Had a flu jab for the first time. Seemed sensible. No real downsides and and some significant upsides. Did it in tesco for about £8. Took less than 5 mins before shopping.
Never had a flu jab before but I've just turned 50 and my local health centre contated me with the offer of a flu jab, I'd never really thought about about getting it previously but thought why not? Booked in online and had the jab a few days later.
What definitely take a flu jab if offered - have heard the flu (real flu, not a bad cold) is extremely memorable but for all the wrong reasons.
I nearly died from flu a decade or so ago, or at least from the pneumonia that followed it. Took me months to recover.
I'm asthmatic, so at higher risk, but was in my mid-30s at the time and pretty fit.
Getting the flu jab today. Never had it before. Is it because of covid?
Probably, the pandemic has raised my fear (personal and societal) of respiratory illness.
I've had flu twice, it is AWFUL, I hope to never have it again.
I was told The test for flu is 'Someone has left £20 on your doorstep, can you get out of bed and get it?'
If the answer is 'yes', it's not flu.
I had my first flu jab last year because they lowered the age requirement and it seemed that any way of reducing the potential load on he NHS was a good thing. It was unremarkable.
Me last year, already had it this year.
MrsMC had proper flu in the winter 2000, properly ill in bed for best part of 2 weeks, over a month to fully recover.
I certainly don't want to catch it, I definitely don’t want my elderly parents to catch it, or risk the knock on of pneumonia or bronchitis.
Never had any reaction to my two flu jabs, I'd feel pretty stupid spending the last 2 years trying to reduce strain on the NHS and then ****ing that up by catching or spreading a flu virus by not having a simple (for me) jab.
I started taking a flu jag about 10 years ago, work were offering it, wife worked in the hospice at the time, with some very vulnerable people, it just seemed a decent thing to do.
Also, I've never had it/sounds horrible/don't want it.
Probably, the pandemic has raised my fear (personal and societal) of respiratory illness.
An interesting sidenote for the 'it's just a flu' crowd is that while Covid has many of the features of a respiratory illness (including the ability to spread like one), it should probably be considered primarily a cardiovascular one, as that's where it ****s you up.
Apologies if this has been asked before. Why is Europe in such a bad position with rising cases compared to the UK? All the graphs I've seen Eng / Sco / Wales has a moderately high number of cases but it's not really rising. (Except NI).
I know we were ahead of the game with vaccination etc but booster take up not so good and with protection waning surely we'd be worse off?
Is it as simple as cases have been high in combination with the early relaxation of lockdown measures in the UK so we do have some kind of herd immunity - we got it out of the way while the going was good in the summer? Or is vaccine take up lower in Europe. Struggling to find any real answers...
Or will we be catching up Europe in the next few weeks?
Edit: Maybe some answers... https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59378849
Linda Bauld was discussing this on Radio at the weekend, basically looks like we've kinda fluked it by having delta wallop us in summer, open up too early, so levels of immunity and luck combine, whereas the EU countries affected didn't open as early and weren't as badly hit.
I know we were ahead of the game with vaccination
We aren’t, we’re mid-table.
Or is vaccine take up lower in Europe.
Higher in many countries, lower in some others.
Linda Bauld was discussing this on Radio at the weekend, basically looks like we’ve kinda fluked it by having delta wallop us in summer, open up too early, so levels of immunity and luck combine, whereas the EU countries affected didn’t open as early and weren’t as badly hit.
The question is whether waning vaccine protection in the middle-aged coupled with complacency and normal winter behaviours (mixing indoors, lower immunity due to less sunlight) will come back to bite us over the next couple of months.
Even as it is, we've been plateauing at 150-200 deaths a day for a while now, even before winter, so whether we come out the other side ahead of some of these spiking EU countries remains to be seen.
Vaccine take up is middling in the UK, but booster take up is far ahead of the rest of Europe. I too, however, am not convinced it's vaccination, since the rate of increase in cases across Europe is VERY consistent and much less variable than the vaccination spread.
The emergent new Delta strain in Europe is AY.4.3 rather than AY.4.2, which is growing in the UK to replace standard Delta. It is possible that the 40k cases per day we have been running for some time now provides some protection against rapid invasion of a new strain, and hence the rate of growth is slower than elsewhere. Personally, I still expect cases to rise, but could be proven wrong in a week or two.
As for influenza, I've had it three times in the past 20 years (including Swine flu in 2009). I've been struck down pretty badly on each occasion, and don't recommend it to anyone. I get the vaccination from work (since we make it), or last year, from the GP. When I've had it, I've needed about a month to recover properly. COVID19 was worse. (at least 12 months to recover, but feeling a lot better now).
Vaccine take up is middling in the UK, but booster take up is far ahead of the rest of Europe.
Are fewer people currently eligible for a booster in continental Europe, because they were relatively slow off the mark initially for first and second doses?
basically looks like we’ve kinda fluked it by having delta wallop us in summer
It wasn't a fluke it was a judgement call which was clearly explained at the time.
But by the end of June, Whitty had concluded it was better for England to move through a third wave during the summer — when schools are out and there are fewer seasonal illnesses — than wait until the autumn. Only about one in a thousand Covid-19 cases now result in death.
“At a certain point, you move to the situation where instead of actually averting hospitalisations and deaths, you move over to just delaying them,” Whitty said at a Downing Street press conference last Monday.
From here
EDIT: At the moment looks like a good call, but we won't know for sure for at least a couple of months.
It was/is clearly a bold and risky call to have made. If it works then brilliant, and I really hope it does!
I'm nervous though
I’m nervous though
I'm cautiously optimistic.
BTW, I do not believe that waning vaccine immunity explains the consistent rate of increase in cases across Europe. I'm sure this is emergence of another strain of interest that has a competitive advantage. The UK has most likely developed some herd immunity (with reduced proportion susceptible) and that now slows the rate of spread.
Israel is the most boosted country, and that shows no increase in cases.
Here is the UK cases compared with Europe excluding the UK. Whilst we are inside the geometric mean 95% confidence interval, we still have almost 50% more cases than the European median (red dashed line).
Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland... even Iceland, all have the same rate of growth from early October. It's very consistent.
It wasn’t a fluke it was a judgement call which was clearly explained at the time
Tbh I don't think that call made much of a difference to the general public in reality, by June a huge wedge of the population had given up listening to experts.
Booked my Covid booster on Sunday evening online. Saw something on Twitter that said officially the appointments were only opening up on Monday morning but you could actually use it from the weekend. December 16th which will be 184 days since my second jab.
Actually think I've been fairly lucky, I know people older than me who've only very recently had their second jab so maybe things around here are a bit ahead of the curve.
Had my flu jab a couple of weeks ago - we get that free via work. Normally it's a nurse coming into the offices but as we're still WFH, they just gave out vouchers to use in Boots. Massive rigmarole booking it, the centre then couldn't find any record of the voucher code but in the end they did the shot free of charge.
I've had my flu jab last 2 years as I now get it free from work and it seemed a wise thing to do, both for the country and because with 3 young kids if the wife or I are ill it's a real struggle to get by! I've had no reaction either time though, so all very easy.
That's me covid boostered and flu jabbed after an email at work to go around to the local centre for walk-ins 🙂
NI back to 'wfh where possible'
This is worth a read, especially considering the attitude to vaccines being espoused on another, now closed, thread https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/23/covid-patients-in-icu-now-almost-all-unvaccinated-says-oxford-scientistI came across this little graphic the other day as well, which resulted in a wry smile…
People who have never experienced flu will not realise what its like until it hits them, wham out for a few days, weak as a kitten for another week and still feel wobberly in week 3. It's well worth having the jab. People that say they have a 'touch of flu' have no idea.
Had my booster today arm a tad sore but not as bad as the other arm which is aching from an old injury. A bit relieved and feel grateful, as in other countries (eg Switzerland where relatives live its aged 65 plus who can have a booster and many haven't been able to get even a second vaccination).
CountZero that's a sober poster and should be everywhere.
My booster/flu combo is booked for 29th Nov
"I started taking a flu jag about 10 years ago"
Humble brag? I just walked.😉 (All the formatting options have disappeared,how odd?)
Been having my flu jab every year for a fair while now, used to pay for it but when listed formally as a carer got it free. My son and his partner get it every year too as they know the danger it poses to his nan and his partners nan too.
Had my booster a few weeks back with no ill effects. I'm really lucky with jabs as I never seems to get side effects with them. Even odd stuff like hepatitis and rabies etc.
That said, even if I did feel a bit peaky afterwards, I'd still have the flu/ Covid jab etc.
People that say they have a ‘touch of flu’ have no idea.
what about people who’ve had a touch of covid?
I’ve never bought this idea that there is one experience of having flu and that’s it. I find it amusing when people try to out-flu each other…
I’ve never bought this idea that there is one experience of having flu and that’s it. I find it amusing when people try to out-flu each other…
That thing about the test for flue being whether you can get out of bed to get a £20 note off the doorstep is real. If you have flu, you won't want or be able to. Anything less than this a bad cold, however unpleasant it may be.
I just googled it. Turns out asymptomatic influenza is a thing.
I’ll take that £20 thanks…
I find it amusing when people try to out-flu each other…
My wood burner is bigger than yours?
Igmc.
But now it's not just about flu being potentially very unpleasant, is it?
With the global covid-19 pandemic the thought of catching both covid and the flu at the same time sounds particularly unappealing.
So getting the flu jab makes even more sense in 2021.
^^I agree Ernie, Covid plus flu at the same time is as terrifying as it sounds I would think.
Back to Covid, I've just watched a report on the ambulance service.
Utterly catastrophic because they can't drop off patients as the hospitals are full. Crews waiting outside hospitals for upto 10 hours as they can't drop off the patients.
I'm appalled that some are still not getting their Covid jab. The selfishness is stunning.
The thought of an underfunded and struggling NHS brought to is knees by 21+ months of covid, trying it very best to cope with a winter flu surge sounds scary. Get a jab, don't get flu, don't pass it on. that was my thought.
Need book my flu jab, been away from home loads with family issues so missed gp so will book through boots when back - had through work or gp for years as asthmatic. Worth it to avoid pressure on NHS at moment.
Father in law died last Tuesday, got covid in hospital, brother in law (unvaccinated) couldn't go funeral as tested positive, currently his fiance (unvaccinated) in ED with significant symptoms - its a shit show, and NHS in Norn Ireland a bag of shit doesn't help.
Fun times, get your bloody vaccine people.
Irony: all those people who say "Oh covid's just like the flu" are pretty much never talking about the actual flu, so they're not just stupidly comparing covid to flu, they're even more stupidly comparing it to a cold.
northshoreniall - that's shit; take card of yourself.
As for 'flu loads of people say they've had it but few have; there's a massive difference between (severe) cold and proper 'flu.
Had covid booster on Sunday; first two doses were AZ, booster was Pfizer.
No side-effects from first two but booster...that was different; never had side effects from meds or injections until this time.
That thing about the test for flue being whether you can get out of bed to get a £20 note off the doorstep is real. If you have flu, you won’t want or be able to. Anything less than this a bad cold, however unpleasant it may be.
Sounds about right. I've had flu - once. It was all I could do to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen for tea & toast for a week & that felt like a death march each time. Lost 2 kg that wk. I can't recommend it as a form of weight loss..
As for ‘flu loads of people say they’ve had it but few have; there’s a massive difference between (severe) cold and proper ‘flu.
But how do we know, there is little or no testing for flu. A spectrum of flu responses from asymptomatic to severe seems entirely credible … and a quick google seems to back that up.
Flu's not flu unless you die of it, FACT! anything else is just a sniffle.
I’ve had flu – once. It was all I could do to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen for tea & toast for a week & that felt like a death march each time. Lost 2 kg that wk. I can’t recommend it as a form of weight loss.
Had it in my early 20s when I was very fit. Same as above. Could only live on lucozade for 3 weeks.
cough, sniffle, cough, snotting, blow nose is not flu; see mrlebowski's post ^^^
dr google is not an approved source for medical diagnoses.
Influenza (flu) can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu is different from a cold. Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
fever* or feeling feverish/chills
cough
sore throat
runny or stuffy nose
muscle or body aches
headaches
fatigue (tiredness)
some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults.
*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
Bit of a milestone to report: Mum is coming out to Australia (NSW) to visit her grandkids for the first time in 2 years - flight is booked for 5th Dec.
Our international borders are shut to anyone except citizens/permanent residents and their "close families" - the definition of which has recently been expanded to include parents.
So she has her visa, she has her travel exemption, just one more form to fill-in 72 hours before flying for the Australian authorities and a negative PCR test, and she's good to go! There's also a bunch more hoops, including PCR testing when she gets here, and LFTs when she gets back to the UK, but that's all manageable. Also, not sure how flying for that long wearing a mask will be, but after a few G&Ts she'll probably be asleep for most of the way anyway.
Sadly she's missing Batfink Jnrs 3rd birthday by a week - but at least she'll be here for Christmas. Happy days.
