Many were forced to take the vax by threats to their housing, jobs, family members etc.
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Forced? True to some degree but the weak willed bent over. Many( like me) told our employers NO, I will not comply, fire me. I endured weekly testing, after I caught the C flu, the faulty C flu tests were continuously positive, they gave me three months off….with full pay and “ awarded” me with my Religious Exemption.
Glad I didn’t fold, more than a dozen died from the clot shots, many more had serious side effects- two are still on long term disability.
I was fully prepared to retire early over this.
What the other poster said about ostracization is true. Due to my unvaccinated status, My wife (also unvaccinated) and I were not allowed to many family events during that time, including Christmas. They were afraid we'd "kill grandma" or something because they fully bought into the nonsense. We tried not to take it personal.
Then it all went away, virtually overnight. Nobody talks about COVID vaccine mandates anymore and I guess they all want us to forget about it.
I'll never forget it.
Sad sidenote, my youngest son recently passed away with "turbo cancer." He was fine on Thanksgiving, gone shortly after Christmas. It was that fast. Yes, he was very much up to speed on his "vaccinations and boosters." I don't dare bring it up with my widowed DIL who now has two grandchildren to raise. But I believe the COVID vaxxes played a part in that.
I did exactly what you did, however my three sons were adults and well into their careers at that point. I may have risked all if my sons were still kids at the time.