My mom had her first coronavirus vaccine shot more than a week ago. She had zero side effects and she says she’s been feeling great. The only bad thing is that she told me that there were many people in her assisted living facility who refused to take the vaccine when offered. That pissed me off so much, my God. I want to believe that most seniors are super-eager to take the vaccine, just like I tend to believe that it’s mostly younger people who spout anti-Vaxx crap. But here’s Olivia Newton-John, saying that she’s not going to take the vaccine. Her daughter is also an an anti-Vaxxer.
Olivia Newton-John said she has no plans yet to get the COVID-19 vaccine, despite being eligible in her home state of California, where they’re being offered to older adults. When asked if she’d get the shot, the 72-year-old actress said, “Not at this point, no,” Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper reported.
The “Grease” star, who is currently battling stage-four breast cancer, would qualify for the vaccine since it’s available to Californians ages 65 and older.
Newton-John didn’t elaborate on her decision, but her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, explained in the interview her own take on vaccines, the Independent reported.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer. I’m anti putting mercury and pesticides in my body, which are in a lot of vaccines,” said 35-year-old Lattanzi, who has no medical qualifications and provided no evidence to back up her controversial reasoning. She explained that she no longer trusts doctors, claiming that she’s done her own “research” on vaccinations.
“To me real medicine is what comes from the earth. I think people trust vaccines because the doctor says it is safe, I used to,” Lattanzi said. Lattanzi said that she wished she had never been vaccinated for anything.
It’s possible that Olivia’s cancer is pretty advanced and she perhaps doesn’t believe that the coronavirus is ultimately that much of a threat to her. It’s also possible that Olivia and her daughter share the same negative views on vaccines and the same positive views on “holistic” medicine. Whatever the situation here, I just wish that more older folks were on board. We’ve heard so many stories about people waiting in line for hours for the vaccine and all of that, but I’m just worried that there’s a significant chunk of the older population who just wave off the vaccine.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
“Do your research”
“Trust the plan”
“The best is yet to come”
All these conspiracists sound awfully similar. I’ll take whatever they don’t want. Idiots
Ding ding ding!! It’s terrifying how warped the thinking of some has become.
I hate the “do your research” garage phrase. By research they mean look it up on the internet which doesn’t have any false information or just downright lies and let me just gently nudge in the right direction by posting the websites that have “helped” my family.
Yup. Someone tried that “do your research!” nonsense with a random facebook link in a local group discussing the vaccine appointments, and the admin swifty deleted them. It’s garbage, and I hate people thinking looking something up on the internet with the goal of reinforcing your own ideas is in any way equal to actual scientific research.
‘i am not anit-vax’. They all say that. I
‘i did my own research ‘
Yeah why go to med school when you can just read a few articles online and jump to some conclusions? Its narcissism IMO. ‘oh you pay your taxes? What an idiot, i outsmarted the system and don’t pay.’ Says people like Trump
I’ve done my research: I did a BSc in Microbiology and a MSc in Cell Biology&Virology and I work in immunology. My opinion is based on actual evidences and lab experiences: vaccine works. It’s insulting when people with a HS degree pretend that a 15min youtube search means they know and understand just as much as I do after 15 years in the field. It’s not. Just like watching a video about how to change a toilet doesn’t make me a plumber
Amen!
Arpeggi, you are so right, and I’m sorry people can be thinking this way! I was a little nervous, so I asked a friend of mine who’s a research scientist at Rutgers if it could hurt my DNA. (She helped develop the quick test for Covid, and before that worked for years on gene sequencing.). She explained briefly how it works, said it’s safe, and she and her entire family are getting it. That convinced me! ps: Thanks for your work!!
THIS!! I want you and every other medical professional to be able to yell this at every person questioning or rejecting the vaccine.
This is some scary shit right now. If we don’t get to the 70% threshold of people taking the vaccine I’m really worried about what it will mean. The virus will keep mutating and the vaccine won’t be affective, right?
@Nikki* : yeah, the chances of a mRNA vaccine to modify your DNA in a significant (or insignificant) manner is about 0%. I can’t wait to get vaccinated, I don’t know of any life scientist who doesn’t want their shots. My MD of a brother already got his 1st jab and I’m jealous. One of my friends got his 1st shot in late Dec.: the amount of abuse his gf got from FB “friends” of hers when she posted a pic of his vaccination card was astounding! Those people who never attended a science class after 8th grade but claimed to know better than a MD who’s been working in a NYC hospital all year (and who also has a BSc and MSc in microbio and immunology) telling him to do his research when he’s been in the middle of it all year! I was furious.
@Libby, I’m not so much afraid about mutations that would render the vaccines ineffective (even if it’s a possibility) that low vaccination rates will lead to more unnecessary deaths and disabilities. It’d take many mutations for the spike protein to so completely change its shape that the vaccine-mounted immune response wouldn’t recognize it. The beauty of mRNA vaccine is that it’s somewhat easy to modify them for new variants. Though we don’t know if a vaccine against multiple variants would be effective and we don’t want to lose time studying it when we could simply vaccinate everyone quickly, avoid creating new variants and get back to being able to gather with friends and family.
I’ve always believed that people in “developed countries” became afraid of vaccines because we aren’t exposed to the devastation caused by infectious diseases anymore but this pandemic is proving me wrong. I’m not sure what’s needed for people to take it seriously. Cameras in the covid wards?
Her daughter is ridiculous. Railing against vaccines saying she doesn’t out that stuff in her body but yet look at her! Fake books,fake lips. Stupid argument. I hate when people say “oh I’ve done my research”. Talk to a goddamn doctor,otherwise sit down and shut up
Chloe is a moron. Also, despite her protestations, based on what she says, she is indeed an anti-vaxxer. “I wish i had never been vaccinated” Sit down spoiled do-nothing.
Her daughter looks like a Bratz doll.
Don’t these celebrities realize how dangerous they are? She has many fans and those fans will be willing to follow her and do whatever she says.
I’m taking the vaccine as soon as it is available to me.
Right? with all the crap she has put in her body cosmetically, she is worried about a vaccine?
Please.
Exactly what I was going to say. She has had so many procedures.
My thought exactly – there is faaaar more evidence that plastic inserted in your body causes long-term damage than any vaccine concerns.
“Everything you need for healing comes from the earth” – I bet dollars to donuts that Olivia is using chemo. Would her daughter not if she had cancer? What a dope…
I’m all for natural medicine for certain things. I use handmade small batch cleansers and moisturizers. I use an herbal sleep tincture. A few other things. But I sure as hell am going to take antibiotics over natural medicine if something I have calls for it, and I’m chomping at the bit to get the vaccine (I’m in probably the last group to get it unfortunately)
My mom is 71 and she says she doesn’t want the vaccine because it’s so new. She says she might consider getting it a year or so down the road, but I’m still trying to convince her she needs to get it ASAP.
Absolutely, she has to be or else she’d be dead from her stage 4 cancer. You don’t live this long with stage 4 MBC without advanced and constant medical treatment. Especially when it’s in the back, which easily is a gateway to the spine and thus brain.
Which makes this even more terrible, because Olivia is spitting in the face of every single medical person and doctor who has worked to allow her to live this long by refusing it. And spitting in the face of so many stage 4 cancer patients who can’t afford world class treatment like her.
She will herself will eventually die of COVID unless she never goes out again if she doesn’t get this vaccine with it’s prevalence. And stage 4 cancer patients have the highest COVID death risk of anyone- early studies say 60-80% of stage 4 patients with COVID die from it.
When she could live for up to decade with positive response to breast cancer treatments otherwise.
Honestly, her doctor should have psychology consult with her and get her away from her daughter who’s literally committing elder abuse if she’s the one behind Olivia not getting this vaccine. That’s medical neglect. I truly hope she has good doctors who will intervene and not star sycophant doctors.
Not to mention the illegal drug use she’s known for. What is she even talking about??! With all that crazy excessive surgery and drugs and god knows what else… why on earth draw the line at a vaccine? All I can say is it must be really, really difficult being the child of Olivia Newton-John because this woman needs attention so badly it hurts to watch.
Oh goodness, I didn’t know what she looked like. She has messed with her face and body multiple times. Yeah, sit down with your natural from the earth self, lady.
Yeah, between all the silicone, botox (an actual toxin!), saline solutions, anesthetics and so on, she willingly was injected with way more crap that a jab in the arm will ever give her.
And there’s no mercury in the covid vaccines anyway (at least not in the Pfizer/Moderna ones as it is used as a conservative and and they have no shelf stability to begin with)
Yeah she was proud to spend $10,00 on a second boob job and said, “Now I’m a 32DD (10DD), love my body and love showing my new boobs off.” And you only have to look at her face to see a nose job and god knows how much fillers and crap, plus hello, natural Brunette.
Now what ever she wants to do to herself as long as it doesn’t put her or anybody else in danger go for it. But saying how you’ve “done your research” and only put earth based medicines in your body after getting all that done and making yourself look like a Bratz doll?
Exceedingly full of herself and dim witted as well. I particularly hate the ‘it grows in the ground so it must be good’ mentality of idiots like this I swear. Ricin grows in the ground, so does alot of other deadly shit but hey I’m sure she’d be able to differentiate the good from the bad, right? LOL
Doesn’t she also own a pot farm? And Olivia’s boyfriend gives her hallucinogenic herbs? So that’s ok but a vaccine isn’t?
I didn’t know she was stage 4 breast cancer. that’s incurable, so…i can’t judge.
My mother also has stage 4 cancer and has said she won’t take the vaccine. Her oncologist said it was ok to take, but she’s concerned it might affect her current medicine, which is keeping her alive at the moment. So, despite my frustrations about it all and telling her from what I read Covid is still a bigger risk than the vaccine for cancer patients, I have to accept her decision.
Most vaccines say to not give if the person is sick – since your mom has cancer already I can understand your her reasoning with not wanting to mess up the treatment that’s keeping her alive in any way.
I fully believe in vaccinations but I don’t get them when I’m sick – one of my favorite GP’s had me wait to get my flu vaccine by a few weeks because I had a sinus infection and was taking meds to treat it. But she said once I was healthy, to get my butt in to get vaccinated – and I did.
I have no idea of Olivia is an anti-vaxxer or not but since she has cancer, it’s possible her doctors are worried about a possible interaction with her treatment.
But that also means it’s important the rest of us who are able to get vaccinated – get vaccinated. We help protect those who are unable to get it.
Best wishes to you and your mom. Dealing with that kind of health issue, I can kind of understand not wanting to add the vaccine to it, but I hope she’s able to isolate and stay safe until the numbers are way, way down.
My best wishes for your mom. I have an autoimmune disease and frankly on the fence – although appointments are impossible to get even though I qualify.
The reality is that for cancer patients and autoimmune disease there hasn’t been nearly enough testing (that’s the way these phases work). My doctor says to get it but no one is sure whether it will cause an autoimmune flare up or worse. For cancer patients I’ve read it really is case by case and it may not be the right answer for some. I think that’s probably the situation with ONJ.
I hope everyone your mom can infect can accept her decision as well.
She’s an idiot. I really wish the media would stop giving these whacks a platform. We don’t need people to read up on anti-vax nonsense spouted by celebrities.
Agreed. This shouldn’t be reported on. It’s propagating propaganda and it’s dangerous.
I agree. We have to stop giving platforms to celebrities who do not have expertise in areas that they are talking about. I just picked up a book by Tom Nichols called ” The Death of Expertise: The Campaign against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters” that talks about this very thing. Schwarzenegger also had a terrific post a week or two ago about listening to experts, and that you can listen to him about biceps and to people like Fauci about vaccinations and epidemiology.
The role of celebrity endorsements and influencers really needs to be rethought.
Yet daughter and possibly mother seem okay with injectables and other non-essential cosmetic procedures? Interesting logic.
It’s odd, isn’t it? Are they getting “holistic” injectables? I think not.
I cannot recall if the daughter has owned up to her obvious major makeover or not. If she does admit it, then would take some major jumps of logic to think that completely changing one’s appearance was somehow “natural”.
With Olivia’s reported health issues, her reasoning could be tied to treatments, immunity challenges, etc. I just don’t understand why their personal choices on the vaccine have to be trumpeted to the world.
These anti-vaxxers are going to kill us all. It’s not just to protect yourself, idiots. We need enough people vaccinated so we can reach herd immunity.
The internet has been both a wonderful and terrible thing. It’s hard to imagine life without it but then I find myself wondering if people like this would have access to ‘research’ or if the Cult of Trump would have been able to organize within our government and have a mob storm the capitol without it.
It’s Pandora’s Box.
I was speaking to a doc friend who said since the vaccine can allow us to still be asymptomatic Covid carriers, we could end up with a huge group of vaccinated population carrying the virus and the only people we will be in danger to are the anti-vaxxers. Live by the sword…
The latest entry in the COVID vaccines nominally has much lower general efficacy (about 60%) but may be quite useful because apparently it cuts down the odds of getting seriously ill and dying from COVID if you encounter the virus. A vaccine doesn’t prevent you from picking up the virus but rather hopefully makes your immune system recognize the threat faster and so you are much less likely to get sick. The viral loads are kept down to a manageable level.
I was given my first dose last week as well. They put it in my non dominant arm and it was a bit sore for the rest of the day and the next day, I was fine.
I was told to keep up with the fluids and so far, so good.
Olivia is 72 and has terminal cancer, I can see her going just accepting life and what comes after. If it is her time, it is her time.
Her daughter on the other hand is a straight idiot.
I had my first dose last week also. I was asked which arm and chose my nondiminant arm. The guy who gave me the vaccine told me to move the arm every once in a while and drink plenty of water. My arm wasn’t sore until after I slept on it most of the night. Even then it only hurt when I moved the arm. I’ve felt more pain in my arm after a tetanus shot.
OMG. I had my first dose Jan. 21st. I just had a sore arm for 2 days. 3rd day I woke up throwing up, diarrhea, chills (2 days), and low-grade fever (1 day). I was sick for a week and half. I have yet to hear from anyone else that they have gotten sick from the first dose. I am more than a little worried about getting the second dose but that won’t stop me from getting it because…science.
I was going to say, I could understand Olivia declining it due to her cancer status. That’s one thing. Her daughter is a different story.
Ridiculous. Does she think her anticancer drugs are “from the earth”? Fuck off with that. I am so sick of lay people thinking they know more than physicians and public health scientists. It sends a terrible message for a celebrity to talk this way.
There is more than one way to treat cancer. It’s likely Olivia is on FECO, full extract cannabis oil, and a plant based diet. I’ve been part of a FB group where there are over a 100K members all sharing their testaments to being sent home to die of cancer only to clear their bodies of cancer thanks to high doses of full extract of cannabis oil and other natural “from the earth” means. It’s not pseudoscience, it’s just not pushed by the pharmaceutical industry although you can see how now that cannabis is legalized they are dying to genetically modify the plant so they can patent it!
I’m sorry but no. You won’t cure a metastatic breast cancer with highly concentrated cannabis oil. It is pseudoscience and there are no evidences that it works or that those ppl on fb groups actually exists (especially if they promote one specific brand that “helped them”: they’re advertisers faking testimonials to increase sales). It’s the kind of pseudoscience that killed Steve McQueen
Please point us to the scientific studies that have been done on people “clearing” their bodies of cancer using cannabis oil and products that “come from the earth” (ummm…every item on earth comes from earth, where else would it come from?)
And, before you say that of course there are no studies because big pharma doesn’t want us to have this info, please consider that researchers who are trying to find cures for cancer all have family members who may have cancer, they may know of children with cancer, they may have it themselves.
If there is some magic cancer cure that is out there, these ethical, committed researchers would be making sure people knew about it. Accusing professionals who have dedicated their lives to cancer research of hiding information that would save millions of lives is terribly offensive and ignorant.
I have a friend whose mother decided to use cannabis oil as an alternative treatment for her cancer diagnosis.
She was dead within a month.
I’m all for testing various treatments, but there’s a reason certain cancer treatments are more preferable to others. I’m highly wary of anyone on social media or blogs making cancer-curing claims that haven’t been fully researched by actual scientists and doctors.
Olivia didn’t give a reason and is terminally ill. I won’t judge, I don’t know why she made that decision. Her daughter though… those are some big words for someone who has pounds of silicone or whatnot in her body.
I’m working the only CVS store clinic in the state of SC, and vaccinating nursing facilities in Georgia. You would be shocked at the number of nurses and other health care providers who refuse to get it. I get it, nobody can force you… but don’t take a job in which you care for high risk patients and not protect yourself and them. I get so angry.
“I’m not an anti-vaxxer…except I wish I’d never had any vaccines.” OK, sure! Anytime someone says they’ve “done their own research,” you know that means “I read dubious stuff on the internet.”
I wish I could watch the journey my face made just reading the title.
“Olivia Newton-John, 72” ….🥺 noooo, oh please don’t tell me she died.
“Says she won’t get the coronavirus vaccine”….. 😒 oh, she’s just a moron. Eh I honestly hadn’t thought of her in at least a decade. Lolol
I don’t judge Olivia, she has terminal cancer and has been fighting it since 2017 so nearly 4 years. Sure, the vaccine may protect her against COVID but it won’t cure her cancer. Her daughter though has no excuse. You’d think she’d want to get the vaccine to help protect her mom. Her “logic” is nonexistent. I would hate to have a daughter like her.
Research on facebook and research from the American Medical Association (or Aussie equivalent) are vastly different. Daughter apparently wishes she had polio too. Just keep on with your silicone implants.
Olivia should get the vaccine.
I think she meant ‘research’ (possibly with air quotes or a very obvious wink) or maybe she just doesn’t understand what that term means full stop.
Olivia has advanced cancer and has not spoken directly to the media to explain her decision, which is personal anyway. Her daughter is very clearly not mentally healthy and hasn’t been for a long time, and has been saying all manner of irrational and untrue things on social media for awhile now. She really needs some sort of intervention Olivia is in no position to get her. Chloe unfortunately often gives Britney a run for her money. I wonder what happened to her that her dysmorphia and hold on reality is so delicate.
Olivia has been overtaken with the belief that chemical pollution played a role in her original battle with breast cancer. She went to extreme lengths to detoxify her home then. I suppose she passed some of her convictions to her daughter who lacked the ability to apply measured discernment to rationally evaluate when man made products are truly beneficial instead of harmful.
And let’s be fair, there have been people who have had severe reactions to vaccines in general. There was at least one healthy man who died after receiving the vaccine (connection not proven) and deaths of elderly in Norway. Most of us would look at all the other people doing well but Chloe has impaired judgment, to say the least. Olivia is an unknown because she hasn’t explained her reasons.
So, I’ll save my outrage for people who have more impact on my own life, like our vile willfully deranged Congress people.
Elderly people with severe health problems often have reduced capacity to comprehend their health care choices. That’s the reason my husband and I have had to advocate for our parents. My father-in-law did not understand why he needed to take the Coronavirus vaccine because he’d had so many vaccines as a soldier. This was a man who worked in public health for a few years and has forgotten more than most of us will ever know about vaccines!
Her sister and father died from cancer so it’s in the genes. Has nothing to do with pollutants in this case
The good thing about the Covid vaccine is that many companies are producing it, so not one company has a monopoly on how it is produced & what preservatives are added.
Her daughter has a point, if you stop being defensive & listen for a second. She clearly states that she is not anti-vax, like some people are. Vaccines are amazing, but our pharmaceutical companies that create vaccines & put additives in them are not. Most childhood vaccines are made by only one company (Merck) who, because they are fueled by capitalism & not public health, have a history of putting a lot of additives in their vaccines which are not necessary & endanger some people (including mercury, etc). The MMR used to be available as single doses to medically fragile kids who needed that, but Merck took that option away & now the only choice is a triple dose. They have a monopoly on our vaccines & we should have the option for other companies & other choices, which could increase the number of people who got vaccines. This is not the case, thank goodness, for the Covid vaccine.
It’s confusing to me that people will want to eat organic and not get this idea. It’s not the vaccines that some people have an issue with trusting (like it’s not the actual food ingredients that people side eye in wow doritos), it’s the companies that produce them and have lied about their dangerous additives in the past. People wondering why the public doesn’t trust pharmaceutical companies who are given a monopoly by our politicians in our capitalist society is gas lighting at it’s finest.
Vaccines are amazing, but companies who create vaccines aren’t because they put stuff in vaccines? Lol, so which vaccines are amazing – the ones that nobody creates? Do you make your own?
How does being fueled by capitalism explain adding unnecessary things to a vaccine? Do you really think scientists finish a vaccine and then go “ok, how which toxic poisons can we mix in just for fun and for the sake of capitalism”?
MM2… That is on point. Its true. I have to eat all organic with no GMOs in order to keep the “cytokine response” in my body down.I have to keep out all things my body would consider foreign so that it doesn’t keep freaking out all the time. Lyme creates “cytokine storms”. These cytokines are evidence of an immune response where the body starts to attack its own cells and tissues rather than just fighting off the virus. Cytokine storms are known to happen in autoimmune diseases. Vaccines can cause these cytokine storms and for people with autoimmune illnesses, it can be very sketchy and dangerous.
Larisa, I see that you are highly defensive about vaccines but MM2 has a valid point.. If you only spent some time really reading case studies and educational material about these said issues, you would uncover some information that is unsettling. You have the right to your opinion of course, but to use “lol” anywhere in your reply indicates that you are laughing off or being a bit rude when people are presenting something that they feel is important. Perhaps instead of using that approach, find some time to look into these things and educate yourself. You may be surprised at what you find. If you think the pharmaceutical companies are all just really caring people with the highest of morals, you may be disappointed.
@Zia Okay, but unless you have some links, “educate yourself” is not enough.
Vaccines are vital for the majority of the population. Full stop. Anyone who feels otherwise should link to specific, peer-reviewed sources so that people who are concerned can bring those studies to their doctor’s office and get their questions answered. “Educate yourself” is too vague when people’s lives are at stake, as they are here.
@Zia, well, I’m actually not. I’m just tired of the supreme arrogance of antivaxxers who always always ALWAYS assume that anyone who doesn’t think like them is just ignorant and never looked into the issue. I have gone down that rabbit hole twice, I read every anti-vaxxer blog and site I could find, I freaked out, and then, I actually EDUCATED myself. I took a course on vaccines on Coursera, I reached out to every researcher and doctor I know, and I happen to know a few, I also had my husband, who’s a scientist, review the most compelling articles with me, I talked to my doctors, and then I came out of that rabbit hole. Twice. Yet in every conversation, I always get told to go “educate myself” and “do my research”, which always just means “believe the sources I choose to believe, and disregard the sources I don’t like”. Perhaps every once in a while you should ask yourself why so many educated people who are probably not dumber than you still choose to vaccinate and advocate for vaccination?
Regarding the mercury in vaccines thing might I direct you to a great website for digging into the detail of claims – fullfact.org. Here’s what they had to say on the subject:
” An image claiming vaccines contain mercury and implying they aren’t safe has been shared on Facebook.
Thiomersal is a mercury-based chemical no longer found in most standard UK vaccines. It was present in the Swine Flu vaccine used in the 2009/10 and 2010/11 flu seasons in the UK, but it’s not in any of the annual flu vaccines currently being used in the UK.
Thiomersal doesn’t have the same chemical structure as the mercury that can contaminate fish and build up in the body. That is methyl mercury, which can cause major health issues. It also isn’t the same chemical structure as the mercury which was historically used in the hat making process—which the original Facebook post alludes to. That was mercuric nitrate which famously caused health issues for those coming into close, regular contact with the substance.
Thiomersal is an ethyl mercury, and exposure to it in vaccines is much lower than to methyl mercury in contaminated fish eaten regularly.
According to the Vaccine Knowledge Project at the University of Oxford (a project by a group of consultants, researchers, nurses and statisticians looking at vaccines at the university’s Department of Paediatrics) thiomersal was removed from most standard vaccines in the UK, the US and Europe “as a precaution”, and there was no evidence it caused harm. It was removed from UK vaccines between 2003 and 2005.
It’s correct that thiomersal (also known as thimerosal in the US) has been used in vaccines as a preservative, stopping the growth of bacteria and fungi. This is usually only in multi-dose vials, when an individual vaccine dose is drawn with a needle from the same container, which contains several doses.
https://fullfact.org/online/thiomersal-mercury-vaccines/
The 3 shots MMR vaccine is much more effective than the old one dose. For fragile children, building a strong immune memory thanks to 2 booster shots is better than having a less-than-optimal protection when they encounter measles IRL. Our immune memory tends to develop better when we are challenged a few time than with only one encounter. It’s not greed: companies understand that children that don’t become incapacitated due to crippling childhood diseases will grow older and might develop HBP pressure, diabetes and other chronic stuff that’ll mean they’ll have to take pills daily for decades: that’s how pharmas makes money. Vaccines are much more expensive to develop than what they bring back in revenues but keeping future customers from dying is worth it (and, like, scientists are people too and we like to help people stay healthy)
I have Lyme and am still not sure about the Vaccine being safe for me either. Im not anti vcxx at all but since I am already dealing with so many immune responses already, Im nervous about putting anything into my system that could make my life any more complicated. Does that make me a “bad person”? I mean I feel like the narrative here is extremely one sided with vaccinations. In the rules for this site, It says that Celebitchy is a “safe environment without fear of harassment, excessive negativity, or bullying.” That should go both ways. Otherwise its just a pushing of a narrative.
You’re not alone. This is a site, I hope, for people who don’t think in black/white terms. It is, though, a site full of individual people & individual writers who have their own perspectives & experiences. I hope we remember that we’re all in this dumpster fire together & we all want peace, safety, freedom for others & good health for all. Good luck to you & hope the medical issues you face go okay. Hugs.
Thank you for your kind words. They are much appreciated. <3
I had Lyme a couple of years ago, and in the worst of it, which was pretty bad, I likely would have opted out of the vaccine because my body was already freaking out. Thankfully I’m recovered, and have my appointment scheduled for April.
I don’t believe anyone here would say that someone dealing with a significant health issue should automatically get the vaccine. But everyone who is healthy enough/cleared by their doctor to do so, SHOULD do so, to protect those who can’t, like you. It’s like with the childhood vaccines, healthy kids should get them to protect their fellow kids who have a health issue. The frustration is healthy people who opt out for no actual medical reason, just because they saw something on facebook or youtube.
Good luck with your Lyme battle. It took me a full year to finally feel “better” and I still have random anxiety attacks and dizziness from it, but overall feel so much better. Hope you recover soon.
I love this site but I have been really taken aback by how you are attacking people who do not feel comfortable taking the vaccine. I am eastern medicine practitioner and I have a B.S. in Biology. In medicine, you have to regard each individual’s situation to find the correct course of treatment. For old persons, for example, their immune system may not be robust, so that even if they get vaccinated, their immune system may not mount sufficient response for them to achieve immunity. (Note the recent report of Congressman Lunch who tested COVID positive despite receiving his second dose.) People who have cancer or other autoimmune diseases or Lyme disease and ongoing infections are also in category of people who should be careful about taking these vaccines
What is more is, contrary to what the drug companies and governments are saying at the moment, it takes years to elucidate whether there are severe side effects to the vaccine. The issue is that RNA vaccines are uncharted technology. Our science is years away from being able to determine what interactions introduced RNA has on our system. Even recently, a man in LA died soon after receiving his vaccine.
Frankly I have been looking and not seeing any analysis of how the RNA vaccine may bond and interact with human RNA to create inflammatory response. When RNA combines, it can create double stranded RNA, and cause interfere with host organism gene expression or even incite an inflammatory response. For anyone knocking me for doing my own research, I am reading medical and science journals and I know people who are familiar with vaccine and medicine development and research.
I do not think it’s right or fair to call people idiots for exercising caution regarding newly developed vaccines.
You might even say those who rush to get vaccines are the idiots who are emotional about getting out of the pandemic instead of making careful steps.
If you insist on vaccines, non RNA vaccines are probably much safer like Johnson and Johnson or Novamax that use more tested technology.
Hmm, and interesting rush of anti-vaxxers all of the sudden. 🙂
I actually just had a conversation with someone who has a PhD in virology, and she told me that mRNA vaccines are LESS, not more, likely to interact with your RNA or DNA than a traditional vaccine, due to the mechanism it uses to deliver the vaccine.
What is more, you’re completely misrepresenting what the drug companies and governments are saying. There is a reason all of these vaccines are approved for emergency use only at this point. It means exactly what you say – that it takes years to be sure. Nobody is saying anything “contrary” to that.
So what’s the argument: “It’s safe but we aren’t sure?” 😂 And hence I’m misrepresenting and being an anti-vaxxers? More constructive conversation can be had without labeling and denigrating.
Why does your friend think the mRNA vaccines are safer? When even in transporting and storing require extreme measures to avoid degradation of the vaccine? It obviously isn’t sound like a stable. Hence I suggested Johnson and Johnson and Novavax as possibly better alternatives.
Joe, Thank you for your educated and well thought out reply. I have Lyme and this has been a very difficult time in the world for me. Having a comorbitiy make me feel scared and anxious honestly. I have had to literally hang out with almost nobody which is a very far cry from my previous pre-covid life. Im quite a social butterfly so having to really think about this and consult with people (medical doctors, holistic practitioners) as well as read as much as possible about the vaccine and its method. Currently, I do not feel comfortable based on my reading and consulting. I need to wait and see how this unfolds. Thats what I need for myself. obviously this means I will have to continue to take the stringent precautions i have been taking all year. Id rather do that right now than do something to myself that could cause me harm or any further pain. Lyme is no joke and if anybody has it they know its a nightmare. Thank you for your post.
@Zia I’m noticing your comments here in a few places. Please keep in mind that there’s a big difference between you, individually, having a specific medical condition that prevents you from getting vaccinated and applying your very specific situation to a broad group of people.
Whether or not it is safe for people with medical conditions to get the vaccine is a conversation to be had with one’s medical doctor, not the internet. That does NOT mean that the vaccine is unsafe or that the majority of people shouldn’t get the vaccine. If anything, it means most people SHOULD get vaccinated, in order to protect those medically vulnerable people who are unable to get vaccinated.
Guess what class of agent preserves food/vaccines/etc. to make them MORE stable? (I went w/ Pfizer and am so so so grateful. I’ve been a COVID nurse for nearly one year, swimming in the virus daily. It’s a miracle I never got it)
Chloe has a marijuana farm with her boyfriend/fiance/whatever so the comment about medicine coming from the earth is probably a low-key advertisement about that. The rest of her comments are nonsensical since she’s as plastic as a Barbie doll.
As for Olivia, she may be afraid that the vaccine may complicate whatever treatment she’s currently receiving. I personally can’t judge her for that.
Sit down and shut up Sandy.
Olivia hasn’t said anything, really, and certainly isn’t advising the public to go unvaccinated. She issued a simple answer that she was not being vaccinated at this time. She has advanced cancer and is dealing with many challenges privately.
It’s her daughter who is muddying the waters talking about pesticides and mercury into her body with vaccines. She may have some point about some vaccine she once read about on the internet, but it’s not clear to me she’s speaking here specifically about the Covid-19 vaccines. This is really much ado about nothing.
I think it’s likely she’s in consultation with her doctor if she has advanced cancer. The doctor would let her know whether the risks are worth it. Her situation is different from a young or middle-aged person with no other health conditions.
I’m surprised that so many are attacking Olivia and calling her an anti-vaxxer when nothing she said indicates that. It’s a big leap to assume since she only said she’s not taking it at this point. Considering Olivia is dying of cancer, there could be many reasons, medical and personal, why she’s not. People are acting like she said vaccines are evil. Her daughter is a different story.
Agreed – Olivia gets a pass from me considering what she’s dealing with, but her daughter, not so much.
I work for a hospital, am immune compromised and on Cosentyx currently. I got my 1st dose and had no side effects. I followed the lead of our 2 epidemiologist doctors who got theirs first to alleviate fear.
That said I have well educated friends who won’t take the vaccine, it’s maddening, the pandemic is bringing the worst of people out.
She said “not at this point.” It’s possible she could change her mind down the line. She didn’t say “never.” We’re only a couple of months into distributing the vaccine so if she’s chosen to abstain for the moment, I don’t think her desire to wait a bit and think about how the vaccine might interact with her other treatment is an oddity.
I don’t know what to say about the daughter.
But I can not really tell what Olivia Newton John’s actual view on vaccines is from her short response. Given her health condition with cancer, I have my doubts she’s out and about at Dunkin’ Donuts actively spreading to everybody. So I feel she’s the least of my worries right now.
Mercury comes from the earth, FYI
I don’t really know her reasons, but guys…it’s normal for older people to be skeptical and even be advised to not take the vaccine according to their own situation.
She had cancer, and there HAVE been older people vaccinated that have had terrible side effects. If isolating is okay for her now, let that be her choice. She is certainly old enough to make it. My family is still unsure about getting the vaccine for my grandmother who has been through cancer and eye surgeries. We don’t know if her body is strong enough to fight the virus, even in a vaccine (and that’s what vaccines are intended to do.)
Some here need to step down from the vitriol and anger for two seconds to empathize with their fellow man and woman. Not everyone is anti-vax. Some just have other considerations to make. I will be getting the vaccine when my time comes….in 2022 at this rate.
@Lemons Just to be clear, in case you or anyone else isn’t aware, the vaccine does not contain the live virus. It is an MRNA vaccine, and I’ve linked below for more info about that.
I’m not trying to change your mind about getting your grandma vaccinated, just wanted to put this out here as your comment may (unintentionally) lead some people to think the vaccine contains the virus.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html
Thank you, @Sigmund. I appreciate that. It gives me a quick understanding of what the mRNA vaccine is intended to do.
Like I said, I have no issues with getting the vaccine for myself, but after hearing about some who had negative reactions, it is still possible that my grandma may be in those cases. Right now, she’s staying inside and taking nature walks as she would normally. The vaccine won’t change much for her.
I’m hoping the mRNA vaccines will be less troublesome for me. I don’t recall problems with the old vaccines as a child, but we had only a handful of vaccinations back then in ancient times. As an adult, I have had problems with vaccinations, bad enough that I’ve never felt willing to get the flu vaccines but just take all the precautions common today for COVID during flu season. Haven’t had the flu in at least 3 decades.
COVID is far more serious than the flu, but since I’m a hermit by nature – I really would potentially be far more exposed to the virus if I went to get the vaccination than the entire time since last February! So it makes more sense for me to be at the end of the line rather than at the front where my age puts me. I also want to be as healthy as possible when I get it, right now I’m still squeaking from laryngitis due to a cough left over from last pollen season and have had other issues. But if most people in town get it this year, that will help protect me if I absolutely need to have someone in the house for repair work or installations. Otherwise, I like having a good excuse to avoid in-person socializing… Have never had high tolerance for other humans and thrive in isolation. Even as a child, I was never shy with other kids and adults but was also quite content to be off by myself.
It’s possible that my prior problems with vaccines are due to my multiple allergies and intolerances, maybe a hyperactive immune system rather than a weak one. I actually had a stock of N95 charcoal masks already pre-COVID and am used to wearing them outdoors and around other people. So I would rather watch the research (I’m a scientist with some experience in the relevant areas) to see how others more like me react to the vaccines. This coronavirus is such a nasty little bugger that I feel like investing in a space helmet, but if the vast majority in town get vaccinated I will feel a little safer if I have to associate with (gasp!) my own species.
I wasn’t aware it is normal for older people to be advised not to get the vaccine.
It’s not normal. Especially given the mortality rate amongst older people if they catch it. It’s why people in assisted living facility and those over 70 are prioritized: their chance of dying if they get covid is between 20 to 50%
@Lizzie If anything, older folks are typically recommended to get the vaccine, as they’re more vulnerable to complications from Covid. Anyone considering rejecting or skipping the vaccine should discuss it with their doctor first.
The belligerent discourse is surprising and quite frankly scary to witness. Each person should do their own research and talk to their doctor when deciding what is best for them and their family. Being anti-vaxx and being cautious or hesitant of a new vaccine is not the same. 10+ years ago the discuss around HPV shot was the same. People discussed wanting to read the research, wait, figure it out and long and behold the surrounding thought was fine. It was celebrated that each person has a right to make that choice. Now the wild and aggressive rhetoric is astonishing.
Well Imara, I think it’s because her daughter says she wishes she’d had no vaccines, ever. In America, we are SO SPOILED. In other parts of the world, many people die or are permanently damaged from illnesses we’ve stamped out here through vaccines. Then people in the U.S, without any advanced medical knowledge advise others of the “dangers” of vaccines, so scare people away from taking them. While there are some rare side effects, a world with measles, mumps, polio, diptheria, tetanus, etc. is a terrifying, tragic place. So many children die from these worldwide, it’s a horror. And now even MORE will die from Covid because of her “advice”?
Well Nikki, her daughter is her own person and worth her own conversation. Olivia Newton John didn’t say anything disparaging about vaccines in general or tell the public not to take a vaccine. Olivia stated that she has decided to wait at this time. Sooooo, no that does not justify the vileness being thrown her way. Americans are spoiled and also controlled by Big Pharma. It’s ok for people to consider their options based on their health needs. The point of my example about the HPV vaccine still stands. I’m trying to figure out where Olivia made a statement that people should not take it. She stated that she may not at this time. Considering that she’s undergoing treatment for cancer she can have that moment to consider what is best for her. So in general conversation people are not handling this with nuance and are instead just making sweeping generalizations.
Oh Imara, I misunderstood and thought you meant comments against the daughter. I have nothing at all against anything Olivia said, and wish her the very best as she struggles with her cancer.
I think we have seen so much awful behavior in the US recently, including many of our leaders not wearing masks and attacking basic science and basic facts … up to and including the attack on the Capitol… many of us are just appalled. The vaccine is a way forward, giving us hope. President Biden and VP Kamala Harris have taken it, demonstrating their support of the science behind it. I accept that for a few of us it is a difficult personal choice (as in special cases with existing conditions), but for the vast majority of us it’s going to be the right choice. I am really horrified to see anti-vax arguments on here. Even saying vaccines today contain dangerous mercury, when that is not true. I do NOT support Big Pharma (the animal testing is abhorrent to me), but I’d like us to be able to end this plague of suffering and death sometime soon.
The belligerent discourse stems from having been stuck in this nightmare for a year and seeing people still wondering if “toxins in a vaccine” are more dangerous than an infectious disease that has claimed the life of at least 2.2 million people worldwide so far and left millions more in different stages of incapacitation, from not being to taste anything properly or dealing with a foggy brain for months to requiring one or several amputations due to blood clots. It’s from having reduced our social circle to a dot, putting a generation in jeopardy as they’ve lost a year of school so far, going nowhere but to work (for those lucky enough to keep their job) and the grocery and enduring financial stress while the riches managed to make huge profit and seeing people going on vacations abroad because “they deserve it” even if it’s putting the safety of others at risks. In the last month I’ve heard of 2 MDs committing suicide because they were burned out. Those are the effects of covid.
The vaccine isn’t only to protect yourself and family but to protect your community at large, even people you don’t know personally or care about, the selfishness and navel-gazing of many has worn out our good faith and our patience. If we had shown more solidarity, I think we could have flattened the curve months ago. Yes, there are cases where individuals can’t receive a vaccination due to current illness such as a stage 4 cancer and those will heavily rely on herd immunity, but for the majority of the population, the risks of vaccination are far, far smaller than the risks of catching covid and giving it to a vulnerable individual. When people decide to wait and see, we prolong this hell and risk worsening the situation so it’s not just a personal choice.
You talk about the HPV vaccine, a vaccine that has proven times and times again to be harmless and saying that people praised those who wanted to wait; I’m not sure in what circles you run in but in mines, we’ve always found this silly since by waiting to see if the vaccine was safe enough for their kid, some of those kids grew up and caught oncogenic HPV strains and will develop avoidable cervical, anal and throat cancers in the future. By massively vaccinating teenagers since the early 2000s, Canada should have eradicated oncogenic forms of cervical cancer on its territory by the end of the decade: that’s something worth praising.
Vaccines are, IMO, the single most important development of the last century.
My mother is dying of cancer and refused the vaccine. She said it would be a waste on her and she’d rather a nurse or teacher get it. She pretty much stays home, though, and double-masks when she goes to her doctors.
I’m so sorry for you mom Beth. Take care.
My respects to your mother. She sounds like a thoughtful woman and I’m sorry for what you all are going through.
I’m very sorry Beth, that your mom is dying. I hope she gets great palliative care when the time comes, and that y’all have some special times together before she passes. Hugs to you.
I too have Stage 4 terminal cancer and a retired RN.
But I also know if I contracted Covid at this juncture, it would no doubt prove fatal for me.
I’m getting my shot Wednesday and have NO reservations about doing so. I’ll do anything I can to hopefully prolong my life.
I just wish more people saw “the big picture “ here in their decisions…
Best wishes, JennyJenny.
Imara: I agree with you. I’ve been witnessing a lot of aggressiveness towards people who want to wait until later for vaccines. There are a number of reasons people might choose to wait. I know an elderly man that simply says he feels really uncomfortable with the long lines because he needs to go to the restroom frequently. He prefers to wait until the initial rush does down. Some people with terminal illnesses might feel someone else should get the vaccine. I don’t think anger is the best way to approach this. A little empathy can go a long way!!!
Thanks. Not a lot rattles me but Covid has put my family through it. We take serious precautions concerning Covid and I have made serious sacrifices for my family to maintain right now. I don’t need to be spoken down to on this issue. This isn’t either/or. You can support vaccines in general but be hesitant with this particular vaccine at this time depending on certain reasons. I know teachers who want to wait until more hopsitial workers or elderly get it. I also know people with certain medical conditions who want to wait. When did this become you are either with us or against us mentality?
ONJ is the granddaughter of Nobel-Prize winning physicist Max Born, so is highly familiar with science, scientists and the ethics of research. Its amazing to me that she would ignore the advice of licensed physicians and scientists and avoid the COVID vaccine. But as said by others here its her body and life, to each his own.
Uhm. No. Just because she is the granddaughter of a Nobel-Prize winning physicist DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY make her highly familiar with science, scientists and the ethics of research. Didn’t drump say the very same thing – he has an uncle in MIT that’s why he knows stuff. Knowledge does not work that way. Just because you are married, a sibling of, related to a surgeon does not make you necessarily highly familiar with surgery. OJN may have hated science as a subject growing up – for all we now.
@theothersam: She might be terminal and prefer the vaccine goes to someone else. We are still in a stage that demand far exceeds supply. She may prefer to wait and see and have someone with a longer life expectancy get it.
@theothersam: She might be terminal and prefer the vaccine goes to someone else. We are still in a stage that demand far exceeds supply. She may prefer to wait and see and have someone with a longer life expectancy get it.
My father is 78 and getting his vaccine in late February through the VA.
I have a dear friend who is 74 and has stage 3 colon cancer. She has refused all scans and testing due to covid, so we don’t know how advanced it is. She is hesitant to get the vaccine even though her doctor encourages her to, not because of her health, but because she has an anti-vaxx friend who told her aborted and miscarried fetuses are used to make the vaccine! I have tried researching that and cannot find anything about it. She said she wants to know exactly what is in the vaccine before it goes into her thanks to her ant-vaxx friend who has now scared her. I told her would she want polio or mumps or rubella to be common now? I have no problem with people waiting but I do have a problem with the anti-vaxxers who could bring back diseases that we all but eradicated.
Im 1b in my state. I’m typing this one handed because my arm is in such pain after the second dose. I can feel the chills and achiness coming on. Was the vaccine worth it? Yes. I work around special needs kids and have an underlying health condition, and I’m glad to be able to protect my students and myself as much as I can. I’m not angry at people being nervous though. I was.nervous too since it’s such a new treatment. What makes me upset is when anti vaxxers go about scaring people who are on the fence with falsehoods. I feel it’s very unfair to take advantage of other people’s fears. I generally take the tack of if someone wants to talk about the vaccine, I do, and if they don’t,I don’t.
I mean, at the risk of sound blasé, my feeling is there’s a certain point where stupidity is just Darwin in action. 🤷🏻♀️ If you’re older and at risk and don’t vaccinate, I’m not going to cry if you wind up paying for that choice with your life.
Ok and yet mother and daughter didn’t have a problem putting all those chemicals and byproducts into their bodies via plastic surgery. Olivia was botoxed and injected to death before she stopped during her cancer treatments.
We don’t know why she is choosing not to get the vaccine at this time. There are some anti Vaxxers saying a lot of nonsense; but there are other people that are simply scarred and need more time before they decide to take it. It’s my hope that we as a society handle this with tact instead of harsh judgment. As of today, the demand is higher than the supply. There is nothing wrong with people taking their time while allowing those who are sure to take the vaccine now.