Ask Lemmy

Sorry, ‘flue’ is just my incompetence at using the English language

No, don't apologize; your command of English is far superior to my grasp of German!

(about all I can say is: "Ich spreche nicht Deutsch" and "Sprechen sie Englisch?" -- and when I put those phrases into Google Translate to check myself, I found that I had the wrong word for 'Englisch' -- I thought it was something like Anglit!)

Do you have to pay for the shots or do you get them for free?

In the US that's a tricky question because for the most part our insurance will cover it at 100%, so it feels like they are free shots because you can walk into a pharmacy, get a shot, and walk out without having to pay. However, we pay a lot out of each paycheck for that insurance (those of us lucky enough to have a job that offers decent insurance).

I've always gotten them for free, but through health insurance. I believe there are some resources available to help uninsured people to get them for free, but the added hassle often deters people.

No worries about "flue", I understood what you meant, and that's the primary goal of language. There's definitely some other English words with regional spelling variations (grey/gray, tire/tyre, color/colour), and many other confusing, similarly spelled words (lose/loose, bowl/bowel, descent/decent 😉). Have you heard about spelling bees? Spelling vs. pronunciation in English is so inconsistent that it's one of few languages where holding them makes much sense. I bet they'd be pretty silly to hold in German!

For what it's worth, a flue is an adjustable opening in a wood stove or similar, Kernspalt in German according to Harper Collins. Now you just have to work the conversation around to the efficient use of a wood stove... 😄

Flue shoots are kind of free for all in my country (Germany), even if people are vaccinated and they also get refreshed every so often by the real thing (right now we have a flue wave in children) - is there a reason why there is a difference between flue shoots and covid shoots?

Technically, there isn't. The flu vaccine is also only recommended for older people and people with chronic illnesses. It's true though that it's easier to get the flu shot than the Covid shot outside of the official recommendation. I'm not sure why that's the case.

From the individual point of view, is there any reason not to get a covid shoot, especially when the person already got vaccinated in the past?

If you've had your 3 shots and had Covid semi-recently, there probably just isn't much of a benefit to getting it. I personally decided to get a fourth shot, due to never having had Covid and I was planning to go on a longer trip where I didn't want to get sick. But I never bothered getting a 5th or 6th.

Is the benefits of further vaccinations vs. the risks a monetary/effort evaluation or a medical one?

I'd say medical, as the state is actually losing money right now, with many doses expiring due to low demand.

I certainly think so! Though admittedly, I, like many Canadians, am feeling all extra patriotic given America's threats and bullshit.)

What type of work do you do? Do you get in contact with people who are sensitive to flue infections? Here too, you are offered a flue (and pneumonia) vaccine, if you work with people who have a higher chance of complications if they get infected.

In general offices and industry, I guess it is an economic consideration. Pay to have your workers vaccinated, and avoid losing revenue/production due to sickness.