The original plan was to get vaccinated as soon as I'm allowed, since I'm not in a priority group but early reports were this flu does seem to affect women in my age group more severely. Plus, of course, there's my general social responsibility not to make myself a vector.
But now I'm wondering if it's ethical for me to get vaccinated as soon as I'm allowed, or if I should wait a bit. Why? Because if I got sick, I could very easily completely quarantine myself. I live alone, I have paid sick days, I could easily get groceries and such delivered. Doctors are now allowed to do telephone consultations, and if my doctor thought it was appropriate to prescribe Tamiflu or similar I could get a prescription delivered. (Q: But wouldn't you be infecting the delivery people? A: I'd instruct them to leave the stuff outside the door.) Unless I took a turn for the worse and needed to be hospitalized, I could very easily get through my entire convalescence without being a vector.
So maybe even after I'm allowed to get vaccinated, I should wait a few days to give people who can't quarantine themselves a chance for first dibs?
1 comment:
I think either way you're making a solidly ethical choice. Waiting and quarantining yourself might be not more ethical but more selfless.
If you tell the delivery person through the door that you have H1N1, they'll be happy to leave the package without further contact, I think!
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