I Really Do Not Want the COVID Vaccine ?

[AspiringNurse94]

(So glad I stumbled across this website again after almost 6 years! I need to change my username because I am not an aspiring nurse anymore, I have been a nurse for almost 3 years! ?)

Anyway, I really do not want to take this new covid vaccine. I know I can’t be the only one who feels this way. Typically I am not an anti-vaxxer but something about this illness is making me think otherwise. For personal reasons I really do not want to take it when available at my hospital, but I’m afraid it will be mandatory. I am almost considering finding a new job if my hospital forces us all to take it. What a shame because I do like my job and wouldn’t know what else to turn to that isn’t nursing, because chances are most healthcare related places of employment will likely require all employees take it.

I want to use the excuse of it being against my religion but I already took the flu vaccine this year. I have nothing against the flu vaccine but didn’t necessarily want it, but my hospital practically FORCED everyone to take it unless they grant you an exemption. I’m afraid they’ll question me why I took the flu shot but cannot take the covid vaccine. 

What do you guys think about this? Will you be taking the vaccine? I just want us to be able to make our own decisions about this. If patients can refuse medications, procedures, and treatments, why can’t healthcare workers do the same? I read in multiple articles it will not be required by the federal government but each state and employer can decide whether or not it will be mandatory.

And forget the $1500 “stimulus check” that may be offered if you take it. All the money in the world would not change my mind about taking the vaccine. I feel as though if you have to bribe people to take it, something is peculiar.

I don’t know why this is bothering me so much. It should be a choice in my opinion. But by telling a few friends about not wanting it I feel judged. I have worked with covid patients multiple times since I am one of the younger nurses who does not have any kids/am pregnant. I feel like week after week I was always chosen to go to the covid section. At first I was mad but now it doesn’t bother me. I am not afraid to be near covid patients. Luckily through all this time I haven’t caught it. I always tell people I’d rather catch it than get this vaccine. That’s how strongly I feel against taking the vaccine. All of my non-nursing who have had covid are covered and thriving. To me catching it isn’t the biggest deal but others have called me selfish because I could be spreading it to others. Why is it looked at as selfish for not wanting to inject something into MY body. #mybodymychoice

Am I thinking about this too much? What would you do?

[TheMoonisMyLantern, ADN, LPN, RN]

6 minutes ago, Hannahbanana said:

I think the answer lies in your commitment. Do you want to spend the time and intellectual effort necessary to increase knowledge beneficial to your profession, or is this just a checkbox on the form? Do you really want to practice nursing at a higher level, or just get a better job? Getting a better job isn’t a bad thing, of course. We all aspire to that at some point, and we prepare for it by seeking our experiences, certifications, or whatever. These are not the same things. 

I saved money for three years so I could take the time off to go to grad school at a brick-and-mortar school in a program that required a bona fide research project supervised by people with national reputations in their fields (one physiology, two nursing). 

Who cares? Well, more and more, prospective employers are tumbling to the idea of looking to see what they’re getting. Somebody who took the easiest way just to get the credential? The people who say, “An online BSN is just a few courses, it’s all BS but I had to do it to keep my job,” or, “I really wanted to stretch myself to be a better professional and be able to teach/influence practice”? They are starting to know the difference. 
 

People will do what they have to do, but I wish they’d look at their motivations in a less self-centered way. Be honest c yourself. An earned degree worth its salt can’t be done like a self-study CEU out of a magazine. Part of it is the opportunity to work with other likeminded people and experts. It’s supposed to be a choice to make a big step, not a necessary inconvenience forced by circumstances you don’t care so much about.

MN or DNP while working full time, my grandmother’s sweet patootie. 

Off soapbox.

I hear you. The problem though is that after saving for three years to get a master's degree, in my area, that would get you 2 dollars extra an hour. Employers want BSN's, they don't want to give significant increases in pay and your job description doesn't change. RN-BSN I think is fine to do online because the ciriculum even at a brick and mortar school is a joke, so yes I will make sure I go to an accredited school with a good reputation but it will be an online school with reasonable tuition. I think for degrees that do not have a clinical component that online works pretty well. But I do think clinical degrees benefit more from in person instruction, just my opinion.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

On 2/9/2021 at 4:28 PM, ohbejoyful said:

I’ll wait until studies are out there regarding specifically ADE and fertility effects which will take at least a year to observe and study. Vaccinated people will have a control group, those who are not getting vaccinated.

 

Why COVID Vaccines are Falsely Linked to Infertility

www.webmd.com › vaccines › covid-19-vaccine

Jan 12, 2021 · Jan. 12, 2021 -- There’s no evidence that the new vaccines against COVID-19 cause infertility, yet that’s a worry that’s been cited by some health care workers as a reason they’re ...

facebook fear mongering.  The mRNA of a vaccine dissipates quickly and has no way to inject itself into an egg.   

 

[ohbejoyful]

31 minutes ago, subee said:

Why COVID Vaccines are Falsely Linked to Infertility

www.webmd.com › vaccines › covid-19-vaccine

Jan 12, 2021 · Jan. 12, 2021 -- There’s no evidence that the new vaccines against COVID-19 cause infertility, yet that’s a worry that’s been cited by some health care workers as a reason they’re ...

facebook fear mongering.  The mRNA of a vaccine dissipates quickly and has no way to inject itself into an egg.   

 

I understand there is misinformation out there, I take everything with a grain of salt. What bothers me is that we haven’t had any long term research on these particular mRNA vaccinations. mRNA vaccination studies in the past were wrought with complications. If you read a lot of the study reviews they say results are promising but explain there is not enough information yet at this time for the risk of possible complications. ADE being the most concerning. 

There hasn’t been enough time to know for sure, time reveals more evidence, we don’t know it all now. I’m waiting for more scientific research to evolve from the release of the vaccine before taking it. We only know a limited amount of information at this time. If you don’t think we are going to continue to learn more about covid as well as the new vaccines to treat covid you don’t understand how science works.
 

Personally I’d like to wait for the research and data to unfold after being released to the general public. It would take a few years to see some of these possible effects surface.
 

Again, I’m grateful for people who are willing to take these medical treatments while still in the investigational stage. I’ll continue to social distance wear proper gear and stay home.

I worked full time every shift on a covid ICU for almost an entire year and wore proper protection. Never tested positive, never had symptoms, never passed anything to anyone in my household, never tested positive for antibodies. I believe strict PPE protocols are effective.

Sorry that I also don’t want to be one of the first people to try a novel investigational medical treatment too.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

3 minutes ago, ohbejoyful said:

Yeah personally I’d like to wait for the research and data to unfold after being released to the general public. Will take a few years to see some of these possible effects surface. Again, I’m grateful for people who are willing to take these medical treatments while still in the investigational stage. I’ll continue to social distance wear proper gear and stay home. I worked full time every shift on a covid ICU for almost an entire year and wore proper protection. Never tested positive, never had symptoms, never passed anything to anyone in my household, never tested positive for antibodies. I believe strict PPE protocols are effective. Sorry that I also don’t want to be one of the first people to try a novel investigational medical treatment too.

You are a nurse and had every means of PPE available to you in a hospital setting and you did a great job of staying safe.  But unless you dress like that in the grocery store, you can't count on the person in front of you not having just come back from a superbowl party, megachurch or political rally.  If every parent had felt the same way about measles, rabies, diptheria, typhoid and polio vaccines, we'd still be living in a 4th world.

[ohbejoyful]

11 minutes ago, subee said:

You are a nurse and had every means of PPE available to you in a hospital setting and you did a great job of staying safe.  But unless you dress like that in the grocery store, you can't count on the person in front of you not having just come back from a superbowl party, megachurch or political rally.  If every parent had felt the same way about measles, rabies, diptheria, typhoid and polio vaccines, we'd still be living in a 4th world.

I social distance in the grocery store, wear a mask and wash my hands. It’s sufficient. The people not abiding by this are the ones at risk. The ones having large gatherings without a mask, the ones eating indoors at restaurants, the ones going to Vegas... the list goes on.

 

It is highly unlikely that I social distance, wear a mask, frequently wash my hands and go grocery shopping twice a month and I will catch it. Some people are scared to the point they bleach their packages and never leave their home. A bit overkill.
 

I understand the new strains of the virus are more virulent ...but we still just wear a surgical mask in a covid positive patient’s room (If they are not on high amounts of o2, bipap, intubated) while they are hacking coughing and not wearing a mask... surgical masks mixed with social distancing around people not coughing or symptomatic is highly unlikely to be an issue in comparison to that. Always wash your hands. 
 

also, in regards to people who won’t take fda approved vaccinations that have been around for decades... I never said I wouldn’t take the vaccine I just personally would rather wait for more research and data on these novel vaccines. In return, I will continue to live as I have the past year to keep myself and others safe.
 

Curious to see what data will emerge from both the virus and the vaccine. Curious to see where we will be at with the virus even being a concern to society in a few years. If you think we know it all at this time than you don’t understand how scientific evidence evolves as time and data allow for more information. Let’s revisit this conversation in 2023....

[londonflo]

1 hour ago, Hannahbanana said:

An earned degree worth its salt can’t be done like a self-study CEU out of a magazine. Part of it is the opportunity to work with other likeminded people and experts. It’s supposed to be a choice to make a big step, not a necessary inconvenience forced by circumstances you don’t care so much about.

I just loved your post. I took pleasure in what I learned (2 roles, Practitioner/Teacher) and felt I made a significant difference in nursing education and the profession. My thesis was on establishing the "At Risk for Infection" nursing diagnosis and the addition of 'risk factors' to the typology in the early days of nursing diagnoses. I do understand the eventual move away from the strict use of nursing diagnoses and am in favor of it. The 'tale began waving the dog' in education -- more time spent in working something, especially etiologies. 

Sorry I got us off topic. On this snowy, bitter cold day I liked reflecting on the past. I always hoped other advanced degreed (and intial nursing education professionals) would feel pride in what they achieved. 

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

20 minutes ago, ohbejoyful said:

I social distance in the grocery store, wear a mask and wash my hands. It’s sufficient. The people not abiding by this are the ones at risk. The ones having large gatherings without a mask, the ones eating indoors at restaurants, the ones going to Vegas... the list goes on.

 

It is highly unlikely that I social distance, wear a mask, frequently wash my hands and go grocery shopping twice a month and I will catch it. Some people are scared to the point they bleach their packages and never leave their home. A bit overkill.
 

I understand the new strains of the virus are more virulent ...but we still just wear a surgical mask in a covid positive patient’s room (If they are not on high amounts of o2, bipap, intubated) while they are hacking coughing and not wearing a mask... surgical masks mixed with social distancing around people not coughing or symptomatic is highly unlikely to be an issue in comparison to that. Always wash your hands. 
 

also, in regards to people who won’t take fda approved vaccinations that have been around for decades... I never said I wouldn’t take the vaccine I just personally would rather wait for more research and data on these novel vaccines. In return, I will continue to live as I have the past year to keep myself and others safe.
 

Curious to see what data will emerge from both the virus and the vaccine. Curious to see where we will be at with the virus even being a concern to society in a few years. If you think we know it all at this time than you don’t understand how scientific evidence evolves as time and data allow for more information. Let’s revisit this conversation in 2023....

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/945596

YOU and I may be able to socially distance, but millions of people have to go to work in crowded conditions, ride the subways, etc.  And I agree that it will require many years of looking through the retroscope before we have an understanding of human behavior and viral spread.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

2 hours ago, myoglobin said:

Self interest will always be a primary motivating factor in a free society. While my degree is only a Master's it was earned mainly online (except for clinical) and it took me from a 60K non benefitted ICU job to the one I currently have earning between 25 and 30K per month (working online). I am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to further my education while working full time (except for the last two semesters then part time). This would have not been possible with traditional modalities.  

25-30k per month?? 

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

1 hour ago, ohbejoyful said:

I worked full time every shift on a covid ICU for almost an entire year and wore proper protection. Never tested positive, never had symptoms, never passed anything to anyone in my household, never tested positive for antibodies. I believe strict PPE protocols are effective.

Good for you. However, there are >1000 healthcare workers who contracted it despite the best possible available PPE. I have a good friend who did exactly the same. But she did contract COVID and was sick enough that she has now retired from clinical work entirely.

Anecdote is not the singular of data.

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

1 hour ago, ohbejoyful said:

while still in the investigational stage

 

1 hour ago, ohbejoyful said:

There hasn’t been enough time to know for sure, time reveals more evidence, we don’t know it all now. I’m waiting for more scientific research to evolve from the release of the vaccine before taking it. We only know a limited amount of information at this time. If you don’t think we are going to continue to learn more about covid as well as the new vaccines to treat covid you don’t understand how science works.

Not still in the investigational stage, and continuing to say so doesn't make it true.

Of course data collection and scientific knowledge will continue to progress over time. But if you want to wait for absolute certainty for everything, you will be waiting forever. The extant research is enough to get going.

[ohbejoyful]

18 minutes ago, Hannahbanana said:

 

Not still in the investigational stage, and continuing to say so doesn't make it true.

Of course data collection and scientific knowledge will continue to progress over time. But if you want to wait for absolute certainty for everything, you will be waiting forever. The extant research is enough to get going.

It is absolutely still in investigative stage and also called experimental still. Surprising people don’t realize this!! This is why I am so concerned people on here are intolerant to those who don’t want to take it yet. These terms are avoided in the media as it can envoke fear. But people deserve to understand that yes it is still investigational and experimental. That is why you get an educational paper explaining it and why it is technically not fda approved but emergency use authorization only. Please look at the verbage below I’ve seen this exact terminology in a ton of accredited scientific articles, research analysis and educational pamphlets 

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/experimental-coronavirus-vaccine-highly-effective

 

I am grateful that so far the research looks promising. I am grateful for all the research and work that has been put into these investigational and experimental vaccines and also grateful people are willing to take them while they are still in the investigational and experimental stages, however people have a right to wait until there is more data. 

 

[Hannahbanana, BSN, MSN]

That article is almost exactly a month old. At that time, it was considered "experimental." No longer. It states:

There were no concerning safety issues with vaccination. Local reactions to the vaccine were generally mild. About half the participants receiving mRNA-1273 experienced moderate to severe side effects—such as fatigue, muscle aches, joint pain and headache—after the second dose. In most volunteers, these resolved within two days.

One potential concern about COVID-19 vaccines is an unusual phenomenon called vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease, or VAERD. VAERD can occur when a vaccine induces an immune response that causes the disease the vaccine is supposed to protect against to be more severe if you’re exposed to the virus. However, the team found no evidence of VAERD among those who received mRNA-1273.

“There is much we still do not know about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. However, we do know that this vaccine is safe and can prevent symptomatic COVID-19 and severe disease,” says NIAID Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci. “It is my hope that all Americans will protect themselves by getting vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available to them. That is how our country will begin to heal and move forward.”

The FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization(link is external) for Moderna to make the vaccine available for the prevention of COVID-19 in adults on December 18, 2020.

Although mRNA-1273 can prevent symptomatic COVID-19, more study is needed to determine whether it protects against SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Additional analyses are also underway to understand the vaccine’s impact on asymptomatic infections.