To not want to give my 13 year old the moderna vaccination

[Letshaveablackcelebration]

I am normally pro- vaccination and I am double vaxxed myself. I had the moderna jab too and had a dreadful reaction to the 2nd jab- I was ill for 10 days and off work.

I see that Moderna has been approved for 12 -18 year olds but I really don’t want my 13 year old to have it, especially after the nasty reaction I had to it. I don’t think that I want my teenager to have any of the covid jabs actually and I am surprised that I feel this way. I think it’s because I was so ill- it’s made me really worried.

Aibu? My kids are both fully vaxxed with all their childhood jabs so I am surprised at myself for feeling so strongly about this.

Where I am (and all over 12s are being mass vaccinated before September) depending on the day you go, you either have Pfizer or Moderna. DD had Moderna.

Would you be happy with Pfizer?

There's no WAY I'd be allowing my child to have it. No way.

DH had Moderna and was fine after the second jab. Sore arm after the first.

I was very unwell for 36hrs after my first AZ jab. My best mate was fine, all 6 of my elderly neighbours were fine.

It's not as predictable as one person's response. If you have had Covid, I'm led to believe you respond more strongly to jabs but frankly that could be bullshit.

Surely better to be a bit rough for a few days with a jab than very sick with the real thing, just like all the childhood jabs?

@DifferentHair

Since you asked - I think you'd be out of your mind not to give your child the vaccine.

As soon as my children are eligible i will be there like a shot.

I think you’d be out of your mind to give your child the vaccine🤷🏼‍♀️ Each to their own.

Yes

If you would be very sick, that is, which generally isn’t the case for children and covid, so it is a bit of a murky area ethically, IMO.

I feel the same about the flu jab and a couple of others though.

I think vaccinations should protect the person being vaccinated, not other people. I certainly don’t think children should be asked to have an invasive procedure for the benefit of adults.

@Remmy123

I feel the same so will be holding off for a while.

You don’t need to since it’s not being offered. You get what you want, but sadly those of us who think differently don’t have the option.

From what i have observed, all jabs can cause horrible reactions. Those I know who have had Pfizer and AZ have had mixed reactions from totally unnoticeable to feeling fluey for a couple of days.

However I only know of five people who have had Moderna and all of them had really nasty responses to their second jab so when the news about the approval for 12-15 came in yesterday I must admit I'm hesitant about letting dd2 having it. I am totally pro-vax normally especially as I've recently had very mild Covid after being double jabbed (thank you AZ!) but it is making me think twice.

Interesting how there seems to be hardly any media reportage on Moderna side-effects, unlike AZ 🤔

On terms of decision-making around thd jab, there are 2 issues:

1. Is it safe?
2. Is it necessary?

The answer to 1 is that it's probably safe. There have been no issues that have arisen so far. But on the otger hand, A-Z was safe for under 30s, and thalidomide was safe for pregnant women...until they weren't.

For me, the bigger issue is 2. Most 13 year olds are unlikely to get ill from covid. They are not being offered the jab to protect themselves, they are being offered it to protect the older generations. I dont know of any other childhood immunisation which is given to a child with the primary purpose of benefitting adults. I am not comfortable with it.

This is absolutely the OPs decision.

No it isn’t.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/consent-to-treatment/children/

Although moot since it isn’t offered to those that want it.

I've had it at 28 and had no side effects at all. I really think you should listen to what your children want here.

Rubella and flu to name two, @sharksarecool

So you had some side effects...but you're fine. No harm done from the vaccine.
You don't know your kid won't get a bad dose of covid. Do the right thing and get them vaccinated. My 12 and 15 year old have had the pfizer already.

I was very unwell with my 2nd AZ vaccine, and still aren't fully recovered more than 12 weeks on. I've still got joint pains, headaches, dizziness and to add insult to injury, it has done something to my normally robust immune system meaning I've had 2 horrid colds and currently have a nasty sinus/ear infection.

I wouldn't give to any healthy person under 18.

I've just read on here last night that Pfizer is now linked to as many blood clots as AZ as well as the myocarditis. I'm not at all sure now Pfizer is the safer option.

I reacted to both doses of Moderna but the first one was by far the worst with ongoing symptoms. Had just starting feeling human again when I got 2nd.
Had god awful temperature and my skin was physically sore to touch for 24 hours after 2nd but now am right as rain.

Yet I know others that have had Moderna with no ill effects at all.

Everyone reacts differently, some do, some don’t, some with first, some with second, some with both. There’s no rhyme or reason to it no matter what vaccination you’ve had.

Considering it’s not being offered to 13 year olds in the U.K. then you don’t even have to think about it? Unless you live somewhere else.

Seeing as it isn’t yet being offered to teenagers in the UK I wouldn’t borrow trouble.

There have been 25 deaths in children in the UK out of almost 12 million since the start of the pandemic. There is no justification for vaccinating children. The risks of death from covid for them are roughly the same as the risks of death from the vaccine (1 in 500,000) Except many vaccine deaths will not be recorded as such so the risks from the vaccine for children are likely higher than the risk of death from covid.

What does your child want ? I just had mine same age done with first dose of moderna but discussed it a lot and made sure it was what they wanted , I had the same but no side effects maybe I'd feel different if I got as sick as you did .

@BrilloPaddy

I was very unwell with my 2nd AZ vaccine, and still aren't fully recovered more than 12 weeks on. I've still got joint pains, headaches, dizziness and to add insult to injury, it has done something to my normally robust immune system meaning I've had 2 horrid colds and currently have a nasty sinus/ear infection.

I wouldn't give to any healthy person under 18.

Isn’t it lucky then that AZ isn’t licensed for under 18s then?

My mother was perfectly fine after two doses of AZ - isn’t it also lucky that we don’t make health policy based on anecdata?

DS is 16. From 16 I understand parental consent is no longer required for medical procedures. The GP contacted him about the vaccine and not me.

Where do you live OP? We can’t get it here at 13 years unless in a high risk group/family member ECV.

Children don't need vaccinating from covid, they've more chance of drowning than dying from it, it's so unnecessary.

I'm in Sweden and DH and I have had Moderna jab. All good, no side effects