# Got Your Flu Shot? 40% say, "No, Thanks." **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2018, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208 "2018-12-15T23:17:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/81 "2018-12-17T13:32:11Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’m just not a high risk for it, and I don’t get it for free like some workers. I got mine. It’s the only thing my crap health insurance covers. **BigT** , message me if you want to get a flu vaccine and I’ll PayPal/mail you the cost. Maybe you can buy me a beer if I ever find myself near you.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/82 "2018-12-17T13:41:38Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I also have a debilitating needle phobia. I’d like to give Flumist a shot if it’s ever available and affordable. > > I’d honestly rather not have the phobia though. ☹ Flumist is back on the market this year. I had to call around to a lot of places to find it, but eventually tracked it down at our county health department. 100% covered by my insurance, and I think my health department covers it for folks without insurance. Be aware: while it’s just a nasal spray, it’s packaged in a needle-less syringe. I learned that the first time I showed up for the spray, and I assume I had a panic attack, because I woke up in a pool of my own blood from where I’d cracked my head on the floor. Good times. But I’ve had it several times since then, and when I know what’s going on, it’s totally painless and mostly stress-free. Just make sure that your health care provider knows about your phobia and is watching you like a hawk for phobic reactions (ever since that awful incident I’ve been a broken record toward anyone that might come at me with anything looking like a needle). It’s only recommended for folks up to age 49, which means I only have a few years left within the recommended range; but my nurse at the health department told me that my physician might be able to provide it to me anyway once I’m too old, given the phobic reaction. I know the CDC essentially stopped production of Flu Mist for a couple of years because it’s less effective. I really, really wish they’d keep in mind folks with phobias, and the reality that a lot of phobic folks are not going to get the shot but might get the mist. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/83 "2018-12-17T15:06:57Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I didn’t get a flu shot again this year but only because I’m allergic to the vaccine. I have an egg allergy and just about all vaccines are made with eggs. Actually, there is at least one widely available completely egg-free injectable flu vaccine available in the U.S.: Flublok. It is a recombinant flu vaccine. Flublok does not use the influenza virus or eggs in its production. Flublok does not contain any preservatives (e.g., thimerosal), antibiotics, egg proteins or latex. [https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa\_flublok-vaccine.htm](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_flublok-vaccine.htm) This is the vaccine I got this year at the free clinic at my work. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/84 "2018-12-17T15:13:35Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I didn’t get a flu shot again this year but only because I’m allergic to the vaccine. I have an egg allergy and just about all vaccines are made with eggs. Flu vaccine is the only one still containing small amounts of egg protein\*, and there are forms of flu vaccine without it. Most of the time it’s safe to get flu vaccine made using avian cells even if you have an egg allergy. \*MMR once was made using eggs, but that process reportedly hasn’t been around for decades. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/85 "2018-12-17T15:29:08Z")
I got the FluMist one year and ended up with a pounding headache that took hours to subside, and a lot of Advil. Obviously it’s a different kind of pain than a needle and if you have needle phobia then it doesn’t matter anyway, but I did it thinking it would hurt less than the shot and it actually hurt more. I’d rather deal with a 2-second stab than a 6-hour headache. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/86 "2018-12-17T16:16:00Z")
I’ve never gotten one. Needles make me very nervous, like ghost-white pale and nauseous. The flu shot is offered for free at my work, but every year at least a few people get sick immediately after getting the shot. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/87 "2018-12-17T16:34:28Z")
> [@nonacetone](#): > > I’m diabetic. When my husband’s insurance was Blue Cross, I got the flu shot every year, without fail. Now, his company went to a different insurance. United Healthcare. I am no longer able to get a flu shot, except at the doctor’s office. I must make an appointment for that to happen. I don’t understand why the insurance company wants to pay more for me to see the doctor, and get a flu shot, than just allowing me to get it at a pharmacy for $40. It’s insane. Bah. Are you sure about this? I went to [UHC’s website](https://www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/flu-shots) and it says members can go to local retail pharmacies. My company has nurses in to give flu shots to all associates and their partners who sign up. Or you can go to the drug store and get them for free when it’s convenient. StG ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/88 "2018-12-17T16:43:35Z")
Pepper Mill gets a flu shot every year because she’s a Substitute Teacher, and middle-school kids are basically Walking Petri Dishes. I get one because I sleep with Pepper Mill. And, unlike some people, I can’t claim to “never being sick a day in my life.” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/89 "2018-12-17T16:56:04Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Actually, there is at least one widely available completely egg-free injectable flu vaccine available in the U.S.: Flublok. It is a recombinant flu vaccine. > > Flublok does not use the influenza virus or eggs in its production. Flublok does not contain any preservatives (e.g., thimerosal), antibiotics, egg proteins or latex. > > [https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa\_flublok-vaccine.htm](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_flublok-vaccine.htm) > > This is the vaccine I got this year at the free clinic at my work. One would definitely have to ask around - as most places don’t put signs up saying what variety they have. Me: I get it every year, and have since my mid-20s when my asthma flared (it had largely been dormant for a number of years). About 20 years back, there was a year where a lot of people were getting flu or something flu-like despite the shot, and I was one of the lucky ones. I was only praying for death for a day or so - but being asthmatic, any respiratory infection stands a fair chance of turning into a secondary infection and/or an asthma flare. That happened - and it was worse than the active fever/chills portion of the illness. I wound up on steroids and antibiotics. I also got a pneumonia vaccination a couple years back, for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/90 "2018-12-17T17:54:44Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I’ve never gotten one. > > Needles make me very nervous, like ghost-white pale and nauseous. > > The flu shot is offered for free at my work, but every year at least a few people get sick immediately after getting the shot. > > No thanks. If you did the survey, I think you’d find that at least a few people also got sick immediately after not getting the shot. But it doesn’t make a good story so nobody talks about it. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/91 "2018-12-17T19:01:04Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > But thing is you might still get the flu. Isnt it at best 30-40% effective and this year only about 10%. The yearly vaccine is only a best guess. [It varies from year to year](https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/effectiveness-studies.htm), and I don’t know if we know how effective it is this year. FWIW I did not get the shot, and I did get the flu. No good reason I didn’t get the shot - I just didn’t. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![EarlGrayHot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e480ec/32.png) [@EarlGrayHot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlGrayHot)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/92 "2018-12-17T19:02:03Z")
It’s most likely you being outside so much and away from the carriers that prevents you from being exposed to and catching horrible diseases rather than healthy living and eating. You’ve been lucky. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/93 "2018-12-17T19:17:27Z")
I got a shot because I hate getting sick. I don’t believe I’ve ever had actual flu, but that doesn’t mean I never will. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/94 "2018-12-17T19:25:04Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I’ve never gotten one. > > Needles make me very nervous, like ghost-white pale and nauseous. > > The flu shot is offered for free at my work, but every year at least a few people get sick immediately after getting the shot. > > No thanks. They have needle free variant. And yes, you can get the flu right after you get the shot, since the vaccine hadnt taken hold yet, generally as you actually had the flu when you got the shot but just werent showing symptoms yet. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/95 "2018-12-17T20:29:25Z")
I had never gotten flu shots annually growing up nor into most of my early adulthood. I’m 49 years old. About 4 years ago with my wife’s pregnancy, I began getting them every year and have had no issues. We also insisted immediate family also get their flu shots each year. Really having children is what prompted me to get them every year. That said, we got a stark reminder last year when a friend of my wife passed away from the flu. Married woman, 2 kids, healthy and no significant medical issues - she just got the flu and died. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/96 "2018-12-17T20:31:49Z")
I must say, I’m kind of dismayed at all the non-vaccinators popping up in this thread. Well, dismayed by those with bogus, erroneous and selfish reasons for skipping the shot. When my baby is born in January, she’ll have very limited immune responses. I had my flu shot at 24wks, of course, and she gets some antibodies from that. More, too, if I’m able to breastfeed. But she’ll be living in a society full of people making choices. And if their choice means they’re shedding viruses as they walk through the supermarket, my daughter is much more likely to become infected, and dangerously ill, and potentially die, than most humans. Please, if you can, get vaccinated. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/97 "2018-12-17T20:51:05Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > I must say, I’m kind of dismayed at all the non-vaccinators popping up in this thread. Well, dismayed by those with bogus, erroneous and selfish reasons for skipping the shot. > > When my baby is born in January, she’ll have very limited immune responses. I had my flu shot at 24wks, of course, and she gets some antibodies from that. More, too, if I’m able to breastfeed. > > But she’ll be living in a society full of people making choices. And if their choice means they’re shedding viruses as they walk through the supermarket, my daughter is much more likely to become infected, and dangerously ill, and potentially die, than most humans. > > Please, if you can, get vaccinated. Yes, 40% say no, which means about 39% of Americans are selfish idiots. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/98 "2018-12-17T21:27:17Z")
[quote=“EscAlaMike, post:86, topic:826208”] I’ve never gotten one. Needles make me very nervous, like ghost-white pale and nauseous.[\quote] That’s reasonable. > [@](#): > > The flu shot is offered for free at my work, but every year at least a few people get sick immediately after getting the shot… This, on the other hand, is fucking idiotic. Do you seriously not know that correlation does not equal causation? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/99 "2018-12-17T22:50:55Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > But thing is you might still get the flu. But your chance of getting it is [reduced by about 60%](https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/how-effective-is-flu-vaccine#1). And as pointed out above, even if you do get flu after vaccination, being vaccinated tends to reduce the severity of the attack. A significant reduction in the chance of getting flu in the first place, plus a significant reduction in its impact if I get it anyway, easily adds up for me to a convincing argument for spending ten minutes once a year getting a free shot. We’re talking a disease that, in the absence of vaccination, has a 1-in-5 to 1-in-20 chance of infecting you, with a very high risk of prolonged serious misery and/or medical complications, and about a 1-in-10K chance of **literally killing you**. The risk of serious complications from the flu vaccine itself, for people with no vaccine contraindications, is less than one in a million. Statistically speaking, getting an annual flu shot for people who have no contraindications or personal incapacities with vaccination is an absolute no-brainer, even if you just consider the cost/benefit for yourself alone and ignore the contribution to herd immunity. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208/100 "2018-12-17T23:19:45Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Are you sure about this? I went to [UHC’s website](https://www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/flu-shots) and it says members can go to local retail pharmacies. > StG Yes. I tried Walgreens, CVS (Just this afternoon!), Kroger (Just this afternoon, as well!), and Walmart. It won’t come up as being covered at the pharmacies, when they run my insurance card. I have to go to the doctor, for the shot, for it to be ‘covered’. I called them (UHC), and asked. After a run-around with more than one CSR, I finally spoke with someone who told me this. So, with the cost of the co-pay at the doctor’s office, it’ll be cheaper, and easier, to pay for the fuckin’ thing, myself. I’ll wander back to one of our local pharmacies (Either CVS, or Walmart), tomorrow, and just pay for the thing, and be done with it. I’ve never waited this long to get my flu shot. I just hope that it will effective at this point. Better to have one, even being so late in the year, than not get one at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-your-flu-shot-40-say-no-thanks/826208.md?page=6)