have an irrational fear of it.
  • I like my odds of not getting Covid-19 in the first place.
  • If I test positive, I like my odds of being asymptomatic or having a mild case.
  • If I get a serious case, I like my odds of not dying. I believe the Covid death statistics have been inflated by politics and distorted by co-morbidities.
  • The vaccine is effective in preventing Covid-19 and/or mitigating its severity.
  • The vaccine is probably safe and has no long-term side effects. The fly in the ointment is that the vaccine wasn’t tested for long enough to know that for sure. That should be a cause for pause. There’s a reason the FDA requires years of testing for new drugs.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is a perfectly reasonable one. The decision to hold off in order to see more side effect cards flip is also a perfectly reasonable one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine should be a medical one; not a political one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is best left to individuals and their doctors; not the government.
  • I am not a stupid, knuckle dragging Neanderthal because I’ve decided to hold off. In fact, I’ve put more thought into this decision than many vaccinated people. Also, I am not evil. I have no ill intent towards others. I will avoid others if there’s even a remote chance I could infect them.
I wish we’d stop demonizing people on the other side of the issue. It’s tearing us apart as a country. We have to recognize this is not going to end well if it continues.
 

OscarW said:
I’ve seen a number of posts in this and other forums where vaccinated people ask: “What are unvaccinated people thinking?”

I don’t purport to speak for all unvaccinated people, but I can tell you what I’m thinking.

I’m thinking:
  • I have a healthy respect for Covid-19, but I don’t have an irrational fear of it.
  • I like my odds of not getting Covid-19 in the first place.
  • If I test positive, I like my odds of being asymptomatic or having a mild case.
  • If I get a serious case, I like my odds of not dying. I believe the Covid death statistics have been inflated by politics and distorted by co-morbidities.
  • The vaccine is effective in preventing Covid-19 and/or mitigating its severity.
  • The vaccine is probably safe and has no long-term side effects. The fly in the ointment is that the vaccine wasn’t tested for long enough to know that for sure. That should be a cause for pause. There’s a reason the FDA requires years of testing for new drugs.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is a perfectly reasonable one. The decision to hold off in order to see more side effect cards flip is also a perfectly reasonable one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine should be a medical one; not a political one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is best left to individuals and their doctors; not the government.
  • I am not a stupid, knuckle dragging Neanderthal because I’ve decided to hold off. In fact, I’ve put more thought into this decision than many vaccinated people. Also, I am not evil. I have no ill intent towards others. I will avoid others if there’s even a remote chance I could infect them.
I wish we’d stop demonizing people on the other side of the issue. It’s tearing us apart as a country. We have to recognize this is not going to end well if it continues.
Click to expand...

We see it here on a regular basis. Some posters just cannot add anything substantive to the discussion / topic. As such they just feel a need to berate any poster that disagrees with them.
They just cannot come to terms with the idea that another has a differing opinion on that topic .
It just must be their way, everyone must agree with them.

It tears us apart here, and as you noted as a nation as well. I have no idea how to stop it, other than perhaps a little at a time, asking those that do, to stop doing it ....... as it serves no purpose.
 
I enjoyed your post.

I chose to take the vaccine and believe that it was the right thing for me to do.

I hope that at some point you become comfortable with the science behind the vaccine and the fact that millions of people around the world have taken the vaccine with good results.

Spock - “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

Captain Kirk answers, “Or the one.”
 
99.5% of people currently hospitalized for covid-19 haven't been vaccinated, and the cost of those hospitalizations is $40,000 - $70,000, which the rest of us have to pay, either through increased insurance premiums or through higher taxes. So it's not just personal choice when the rest of us pay the price.

Plus there's a healthcare worker shortage, which means nurses and doctors who could be treating patients for other injuries and illnesses are treating covid-19 patients.
 
Irwin said:
99.5% of people currently hospitalized for covid-19 haven't been vaccinated, and the cost of those hospitalizations is $40,000 - $70,000, which the rest of us have to pay, either through increased insurance premiums or through higher taxes. So it's not just personal choice when the rest of us pay the price.

Plus there's a healthcare worker shortage, which means nurses and doctors who could be treating patients for other injuries and illnesses are treating covid-19 patients.
Click to expand...
That ridiculous figure is part of the inflation & exaggeration to try to scare everyone into getting the vaccine without any thought.
And the same guilt ploy has been used in the past to sell flu shots - "If you don't get a flu shot, you're making other people sick." It works - for the gullible.
 
OscarW said:
I’ve seen a number of posts in this and other forums where vaccinated people ask: “What are unvaccinated people thinking?”

I don’t purport to speak for all unvaccinated people, but I can tell you what I’m thinking.

I’m thinking:
  • I have a healthy respect for Covid-19, but I don’t have an irrational fear of it.
  • I like my odds of not getting Covid-19 in the first place.
  • If I test positive, I like my odds of being asymptomatic or having a mild case.
  • If I get a serious case, I like my odds of not dying. I believe the Covid death statistics have been inflated by politics and distorted by co-morbidities.
  • The vaccine is effective in preventing Covid-19 and/or mitigating its severity.
  • The vaccine is probably safe and has no long-term side effects. The fly in the ointment is that the vaccine wasn’t tested for long enough to know that for sure. That should be a cause for pause. There’s a reason the FDA requires years of testing for new drugs.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is a perfectly reasonable one. The decision to hold off in order to see more side effect cards flip is also a perfectly reasonable one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine should be a medical one; not a political one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is best left to individuals and their doctors; not the government.
  • I am not a stupid, knuckle dragging Neanderthal because I’ve decided to hold off. In fact, I’ve put more thought into this decision than many vaccinated people. Also, I am not evil. I have no ill intent towards others. I will avoid others if there’s even a remote chance I could infect them.
I wish we’d stop demonizing people on the other side of the issue. It’s tearing us apart as a country. We have to recognize this is not going to end well if it continues.
Click to expand...
One reason people demonize those who choose not to get the vaccine is because their own confidence in the vaccine is shaky & they get reassurance from those who make the same decision they make. My sister is a perfect example. When the vaccine was first offered, she didn't want it because she said she didn't trust the safety or effectiveness. BUT, after her son told her he wouldn't allow her to babysit her grandkids unless she was vaccinated, she got the vaccine.....and (big surprise), she now talks about how safe & effective it is. She is basically protecting & defending her choice - as people often do.
There is also that need to feel superior to others.
 
OscarW said:
I’ve seen a number of posts in this and other forums where vaccinated people ask: “What are unvaccinated people thinking?”

I don’t purport to speak for all unvaccinated people, but I can tell you what I’m thinking.
Click to expand...

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
 
We should all be worried about the Delta strain that is now present in every state. Everybody is free to do as they believe. I believe in the science and am thankful that all of my family is now vaccinated. My daughter is a pharmacist and was mainly giving the shots but is back now just filling scripts. She refuses to put up with people coming into the pharmacy with fever and a cold, refusing to wear a mask and demanding the vaccine! Her boss understands and says its their right to ask the person to leave the store. I told her she should write a book and she said nobody would believe it!.
 
OscarW said:
I’ve seen a number of posts in this and other forums where vaccinated people ask: “What are unvaccinated people thinking?”

I don’t purport to speak for all unvaccinated people, but I can tell you what I’m thinking.

I’m thinking:
  • I have a healthy respect for Covid-19, but I don’t have an irrational fear of it.
  • I like my odds of not getting Covid-19 in the first place.
  • If I test positive, I like my odds of being asymptomatic or having a mild case.
  • If I get a serious case, I like my odds of not dying. I believe the Covid death statistics have been inflated by politics and distorted by co-morbidities.
  • The vaccine is effective in preventing Covid-19 and/or mitigating its severity.
  • The vaccine is probably safe and has no long-term side effects. The fly in the ointment is that the vaccine wasn’t tested for long enough to know that for sure. That should be a cause for pause. There’s a reason the FDA requires years of testing for new drugs.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is a perfectly reasonable one. The decision to hold off in order to see more side effect cards flip is also a perfectly reasonable one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine should be a medical one; not a political one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is best left to individuals and their doctors; not the government.
  • I am not a stupid, knuckle dragging Neanderthal because I’ve decided to hold off. In fact, I’ve put more thought into this decision than many vaccinated people. Also, I am not evil. I have no ill intent towards others. I will avoid others if there’s even a remote chance I could infect them.
I wish we’d stop demonizing people on the other side of the issue. It’s tearing us apart as a country. We have to recognize this is not going to end well if it continues
Click to expand...

If you are just concerned about "I" then no problem, but the pandemic is about "we". You can be a host to the virus and spread it to others where it can become an even worse variant as seems to be happening now, or you can be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
 
Tommy said:
The OP presents a very cogent argument. Were I twenty years younger, I might well have made the same decision.
Click to expand...
i'll be 75 next month, but i waited a couple of months to get it so i could research as i often have anomalous reactions to medications ago. My household is vaccinated now but we still take some precautions, especially when going into the city.
 
OscarW said:
I’ve seen a number of posts in this and other forums where vaccinated people ask: “What are unvaccinated people thinking?”

I don’t purport to speak for all unvaccinated people, but I can tell you what I’m thinking.

I’m thinking:
  • I have a healthy respect for Covid-19, but I don’t have an irrational fear of it.
  • I like my odds of not getting Covid-19 in the first place.
  • If I test positive, I like my odds of being asymptomatic or having a mild case.
  • If I get a serious case, I like my odds of not dying. I believe the Covid death statistics have been inflated by politics and distorted by co-morbidities.
  • The vaccine is effective in preventing Covid-19 and/or mitigating its severity.
  • The vaccine is probably safe and has no long-term side effects. The fly in the ointment is that the vaccine wasn’t tested for long enough to know that for sure. That should be a cause for pause. There’s a reason the FDA requires years of testing for new drugs.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is a perfectly reasonable one. The decision to hold off in order to see more side effect cards flip is also a perfectly reasonable one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine should be a medical one; not a political one.
  • The decision to get the vaccine is best left to individuals and their doctors; not the government.
  • I am not a stupid, knuckle dragging Neanderthal because I’ve decided to hold off. In fact, I’ve put more thought into this decision than many vaccinated people. Also, I am not evil. I have no ill intent towards others. I will avoid others if there’s even a remote chance I could infect them.
I wish we’d stop demonizing people on the other side of the issue. It’s tearing us apart as a country. We have to recognize this is not going to end well if it continues.
Click to expand...
You do make reasonable points. It is an individual choice, but keep in mind every single case of the virus (and it already has produced variants) is an opportunity for mutation.
As long as you don't put yourself or others at risk it is your business. And also as long as you aren't rude or unpleasant to those of us who choose to continue wearing masks and wipe store cart handles down because--the variants are popping up and guess what i haven't had cold/flu symptoms for a year and half. Usually get at least one debilitating one a winter and a summer one that's just tiring. (i'll be 75 in month). i waited a couple of months to get the vax--doing more research and until the age group of my daughter, who lives with me, could be vaccinated at around same time.
 
OscarW said: "I will avoid others if there’s even a remote chance I could infect them."

Unless you are tested for Covid on a daily basis, there already is much more than a remote chance you currently could be infecting others. The same applies to vaxxed people, but is much less likely.

Do you wear a mask at all times?
 
Don M. said:
It all boils down to "who do you believe"? Do you believe the preponderance of scientific information coming from the professionals who research this virus? Or, do you believe some nonsense posted on Facebook, Twitter, or some internet Blog?
Click to expand...
We agree on one thing. Almost all of the information on Facebook, Twitter, and left and right blogs can be summarily dismissed as biased drivel.

Here's where we disagree. It is a demonstrable fact that the jury is still out on scientific evidence regarding the Covid vaccine. Perhaps someday it will prove the vaccine is highly effective and has no long lasting side effects. Sadly, that day isn't today. I don't know if the vaccine is safe or not. Nobody does. Any one who claims otherwise is ignoring how the scientific method works.
 
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Chet said:
If you are just concerned about "I" then no problem, but the pandemic is about "we". You can be a host to the virus and spread it to others where it can become an even worse variant as seems to be happening now, or you can be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Click to expand...
If I understand your argument correctly, you're saying individuals no long have the right to decide what to put into their bodies. If so, we have irreconciliable differences and further discussion is pointless.
 
Chet said:
If you are just concerned about "I" then no problem, but the pandemic is about "we". You can be a host to the virus and spread it to others where it can become an even worse variant as seems to be happening now, or you can be part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Click to expand...

The pandemic may be about we. But "I" already have heart disease , and there is a small percentage chance that the vaccine causes innflamation "in" the heart, and a possible buildup of calcium as well.
I choose not to roll that dice.

So yes, my main concern is "I".

You do what ever it is you need to for you .......... And I will do the same for myself.
 
Don M. said:
It all boils down to "who do you believe"? Do you believe the preponderance of scientific information coming from the professionals who research this virus? Or, do you believe some nonsense posted on Facebook, Twitter, or some internet Blog?
Click to expand...
Oh, there are some very knowledgeable people and data on both sides of this issue. You might want to see what the inventor of mRNA has to say about vaccinations and not be so quick to believe everything politicians (i.e. the DC bureaucracy) tell you. Aside from your health and others, there some big money, big ego/pride and big political plays at stake on this.
 
Tommy said:
The OP presents a very cogent argument. Were I twenty years younger, I might well have made the same decision.
Click to expand...
Up until I was in my 70s, I never got a flu shot, even though the family doctor said I should. I never got the flu in all those years One year, he finally wore me down, I got the shot and immediately got the flu. This time I got the J&J jab not because I thought it would keep me from getting covid but I was pretty sure the govt. would have to give ground to people who'd been vaccinated and start opening things up and I didn't want to be an mRNA guinea pig. All that said, I am not afraid of covid.
 
OscarW said:
Here's where we disagree. It is a demonstrable fact that the jury is still out on scientific evidence regarding the Covid vaccine. Perhaps someday it will prove the vaccine is highly effective and has no long lasting side effects. Sadly, that day isn't today. I don't know if the vaccine is safe or not. Nobody does. Any one who claims otherwise is ignoring how the scientific method works.
Click to expand...

It will be years before all the evidence surrounding this virus, and the effectiveness/long term effects of the vaccines are known. That is Years that we May Not have. The choice then boils down to either believing what is currently known by the professionals who study these things, or taking a chance and waiting for years....in which case, this virus could do a pretty good job of "population control".

Personally, since we are Not medical/scientific experts, we chose to get the Moderna vaccines earlier this year, and we are doing fine.
 
JonDouglas said:
not be so quick to believe everything politicians (i.e. the DC bureaucracy) tell you.
Click to expand...

The last time I checked, this is NOT some US Government/politicians thing....rather it is a Global emergency. Millions have already died, world wide...and this virus continues to expand....Globally. While there is Always no shortage of political BS that comes from Washington, this virus Far Exceeds anything coming from the politicians.
 


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