“Those who get flu shots are “taking one for the team”. Those who don’t are free riders.”
BS, if you take the shot, YOU get your immunity, right? And if one doesn’t take the shot, they only risk themselves and others who made the same decision.
So take the shot if you wish. You are free to mock me if i get a flu. My decision does not harm those who decide to get the shot. Why are you so determined to make us get the same shot you did? How does that benefit YOU?
No matter how much you types talk about “herd immunity”, it all comes down to the individual. If only 5 people in America got the miracle shot, they are protected. Anything beyond self protection is getting into a gray area.
Funny how the health worker community is usually pro-choice, that is until i decide not to get a shot.
Actually, even people who receive the shot might not be protected. Some people do not become immune from shots. So, if you skip your shots and get sick, you could very well endanger someone who has conscientiously taken all of their vaccines. Your choice to remain susceptible to vaccine preventable diseases does not just affect you.
Okay, forget about anything with a tinge of collectivism to it. Let’s stipulate that no one should be obligated to get a flu shot.
Not getting a flu shot seems like a good idea, when most other people are getting a shot. You don’t run any risk from getting a shot; and your risk of getting the flu is small. Now, what happens if the proportion of the population getting a shot falls below some critical threshold (2/3 or whatever it may be)? That changes the risk-reward trade-off for immunization. A lot more people would be catching (and spreading) the flu. If you don’t get a shot, your chance of getting the flu are much greater, if fewer other people also don’t get a shot.
So, if you don’t want to take a flu shot, and you don’t want to catch the flu — the smart thing would be to try to convince everyone else to get a shot.