Dumb reasons people give for not getting vaxxed thread

[Birdstrike]

The reasons keep getting dumber. Here's one I heard today:

"I'm not gettin' that damn shot!"

Me, "Why?"

"Because I don't wear seatbelts either."

Me, "??????????"

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[Rekt]

Literally any reason.

 

[southerndoc]

It's all about the nanobots!

 

[RustedFox]

[To be read in Appalachian drawl accent]: "Ahh hurd it ree-ranges yer DNA."

 

[Make Or Break]

“I know someone who died taking the vaccine” - heard this one a few times already

“Fauci and Bill Gates are behind all this.”

“I don’t know what’s in it” as they proceed to ask me for a physician referral for the monoclonal infusions after they tested positive

“Because I’m young and healthy”

“I’m highly allergic to everything”

“I’m not going to put anything harmful in my body” in their raspy COPD smokers voice

 

[southerndoc]

[To be read in Appalachian drawl accent]: "Ahh hurd it ree-ranges yer DNA."

 

[deleted1114045]

One of our PAs said he’s not getting the Covid vaccine because it has aborted fetal tissue in it.

I was sent a video from one of our nurses where a dermatopathologist from Idaho claimed, among other things, that the vaccine had ethylene glycol in it. I guess in his defense, dermatopathologists probably don’t deal with constipation very much and therefore don’t realize that the inert ingredient in Pfizer is poly ethylene glycol.

My neighbor, who is a college educated lady and whose husband is a dentist is afraid to get the vaccine because she’s convinced that her autistic child is autistic because of vaccines.

On anti-VAXer websites, there are numerous doomsayers talking about antibody dependent enhancement and predicting that 70% of people who get vaccines are going to die as a result of this phenomenon. They believe it is an intentional global depopulation tool.

Bret Weinstein, on his Darkhorse podcast has so-called experts on who say that we don’t need the vaccine because We have ivermectin and fluvixamine. They are very concerned that it’s going to cause infertility because some women who got the vaccine of had miscarriages. I guess they don’t realize that 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. I listened to a painful, three hour Podcast where he in a couple other guys said that if we used fluvoxamine and ivermectin together that We Could drive Covid into extinction in the next couple of months. That frustrates me, because I think Bret Weinstein is an important voice in other aspects of academia, encouraging free speech, and academic freedom.

My mom, as we speak, has a sore throat and a cough and headache and generalized malaise. My sister, who is college educated is convinced that it’s not Covid, “because I gave her a dose of Ivermectin.” She’s been an anti-VAXer for years and has now convinced my parents who were never anti-VAXers to not get the Covid vaccine. They’re in their 70s.

People don’t get the vaccine because their tribe has told them not to. It’s not a rational thing or based on evidence. They make a decision and then go out and justify their decision with made up crap they hear from random pseudoscientists. Social media is literally killing us as a nation.

 

[Apollyon]

One of our PAs said he’s not getting the Covid vaccine because it has aborted fetal tissue in it.

Well, not fetal tissue, but...

And, if you don't know any better, or, depending on your belief system, you might be considering, well, something...

 

[Franzd'Epinay]

I'm a big fan of "It's a free country, I can do whatever I want" and its variations.

They're 100% right, of course. What they don't realize, is that this statement is the ultimate admission that their decisions aren't based on reason. It's essentially saying "it's not illegal for me to do this".

 

[LibBum]

"I don't want a chip inside of me."

"I have a strong immune system."

 

[panscan]

(From a smoker of 30 years)

“we don’t know what the long term effects are.”

facepalm…

 

[Ho0v-man]

Pt: "I'm not taking that vaccine. It's just the government trying to tell us what to do."

Me: "What were you doing in the military?"

He got 4 other vaccines in the office today.

 

[Birdstrike]

Another patient of mine:

Me, "Did you finally get the vaccine?"

Them, "No. I have terrible lungs and I'm deathly afraid of what the vaccine will do to my lungs."

Me, "The vaccine won't hurt your lungs, it will protect your lungs, from COVID, which could destroy them."

Them, "But I'm afraid of what the vaccine will do to my lungs."

/face-palm

 

[nexus73]

“My ability to move the goalposts knows no bounds”

 

[RuralEDDoc]

“Because where does it end? First 2 shots, now a booster? No, no way, I’ll take my chances.”
Heard that a couple times.

 

[Birdstrike]

“My ability to move the goalposts knows no bounds”

Hilarious, if someone actually gave that as a reason.

 

[BAM!]

"I'll be fine even if I get COVID."

"I didn't think COVID was real."

 

[Kryptocoin]

Unfortunately, in this country we cuddle people's ability to make stupid decisions. This nonsense won't fly in places like China and third world countries with limited resources. Don't want the vaccine? Sure, just don't show up to the ER hypoxic and tachypneic demanding treatment and ICU services. Stay with home with your malaria pills and horse pills.

 

[Birdstrike]

“ I’ll take my chances.”

At least that's honest. Someone acknowledging there's a risk and accepting that risk. That seems slightly better than denying there's any risk from COVID at all, or exaggerating the vaccine risks ten thousandfold.

 

[cyanide12345678]

Unfortunately, in this country we cuddle people's ability to make stupid decisions. This nonsense won't fly in places like China and third world countries with limited resources. Don't want the vaccine? Sure, just don't show up to the ER hypoxic and tachypneic demanding treatment and ICU services. Stay with home with your malaria pills and horse pills.

I'm on my "vacation" in Pakistan right now.

Government employees salaries are being held if they don't get vaccinated. Cell phone sim cards are starting to be threatened to be blocked if you don't get vaccinated. Yeah...

 

[bravotwozero]

I'm on my "vacation" in Pakistan right now.

Government employees salaries are being held if they don't get vaccinated. Cell phone sim cards are starting to be threatened to be blocked if you don't get vaccinated. Yeah...

interesting. How are they able to verify vaccination status there?

 

[thegenius]

One of our PAs said he’s not getting the Covid vaccine because it has aborted fetal tissue in it.

I was sent a video from one of our nurses where a dermatopathologist from Idaho claimed, among other things, that the vaccine had ethylene glycol in it. I guess in his defense, dermatopathologists probably don’t deal with constipation very much and therefore don’t realize that the inert ingredient in Pfizer is poly ethylene glycol.

My neighbor, who is a college educated lady and whose husband is a dentist is afraid to get the vaccine because she’s convinced that her autistic child is autistic because of vaccines.

On anti-VAXer websites, there are numerous doomsayers talking about antibody dependent enhancement and predicting that 70% of people who get vaccines are going to die as a result of this phenomenon. They believe it is an intentional global depopulation tool.

Bret Weinstein, on his Darkhorse podcast has so-called experts on who say that we don’t need the vaccine because We have ivermectin and fluvixamine. They are very concerned that it’s going to cause infertility because some women who got the vaccine of had miscarriages. I guess they don’t realize that 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. I listened to a painful, three hour Podcast where he in a couple other guys said that if we used fluvoxamine and ivermectin together that We Could drive Covid into extinction in the next couple of months. That frustrates me, because I think Bret Weinstein is an important voice in other aspects of academia, encouraging free speech, and academic freedom.

My mom, as we speak, has a sore throat and a cough and headache and generalized malaise. My sister, who is college educated is convinced that it’s not Covid, “because I gave her a dose of Ivermectin.” She’s been an anti-VAXer for years and has now convinced my parents who were never anti-VAXers to not get the Covid vaccine. They’re in their 70s.

People don’t get the vaccine because their tribe has told them not to. It’s not a rational thing or based on evidence. They make a decision and then go out and justify their decision with made up crap they hear from random pseudoscientists. Social media is literally killing us as a nation.

It’s so sad.

 

[cyanide12345678]

interesting. How are they able to verify vaccination status there?

Their national identity card system is a little more advanced than the US. Pretty much every single person with an ID card has been finger printed and has biometric information in the government's system. The national ID cards here kinda can be swiped like a passport, which will pull up the person, it's fairly digitalized, mine has a chip in it like one you see in credit cards. All they have to do is make it absolutely necessary to give your ID card when getting the shot, which they've done and then they can track exactly who has and hasn't gotten the shot.

 

[DocEspana]

"Thats what ****ing Obama would want me to do."

"I make bad decisions doc. I just rode here on a moped with my pregnant wife and neither of us had on helmets"

"The rest of my family got it and I wanted to see if they would end up catching covid first before I got it. see if it actually works."

"I have fibromyalgia" <nods knowingly> <I look on baffled> "You know. Fibromyalgia" <I confirm I know what FM is, but not why its relevant>. "Well you just never know what might make it worse."

"That's what killed the president [of Haiti. Not the US]." <I clarify that he was actually shot by multiple mercenaries> "Sure, but how did they know WHERE TO FIND HIM" <points out he was shot in his house, on the presidential property. Might have been easy to locate> <gets deafening silence in return>

 

[RustedFox]

"I have fibromyalgia" <nods knowingly> <I look on baffled> "You know. Fibromyalgia" <I confirm I know what FM is, but not why its relevant>. "Well you just never know what might make it worse."

Christ.
Fibromyalgia.
Proof that Americans just love their victim complex.

 

[smq123]

“I don’t need the vaccine because I’m not going to get COVID. I don’t go anywhere and I always wear a mask.”

Every single patient who has said this ends up calling back a few weeks later because they got COVID and want to be referred for monoclonal antibodies because “I’m so scared. I don’t want to die.”

One of the medical assistants in my office told me that she wasn’t going to get vaccinated until one of the vaccines was FDA approved. When Pfizer got full FDA approval she admitted that she had no intention of getting the vaccine because “I didn’t think that they’d ever actually get FDA approval.” WTF.

 

[DocEspana]

“I don’t need the vaccine because I’m not going to get COVID. I don’t go anywhere and I always wear a mask.”

Every single patient who has said this ends up calling back a few weeks later because they got COVID and want to be referred for monoclonal antibodies because “I’m so scared. I don’t want to die.”

One of the medical assistants in my office told me that she wasn’t going to get vaccinated until one of the vaccines was FDA approved. When Pfizer got full FDA approval she admitted that she had no intention of getting the vaccine because “I didn’t think that they’d ever actually get FDA approval.” WTF.

I had a tech that literally today came down with COVID and checked in with their elderly mother who was also positive. I thought I was asking a stupid question simply pro forma when I asked them if they were vaccinated. When they said no I was a little baffled. This tech knows damn well that I literally volunteered to be the first physician at my hospital vaccinated.

So I asked her why. And she said that she wanted to see FDA approval first. And before I could point out to her that it is FDA approved, she then adds "And as soon as I saw that they actually approved it, I lost a lot of faith in the FDA because they clearly didn't see the stuff I saw about it."

To be fair, at least she was consistent. She also declined monoclonal antibodies stating that she doesn't think there's enough data on them.

 

[Birdstrike]

One of the medical assistants in my office told me that she wasn’t going to get vaccinated until one of the vaccines was FDA approved. When Pfizer got full FDA approval she admitted that she had no intention of getting the vaccine because “I didn’t think that they’d ever actually get FDA approval.” WTF.

I had a tech that literally today came down with COVID and checked in with their elderly mother who was also positive. I thought I was asking a stupid question simply pro forma when I asked them if they were vaccinated. When they said no I was a little baffled. This tech knows damn well that I literally volunteered to be the first physician at my hospital vaccinated.

So I asked her why. And she said that she wanted to see FDA approval first. And before I could point out to her that it is FDA approved, she then adds "And as soon as I saw that they actually approved it, I lost a lot of faith in the FDA because they clearly didn't see the stuff I saw about it."

To be fair, at least she was consistent. She also declined monoclonal antibodies stating that she doesn't think there's enough data on them.

It's amazing how people assign credibility to their sources of information. We all know we "can't believe everything we read." But some people, many who should know better, are assigning the highest credibility to the sketchiest, random sources. They throw out the opinions of people they've trusted their whole life, their doctor, educated friends, major medical organizations and because "some guy I've never heard of until today, is saying stuff on the internet, omg!" So they throw all everything they previously believed to be credible and latch permanently onto one bit of information that scares them.

I suppose it's not surprising if you believe that 90% of decisions people make are snap emotional decisions, followed by picking and choosing only the bits of information that support their initial decision, while ignoring information that doesn't support it.

Fear is one of the most powerful persuaders of all.

 

[Saddleshoes]

So far all the stuff listed here would fall under the "Excuses" category not the "Reasons" category.

 

[Birdstrike]

"Excuses" ... not ..."Reasons"

If there is anything you could call a "reason" it might be fear: fear of a vaccine, fear of the unknown (mRNA, pharmaceuticals), fear of someone spying on them (government, technology corps, nanobots), fear of loss of control. Not necessarily rational, but powerful, nonetheless.

 

[smq123]

Fear is one of the most powerful persuaders of all.

Yes, it is. But what frustrates me the most (and probably all of us) is that it's IRRATIONAL fear that's driving this all. For the average overweight 60 year old with high blood pressure and a 40 pack-year history, the more likely scenario that would play out is ending up in an ICU, on supplemental oxygen if not intubation. But that scary scenario doesn't motivate people to get the vaccine - the far less likely scenario that China is implanting microchips in every vial of Pfizer or Moderna is what scares people into not getting vaccinated.

One of my patients fits in exactly that category - she's in her 60s, high blood pressure, diabetic, overweight, past smoker. She doesn't want to get the vaccine because "I want to wait until we have more information on how safe it is." In the meantime, the very real possibility that she will get COVID, and end up intubated in an ICU, leaving her 19 year old daughter (and her closest living relative) as her POA, doesn't faze her. The other very real possibility that she will die and leave her 19 year old daughter alone to fend for herself (as the patient doesn't have other relatives) also doesn't motivate her to get the vaccine. It makes me want to pull my hair out.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

I had a tech that literally today came down with COVID and checked in with their elderly mother who was also positive. I thought I was asking a stupid question simply pro forma when I asked them if they were vaccinated. When they said no I was a little baffled. This tech knows damn well that I literally volunteered to be the first physician at my hospital vaccinated.

So I asked her why. And she said that she wanted to see FDA approval first. And before I could point out to her that it is FDA approved, she then adds "And as soon as I saw that they actually approved it, I lost a lot of faith in the FDA because they clearly didn't see the stuff I saw about it."

To be fair, at least she was consistent. She also declined monoclonal antibodies stating that she doesn't think there's enough data on them.

This is literally the first time I've heard of a patient doing that. Kudos... I guess?

 

[Birdstrike]

Yes, it is. But what frustrates me the most (and probably all of us) is that it's IRRATIONAL fear that's driving this all. ...It makes me want to pull my hair out.

It is very frustrating. I have a friend, who's actually a very smart guy: Early 40's, just sold a software company for $2 million, so, not a dummy. "I won't take the vaccine, because it's experimental," he says of the COVID vaccine which is FDA approved and not experimental. Instead, he's taking prophylactic zinc, vitamin D and has an HCQ/Zpak stash, which for COVID are all...experimental.



Although he's not elderly, he's got at least 1 COVID risk factor that I know of (weight) as does his wife. I'm torn as to whether to voice my opinion or just let it go. So far I've respected his autonomy and not said much other than, "My whole family got the shot and had no side effects."

 

[DocEspana]

This is literally the first time I've heard of a patient doing that. Kudos... I guess?

My population is the "don't trust the government but also votes democrat". So when they don't trust medicine they don't trust ALL of it. Seen a few people reject monoclonal on various arguments of them thinking it's controversial too. And one who didn't believe covid was actually a real thing, so he said that he is not going to be charged a bunch of money to get sugar water and be told that it's a treatment. He was a bit unique.

 

[southerndoc]

Had a guy yesterday who went through both COVID vaccines in February. Got COVID earlier this month, presented yesterday with a sat of 81% on room air. CXR looked like multifocal pneumonia. Luckily we got his EKG prior to CXR because he was having an inferior STEMI. Turned out to have triple vessel disease, bought 3 stents to his RCA, planning for staged PCI of other vessels prior to discharge, and now is in complete heart block getting a pacer/AICD (EF was 20%). Could've easily went down the rabbit hole of thinking it was just multifocal pneumonia and brushed off the EKG until later. He only had chest pain when he coughed. I gotta admit I don't press hard for an EKG quickly in these patients. Was saved by an astute charge nurse who wanted to do it as soon as he got in a room just because of his age (73).

 

[Birdstrike]

Had a guy yesterday who went through both COVID vaccines in February. Got COVID earlier this month, presented yesterday with a sat of 81% on room air. CXR looked like multifocal pneumonia. Luckily we got his EKG prior to CXR because he was having an inferior STEMI. Turned out to have triple vessel disease, bought 3 stents to his RCA, planning for staged PCI of other vessels prior to discharge, and now is in complete heart block getting a pacer/AICD (EF was 20%). Could've easily went down the rabbit hole of thinking it was just multifocal pneumonia and brushed off the EKG until later. He only had chest pain when he coughed. I gotta admit I don't press hard for an EKG quickly in these patients. Was saved by an astute charge nurse who wanted to do it as soon as he got in a room just because of his age (73).

Nice pick up on the STEMI. Do you think the lung findings are residual COVID from a month ago, bacterial pneumonia superinfection or do you think he fully recovered from COVID and got it again, but a more severe case?

 

[southerndoc]

Nice pick up on the STEMI. Do you think the lung findings are residual COVID from a month ago, bacterial pneumonia superinfection or do you think he fully recovered from COVID and got it again, but a more severe case?

100% CHF. POCUS showed an EF of about 20%. He put out nicely with Lasix (during the cath; I'm sure the interventionalist is thankful for the Foley). He had a decent pleural effusion, but the radiologist read it as multifocal pneumonia. Chest x-ray this morning was much better after he was diuresed.

 

[Birdstrike]

100% CHF. POCUS showed an EF of about 20%. He put out nicely with Lasix (during the cath; I'm sure the interventionalist is thankful for the Foley). He had a decent pleural effusion, but the radiologist read it as multifocal pneumonia. Chest x-ray this morning was much better after he was diuresed.

Ah...got it.

An old radiologist I used to know, would mutter, "Blood, puss and water. It all looks the same." Lol.

 

[Mount Asclepius]

Ah...got it.

An old radiologist I used to know, would mutter, "Blood, puss and water. It all looks the same." Lol.

On the flip side, we have a radiologist who always accurately comments that patients are anemic given their blood density on CT imaging. I'm secretly a little impressed that you can tell that on imaging and also that they are semi-correlating clinically on their own. I bet that someday they'll also be able to comment that it's due to iron, B12 or folate deficiency. I feel a little though like it's cheating and another step closer towards putting us all out of a job.

 

[namethatsmell]

"Get outta my face clown!"

Got this response last week re: thoughts on getting a covid vaccine from a patient who'd apparently also lost it on a particularly grandmotherly RN who'd asked this pt presenting with URI symptoms the same question.

Easy dispo

 

[bravotwozero]

"Get outta my face clown!"

Got this response last week re: thoughts on getting a covid vaccine from a patient who'd apparently also lost it on a particularly grandmotherly RN who'd asked this pt presenting with URI symptoms the same question.

Easy dispo

what a clown.

 

[Birdstrike]

"Get outta my face clown!"

Got this response last week re: thoughts on getting a covid vaccine from a patient who'd apparently also lost it on a particularly grandmotherly RN who'd asked this pt presenting with URI symptoms the same question.

Easy dispo

What a dong hat

 

[namethatsmell]

what a clown.

What a dong hat

Yup. Although I gotta admit it made me chuckle. Reminded me of that scene in Wedding Crashers where the little kid shouts at Vince Vaughn: "Make me a bicycle, clown!"

 

[Apollyon]

On the flip side, we have a radiologist who always accurately comments that patients are anemic given their blood density on CT imaging. I'm secretly a little impressed that you can tell that on imaging and also that they are semi-correlating clinically on their own. I bet that someday they'll also be able to comment that it's due to iron, B12 or folate deficiency. I feel a little though like it's cheating and another step closer towards putting us all out of a job.

I ran that by a good friend who is rads. She said that part of the ddx is vessel thrombus, so, it is a real thing (vs just someone being a savant).

 

[HowlPrenderghast]

Me: Are you vaccinated against COVID?

Patient: Nah, if it's my time to go, then it's my time.

Me: Uhhh ... Ok. Anyways, have you used any recreational drugs in the past?

Patient: Meth

Nurse: ....

Me: >_>

Doesn't want a vaccine but have no problems taking meth, lmao.

 

[Dred Pirate]

"God will save me and build my immune system"

ended up in ICU

refused monoclonal abx treatment as well.

reminds me of the joke about the a guy as a flood is comming.
A bus comes by to evacuate - doesn't get in "don't worry - god will save me"
waters rise - a boat comes by - doesn't get in "don't worry, god will save me"
water rises - he is on the roof, a helicopter comes by "don't worry, god will save me"

goes to heaven, and asks why he didn't save him
"I send you a ****ing bus, boat, and a helicopter but you didn't get your ass in"

 

[BoardingDoc]

Me: Are you vaccinated against COVID?

Patient: Nah, if it's my time to go, then it's my time.

Me: Uhhh ... Ok. Anyways, have you used any recreational drugs in the past?

Patient: Meth

Nurse: ....

Me: >_>

Doesn't want a vaccine but have no problems taking meth, lmao.

I honestly don't see any psychological inconsistencies with saying "if I die,I die" as a reason for not wanting the vaccine if they're also using meth. If anything, I feel that using meth supports that position.

 

[RustedFox]

I honestly don't see any psychological inconsistencies with saying "if I die,I die" as a reason for not wanting the vaccine if they're also using meth. If anything, I feel that using meth supports that position.

A younger RustedFox got in a lot of trouble with admin once because I pointed out to the old smoky lady who said - "If I die, I die, I'm fine with that, I'm not going to quit smoking" that :

"See; I hear patients say that a lot - and they think that they'll die peacefully, with their family all around them giving them hugs. Or maybe just quietly in their sleep - but that's not what happens. They can't breathe, they get scared, they come here, and they wind up on machines in the ICU for days before they die with their family nowhere around."


That was awhile ago. It was back when I still gave an *eff* about patients and wanted to legit give it my all and *make a difference* and all that nonsense that I no longer believe in because medicine stopped being about medicine awhile ago and started being all about corporate profits.

Here's the pisser: it wasn't the patient that complained about me. It wasn't their family, either. The family actually thanked me in secret after that little soliloquy. It was the nurse who was "uncomfortable".

Because nursing "feelings" are more important than making an actual positive impact on that patient.

It was shortly after that very *uncomfortable* talk with admin that I coined the phrase - "Don't let your sensitivities get in the way of your sensibilities."

 

[Birdstrike]

...because medicine stopped being about medicine awhile ago and started being all about corporate profits...

Don't you love how admin and everyone behind the scenes knows this (of course they do, because they made it that way) but who gets sent out on the front lines to make it SEEM like it's not?

Who's expected to be the face of admin? Who's expected to be the academy award winning actor to polish the **** pushed out by admin?

You got it...


The doctor!

 

[bravotwozero]

A younger RustedFox got in a lot of trouble with admin once because I pointed out to the old smoky lady who said - "If I die, I die, I'm fine with that, I'm not going to quit smoking" that :

"See; I hear patients say that a lot - and they think that they'll die peacefully, with their family all around them giving them hugs. Or maybe just quietly in their sleep - but that's not what happens. They can't breathe, they get scared, they come here, and they wind up on machines in the ICU for days before they die with their family nowhere around."


That was awhile ago. It was back when I still gave an *eff* about patients and wanted to legit give it my all and *make a difference* and all that nonsense that I no longer believe in because medicine stopped being about medicine awhile ago and started being all about corporate profits.

Here's the pisser: it wasn't the patient that complained about me. It wasn't their family, either. The family actually thanked me in secret after that little soliloquy. It was the nurse who was "uncomfortable".

Because nursing "feelings" are more important than making an actual positive impact on that patient.

It was shortly after that very *uncomfortable* talk with admin that I coined the phrase - "Don't let your sensitivities get in the way of your sensibilities."

It is difficult for me to put into words, how p'd off and irritated I got from reading this - not from anything you said, but your numb nuts admin.

i'm pretty sure this had a lot to do with a power trippy CNO that loves to make life difficult for docs, +/- spineless medical director who just bends and takes it. I've been there.