Do you guys feel it's safe to cuddle in person again? What if at least one of the cuddlers has been fully vaccinated?
Nothing in life is truly safe. Whether vaccinated or not, even before Covid started, there has always been an inherent risk in participating in bodily contact with other people. Granted, that risk is very small, but it's always been there; people are simply more aware of it now.
This is a matter of your own personal risk tolerance, values, and boundaries. I encourage you to think deeply about what you value most and make a decision from there. Remember that there are also different levels of risk-taking available, such as setting limited amounts of people with you you are physical close.
Remember that there are many more factors besides safety. Be aware if you are making choices to avoid judgement, if you are operating from limited data, and so on; and consider what needs could be measured against safety, such as a need for belonging or physical closeness.
@Tiny_Bubbles I really liked your reply
@JasonCuddles Thank you!! I really appreciate you taking the time to express appreciation for the long answer I wrote. 😊
There are two aspects to this question. Firstly, what are the local conditions and regulations where you are? Are you keen to follow these regulations, or are you willing to break them? And if you are going to break them, are you going to do it thoughtfully and minimally, or are you going to drive a coach and horses through them?
Secondly, the individual circumstances of the people involved. Are you vulnerable? Do you live with somebody vulnerable? And so on.
The data is early, and obviously it varies from vaccine to vaccine, but broadly speaking it seems that vaccination reduces transmission by about 50%. In other words, vaccination is a very important piece in the jigsaw but it is only a piece.
I think vaccinated pairsare good to go
For me it isn’t safe to not cuddle. It’s only during this pandemic that I found a need for connection with people. I think a conversation with the potential cuddle buddy would help. Questions about vaccinations and what’s being done to reduce exposure have been helpful in my case. Good luck @shy_friend.
Its a risk for sure, but we have to keep it simple at this point...get fully vaccinated or no cuddles
And tbh its the personal safety which has more weightage than anything else
This is such a hard question to answer because it will be different for every person depending on their situation.
I do cuddling professionally in the UK and I've personally opened my practice up again with covid policies in place. I know this only applies to professional cuddling but I'm following the government guidence of massage therapists as there isn't any guidence for professional cuddlers.
One thing that makes me feel a lot safer is that I have been fully vaccinated now and most of my clients have been too. I also take a lateral flow test before every cuddle session to ensure I'm covid-negative.
But really, for cuddle enthusiasts, you need to just look within yourself and decide whether you feel safe cuddling others and you have to hope your cuddle partner has done the same. I would ask myself questions such as 'is my health vulnerable', 'do I live with anyone or have regular contact with anyone who is vulnerable', 'have I been exposed to a lot of people in the last 2 weeks', 'have I been fully vaccinated', 'is there any precautions I could take to make the session safer'.
Obviously covid-wise it is safest to not cuddle at the moment, however, people's mental health has really suffered during this pandemic and if you feel it is more harmful to your health to not cuddle them I say go for it and hopefully you will find someone who feels the same!
Your safest bet is for both parties to be fully vaccinated.
There is also the issue with vaccinated people catching the variants easier than non vaccinated. Everyone I know that personally went and vaccinated has once again contracted Covid. I actually am glad people that vaccinated will post it because I then make a decision if I want to go near them or not. I’m not vaccinated. People need to seriously stop thinking this vaccine is a freedom ticket. Not true. Getting vaccinated is your choice and I respect it greatly, however do not assume u are the safe one.
No vaccinations, whether Covid-related or not, are 100% effective. Covid vaccinations are designed to help people build an immune response and prevent hospitalization. Unvaccinated are more at risk to Covid and variants. Note, @klowe45 , accurate information is critical for something as serious as Covid-19, particularly for a cuddling community. For this reason, we may intervene in response to misinformation, fake news or conspiracy theories on this subject. [-Sid]
I agree with bekah and klowe...and i also feel this topic needs to be closed...we should leave it on individuals to decide whats best...i feel at this point there is no right answer
Or
Cuddle if
@rasp56 I don't know how you could agree with both me and @klowe45. We have very different viewpoints on these vaccines, especially since his viewpoints are based on misinformation. As someone who is both a healthcare worker and has been a first responder throughout this pandemic, I can confidently say that vaccinated people DO NOT catch the variants easier than non-vaccinated people, and anyone who spouts such dangerous ignorant nonsense really needs to educate themselves.
There IS a right answer, and it's GET VACCINATED as soon as you possibly can if you are medically able to do so.
@bekah_cuddles
I am not in medical field and i cannot comment on whether you are 100% right or klowe.
On personal level, i would say yes get vaccinated but still be cautious. Whether vaccinated people have greater chance of getting new variants, i donot know. Klowe based on his experience might be right, i have nothing with me to prove him wrong.
I am not against vaccination, i just donot know how effective it is in different scenarios. Thats the reason i said i agree with you and also Klowe.
And i think there is some misunderstanding. No one said donot get vaccinated, just dont assume you will be 100% safe.
So tired of this discussion. I believe if you care about humanity you will get vaccinated whether you support vaccinations or not. Sometimes we humans need to do what is best for everyone not just ourselves. This is one of those times. Returning to some resemblance of normal will not happen on its own.
Hmm, its funny how some people are failing to understand what this topic is about and trying to preach . This topic is not about whether to get vaccinated or not ( and no one said a thing against it ! )
Its about whether its safe to cuddle in person (vaccinated or not vaccinated)
I knew this would come, so was saying close the topic before its too late.
@rasp56
Right, and I'm saying it's safe to cuddle if you're vaccinated and it's not safe to cuddle if you're not vaccinated.
Then why are you even commenting in the first place? Let those who are knowledgeable answer the question.
Go take a look at the CDC website, educate yourself, and listen to the experts (not random people on the internet). https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
It’s up to you if you think it’s safe. I started cuddling again at the end of April last year nothing ever happened to me or any of the other cuddlers as far as I know. If you’re that worried maybe you can wait until the government gives you permission to do so. Though as person with free will you can do whatever you like
Well, safe for whom, though?
If you're unvaccinated, and you cuddle somebody else who's unvaccinated, and they pass the virus to you, and you pass it to, say, the cashier you won't stop coughing on, who dies or develops permanent breathing issues—but your immune system beats it off no problem—was your cuddle safe?
I may be a little bit bitter. On account of it's been nearly six months since I recovered and I still can't breathe properly. Stupid customers. My mask protects you. Your lack of mask endangers me!
@Ironman294 the question is whether it is safe ,not about whether one has free will
Jesus Christ....when did i say anything about vaccine ? I only said Klowe might be correct, there might be a case or two where people get vaccinated and still catching new strains.
Bottom line is if even ur vaccinated, you still have to be careful. Thats all i said.
Can you just stop making mountain out of a molehill ?
@DarrenWalker I'm so sorry to hear that. I was a cashier for many years and it was shocking how often I had to remind people to not cough on me, that I'm human, etc. Absolutely we owe it to everyone we come in contact with to be vaccinated, we don't know the vulnerability of those we share breathing space with or who they might carry the virus to.
Reported, reviewed, and removed. @rasp56 - do not engage in personal attacks. Thanks. [-Sid]
I only said Klowe might be correct, there might be a case or two where people get vaccinated and still catching new strains.
Sure, there is a possibility of rare breakthrough cases and people do still need to be careful, but that's not what he said. He specifically said, "There is also the issue with vaccinated people catching the variants easier than non vaccinated." That is just NOT TRUE.
Again, please take a look at the CDC website. Part of "being careful," as you say, is making sure you are only meeting with other fully vaccinated people. That is the best way for us to cuddle again safely. It has never been about completely eliminating risk; it's about reducing the risk as much as we can as we resume social activities.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/effectiveness/why-measure-effectiveness/breakthrough-cases.html
Well it depends on how you read it.
"There is also the issue with vaccinated people catching the variants easier than non vaccinated. Everyone I know that personally went and vaccinated has once again contracted Covid"
I thought se said based on his personal/family/friends experience and not from random ppl on internet.
And btw @bekah_cuddles
Studies are based on sample size, sample size does not cover the entire population. What klowe has seen might be true, thats all i meant. It 'might be true' , so get vaccinated but still be 'cautious'.
Since you have been nice to share links with me, i thought of returning the favor
Paper on ' issues in selecting sample size for hypothesis testing'
https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/bs/bs704_power/BS704_Power6.html
If you're taking him for his word (I'm calling bullshit on the whole "everyone I know" bit), I'd say his acquaintances are very very unlucky, seeing as how... "U.S. health officials have confirmed fewer than 6,000 cases of Covid-19 in fully vaccinated Americans, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. That represents just 0.007% of the 84 million Americans with full protection against the virus." https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/19/cdc-says-there-have-been-less-than-6000-breakthrough-covid-cases-among-fully-vaccinated-americans.html
That's 6,000 cases (of fully vaccinated folks) compared to our current US total of 32,356,034 cases (of unvaccinated folks). https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html
But sure, this guy's "personal experience" is just as valid as the CDC's observations. 🙄
And i thought i did use words such as "might be true" , "get vaccinated", "still be cautious post vaccine"
What do you want from me ? Apology ?