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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Covid vaccines and kids

40 replies

malificent7 · 17/09/2021 09:47

Posting here for traffic. Is it really necessary to get kids vaccinated? I am not anti vaxxer and have been double jabbed.
If kids don't react badly to covid and if teachers etc are double jabbed why the push to get kids vaccinated?
Dd has had all her jabs including hpv but im not keen if unnecessary.
I also don't like the way anti vaxxers are targeting schools atm.

OP posts:
Original poster
malificent7 · 17/09/2021 10:07

Anyone?

OP posts:
slashlover · 17/09/2021 10:09

I think there's been lots of discussion on the actual covid board.

Darkstar4855 · 17/09/2021 10:15

It’s not compulsory. It’s recommended on the basis of available medical evidence.

Brigittebidet · 17/09/2021 10:20

@Darkstar4855

It’s not compulsory. It’s recommended on the basis of available medical evidence.
No, it really isn't recommended on the basis of available medical evidence. The JCVI stated that "the margin of benefit [from having the vaccine] is considered too small to support universal vaccination of healthy 12 to 15 year olds at this time." This came out on 3rd September this year.

So no, you do not have to have your children vaccinated. It is to protect the economy and the older generation, not to protect them.

Clocktopus · 17/09/2021 10:25

It does have some protection benefits for them though, some children do get very unwell with covid. It also helps protect their education/opportunities by increasing the chance of keeping them in school after a year and a half of disrupted learning.

Original poster
malificent7 · 17/09/2021 10:48

So benefits outweigh risks?

OP posts:
ASEAskeptic · 17/09/2021 10:49

I think it also helps to guard against long covid, which is a particular concern for me as I have ME so suspect my DC would be more susceptible

Original poster
malificent7 · 17/09/2021 10:49

If the elderly are vaccinated aren't they protected anywayConfused

OP posts:
ASEAskeptic · 17/09/2021 10:51

I think it probably depends on your individual risk profile; for my DC I have concluded that the benefits of vaccination are likely to outweigh the risks. But everyone's risk profile is different. Could you discuss with your GP ?

Clocktopus · 17/09/2021 10:52

In my circumstances they do. DS needs to be in school, he is autistic and so already at a disadvantage. If the vaccine helps lessen the chances of his school having to close then ghats a good thing as far as I'm concerned. With being autistic he doesn't always show when he is ill or tell us, he might not cooperate with taking medications (even OTC stuff like calpol or ibuprofen to bring his temperature down), and he finds it upsetting and difficult to cope when he's unwell, if he reached a point where he needed to see a doctor or go to hospital it would be incredibly distressing for him. The vaccine helps mitigate all of that by lessening the chances of him catching it. He knows he's going to be offered it and he wants it done.

Takingabreakagain · 17/09/2021 10:53

The vaccine won't stop them getting the virus or transmitting it so if they get it they'll still need to be off school. I don't see how the vaccine will stop disruption of schools.
As pp said the JCVI didn't recommend it. There are side effects to the vaccine which, from threads on here and reading news reports very recently, don't seem to have been fully investigated for their long term impacts.

SoupDragon · 17/09/2021 10:53

@malificent7

If the elderly are vaccinated aren't they protected anywayConfused
It's not 100% effective though.
MrsArchchancellorRidcully · 17/09/2021 10:53

My view is that there we have never vaccinated healthy children against a virus which very rarely makes children ill with a vaccine for which we have no long term safety data for.

We are vaccinating children to protect adults. There is always a slight risk of heart inflammation with the vax it seems, especially boys. A 13 year old died in his sleep after getting his vax in the USA.

I'm pro vaccine and double jabbed but for me, risks to Dd and DS (especially DS) outweighs the benefits.

The us is poised to recommend vax for 5-12 year olds and will no doubt follow up with 0-5 and there is no way DS is getting vaxxed in year 5. He is getting his flu spray tho.

Slippery slope IMO. I'll wait for a little longer I think.

Clocktopus · 17/09/2021 10:55

If the elderly are vaccinated aren't they protected anyway

Not every elderly or vulnerable person can be vaccinated and no vaccine is 100% so of those who are vaccinated some will still get a breakthrough infection, some of these will still be very unwell. The more covid is circulating in the general population then the more likely it is that breakthrough infections will occur. As well as that, the more it is circulating then the more opportunities it has to mutate and we could then end up with a strain that makes the vaccine far less effective or that is entirely vaccine resistant (then we have a situation where we'd be potentionally facing lockdown again).

Clocktopus · 17/09/2021 10:59

The vaccine won't stop them getting the virus or transmitting it so if they get it they'll still need to be off school. I don't see how the vaccine will stop disruption of schools.

The vaccine does stop people getting covid, that's literally what a vaccine does. Some people will have breakthrough infections because no vaccine gives 100% protection but generally speaking they don't get as ill as they would have if they'd been unvaccinated. I'm double vaxxed and have been in direct contact with a family member who had covid but didn't catch it so the vaccine was definitely doing its job. There is evidence too that being vaccinated reduces transmission and vaccinated people are less likely to pass covid on as their viral load tends to be lower.

SoupDragon · 17/09/2021 11:00

My view is that there we have never vaccinated healthy children against a virus which very rarely makes children ill with a vaccine for which we have no long term safety data for.

Well, that might be because we haven't had a pandemic where a vaccine has needed to be developed before.

Takingabreakagain · 17/09/2021 11:02

This vaccine doesn't have the same efficacy as other vaccines. Many people have contracted the virus after getting the jabs. Even the government admit it doesn't stop transmission but may/will lessen symptoms. Double vaccinated people have still died after contracting the virus.

Takingabreakagain · 17/09/2021 11:04

@SoupDragon
Doesn't matter if it's a pandemic if the virus causing the pandemic doesn't badly affect children why should they need to be vaccinated?

ManifestDestinee · 17/09/2021 11:08

y view is that there we have never vaccinated healthy children against a virus which very rarely makes children ill with a vaccine for which we have no long term safety data for

We've never had so much safety data for a vaccine as we have for this one. Also, in many countries kids are routinely vaccinated for chicken pox, which rarely makes children seriously ill.

Balonzette · 17/09/2021 11:09

I would never get my children vaccinated. Their risk of serious illness from covid is SO low, I just can't justify the risk of the vaccine. (And before anyone says 'the greater good'... I don't care about the greater good when it comes to my children. They will always be first priority.)

thepeopleversuswork · 17/09/2021 11:11

@Clocktopus

It does have some protection benefits for them though, some children do get very unwell with covid. It also helps protect their education/opportunities by increasing the chance of keeping them in school after a year and a half of disrupted learning.
Yep. My DD (who isn't yet old enough for a vaccine) has asthma and has been hospitalised for respiratory infections on several occasions so I would trample people out of the way to get access to something which would lessen the risk of this happening if she got COVID.

I also just think having children vaccinated lessens the risk to the broader population because it reduces transmission among one of the most significant virus vectors. And is likely to keep children in school and minimise disruption to their education.

For me its a no brainer tbh, the benefits of it vastly outweigh the risks.

ASEAskeptic · 17/09/2021 11:11

Well it does badly affect some children; there were kids and teens in hospital where I am. It doesn't badly affect most children.

Balonzette · 17/09/2021 11:12

And that's not even considering the fact that vaccinated people can and do still get and transmit covid. All that risk for a) a disease that will probably barely affect them and b) a vaccine thst won't even stop them catching covid or c) passing it on to other people.

It horrifies me that people are vaccinating children. There hasn't been anywhere near sufficient research.

ASEAskeptic · 17/09/2021 11:12

Sorry that was in response to @Takingabreakagain. Cross posted with everybody!

ManifestDestinee · 17/09/2021 11:12

And before anyone says 'the greater good'... I don't care about the greater good when it comes to my children. They will always be first priority

Fortunately for you, other people do care about the greater good, and your children will benefit from them doing so.

3 of my children are already vaccinated. The twins are too young yet, but will be vaccinated whenever appropriate.