To watch and wait as the JVCI suggested?

[Marypoppins19]

I have two boys both fully vaccinated with the childhood vaccinations etc

I’m coming under a little pressure from opposing views. I’m certainly not saying no but more that I just want more information in relation to side effects particularly in boys and would rather wait.

Are the side effects known to be different in girls and boys?

@Witchcraftandhokum

Are the side effects known to be different in girls and boys?

Yes, boys have a much higher risk of myocarditis than girls. www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/10/boys-more-at-risk-from-pfizer-jab-side-effect-than-covid-suggests-study "They estimate the rate of myocarditis after two shots of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be 162.2 cases per million for healthy boys aged 12 to 15 and 94 cases per million for healthy boys aged 16 to 17. The equivalent rates for girls were 13.4 and 13 cases per million, respectively. At current US infection rates, the risk of a healthy adolescent being taken to hospital with Covid in the next 120 days is about 44 per million, they said."

At 12 minimum they’re really old enough to decide for their selves. Ask them

Yanbu.

I'm in the same boat, two eligible young teens who won't be having it. The risk of being hospitalised from side effects of the vaccine is higher for young boys than the risks of the virus. It was an easy decision for me based on that, regardless of the government think they should take one for the team.

Watch and wait = catching covid, as Chris Whitty said.

If you wait, with current transmission rates in secondary kids as high as they are, they will catch covid. That's the choice, not anything else.

They will more than likely catch covid regardless, if they haven't already had it. It would be helpful if teens were given antibody tests as that could change the risk vs benefit balance.

Based on the fact that covid is less of a risk to them than the vaccine, I'm fine with that tbh.

I thought the risk of myocarditis was higher when getting the 2nd dose but this age group is only getting 1 dose.

@ThisIsNotAMill

Based on the fact that covid is less of a risk to them than the vaccine, I'm fine with that tbh.

That's not what the JCVI said. The opposite in fact.

From the link:

Most children who experienced the rare side-effect had symptoms within days of the second shot of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, though a similar side-effect is seen with the Moderna jab. About 86% of the boys affected required some hospital care, the authors said.

I have a teenage boy who has had every vaccination the NHS offers. He won't be getting the covid vaccination...yet. I'm double jabbed but I'd rather hold off for him.

So long as you know that holding off means catching covid.

Mine teenage DS caught covid, not a single symptom so no vaccine for him.

@FelicityBeedle

At 12 minimum they’re really old enough to decide for their selves. Ask them

My son is 12 in a matter of days and I don’t think he is capable of deciding.

If I told him about the risk of heart inflammation he would probably be pretty worried and I’m not surprised to be honest.

I said to my partner that it’s easier to make the decision for myself because if anything went wrong, I’d blame myself. But if my DS had any issues I would find it hard to take - and I’d rather he got covid to be honest because at least then that’s the luck of the draw - more so than deliberately giving him a vaccine.

I’m genuinely torn on this one.

@noblegiraffe

So long as you know that holding off means catching covid.

No it doesn't . You can catch covid with the vaccine anyway.

@noblegiraffe

So long as you know that holding off means catching covid.

Many teens have already had it.

That's not what the JCVI said. The opposite in fact

I thought it was statistically insignificant but marginally better to be vaccinated? I’m going to have to read up again!

No it doesn't. You can catch covid with the vaccine anyway.
Exactly, five double jabbed people have had it at work in the last few weeks.

I really don’t know what to do here. She doesn’t want the vaccine but not because she’s thought about risks etc - she just doesn’t want the injection. I don’t know what’s for the best.

I’d like to find out more about myocarditis. What I’ve read so far has been reassuring, in that it isn’t very long lived, but I haven’t looked into it very deeply.

I’ve been double jabbed and caught Covid and was grotty. My boys didn’t catch it. As they have been in school throughout, I’m a teacher, I’m pretty sure they have had it. So that’s the first reason for waiting.

So many of my class have had it and just had very mild symptoms so I think that’s partly causing me not to rush into it.

Lastly my younger son is having some cardiac tests for fainting spells so I want to find out more about myocarditis first

No it doesn't hmm. You can catch covid with the vaccine anyway.

Indeed, but Chris Whitty pointed out that waiting means it's almost certain they will catch covid. It is not correct to compare not getting vaccinated with nothing happening, rather not getting vaccinated with catching covid.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/22/chris-whitty-warns-mps-it-is-inevitable-unvaccinated-children-will-catch-covid

I thought it was statistically insignificant but marginally better to be vaccinated?

No, not statistically insignificant.

The health benefits of being vaccinated outweigh the risks by a small margin, not a statistically insignificant one.

The JCVI will just be ignored anyway.. It was them who highlighted the risk/benefit to begin with and look where that has got us.

I agree that we should now be doing antibody tests, not only for children but also for the boosters.

So long as you know that holding off means catching covid.

Not all the unvaccinated will get it, they may have already had it at this point and have natural antibodies.
Same with not everyone who has had both vaccines won't get the virus.

If it helps, you can buy antibody tests privately, for about £60. I did it when I was deciding whether to get the vaccine. I had no antibodies so decided the balance of risk was firmly in favour of getting the vaccine.