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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To watch and wait as the JVCI suggested?

71 replies

Marypoppins19 · 25/09/2021 18:58

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.

OP posts:
Dinoroaraus · 25/09/2021 21:25

@Marypoppins19

Interesting you mention backlash, the school have sent a fab letter saying they support every parents choice and that’s that.
I think that's the way to go with kids. No pressure either way.
northernlightsea · 25/09/2021 21:34

Mine will be getting it this weekend, I’m not waiting for the school. As pp above say he is bound to catch covid this winter if not vaccinated, at least the vaccine will reduce that risk somewhat. My understanding is the risk of myocarditis with covid infection is significantly higher than with the vaccine. And anecdotally, some of my friends’ teens have been really quite unwell with covid (not hospitalised but close in at least one case) and their vaccinated parents have caught it from them with minimum symptoms or not got it all.

Original poster
Marypoppins19 · 25/09/2021 21:47

“ If you've had a positive COVID-19 test, you need to wait 4 weeks (28 days) before booking. This starts from the date you had the test.”

With so many children infected and not knowing, how will this be avoided??

OP posts:
Original poster
Marypoppins19 · 25/09/2021 21:50

northernlightsea out of interest, how are you getting it sooner?

OP posts:
northernlightsea · 25/09/2021 21:57

I’m in Scotland and in our health board we can take teens to any of the drop in clinics from this week.

NeonK · 25/09/2021 22:00

DS(16) had covid over the summer. Neither he or I were keen for him to get vaccinated due to myocarditis risk (as per JCVI guidance). I'm fully vaccinated. His dad (ex-h) has been pressurising him to get it.

However my mum is about to start chemo so he's decided to go ahead so that he's less risk to her. I'll obviously support his decision but I hate the 'don't kill your granny' narrative. Guilt tripping is not informed consent.

Chessie678 · 25/09/2021 22:11

My feeling on it is that it's not that big a decision and there isn't really a wrong answer. The vaccine and getting covid are both very safe for teens. There is probably a marginal benefit to getting the vaccine in that age group and potentially some ancillary benefits in terms of freedom to travel etc and possibly of avoiding a few days of illness (though personally I had worse side effects from the vaccine than from having covid). But overall there are plenty of more significant decisions you will make for your child.

My child isn't old enough to have the vaccine but if he was I'd probably encourage him to have it if he hadn't already had covid. If he had already had covid I think the risk/benefit analysis would tend towards not getting the vaccine for the time being.

I agree that for children who haven't already had covid (around 50% of them) the choice is more between getting covid at some point or getting vaccinated (but possibly getting covid anyway albeit possibly less badly). A lot of children across the world have already been vaccinated so that should give a reasonable idea at least about short-term side effects.

AlanisMorningShed · 25/09/2021 22:22

@Chessie678 I agree
It wasn't 'til I started being questioned about my decision irl that I started to dig a bit deeper about why.

But @Corvuspurpureus does put it all in perspective. We're privileged even to have this decision to make.

crikeycrumbsblimey · 25/09/2021 22:42

Worth reading this weeks Private Eye who discuss the impact of Covid (not just vaccine) on children.
Gives both sides on the vaccine debate and I was surprised about some of the dad which isn’t being discussed more widely.

I’m very pro vaccination and have respiratory problems so was very glad of my vaccine but made me wonder what I would do (mine are still too young).

Clarissa111 · 25/09/2021 23:37

Ive had covid, and my partner did. My kids didn't get it. My eldest is 21 and has been vaccinated through her job. My 19 yr old has decided not to yet. My 13 year old, and 15 year old twins will not be. I have. But they are not old enough to make an informed decision. And I will not make that for them. You can't get married, drink alcohol, vote etc. So u can't make this decision.

tsmainsqueeze · 25/09/2021 23:59

I will watch and wait too , my 13 yr old tested positive early summer , miserable but not too ill .
I cannot give her an unknown , there is no long term data no matter what experts tell us .
Until the governments latest obsession with vaccinating kids we have been told that kids do not need a vaccine , so who is right ?
All my kids have had every vaccine through out childhood so far , but not this one just yet .

noblegiraffe · 26/09/2021 00:03

I cannot give her an unknown , there is no long term data

The same can be said for Covid.

SomewhereInBrooklyn · 26/09/2021 00:05

My teens aren’t having it, their decision. Who are you feeling pressure from?

Crabapple04 · 26/09/2021 00:37

Also worth remembering is vaccinating young people helps to protect the vulnerable too, as they may have no/lower antibody levels even after being double jabbed. This is same reason why children have been given flu jabs and all family members living a vulnerable person.

Original poster
Marypoppins19 · 26/09/2021 05:40

Crabapple04
The JVCI only looked at the health benefits to the child. The government said that this wasn’t about protecting communities.

The messaging is so mixed and confusing.

OP posts:
SinoohXaenaHide · 26/09/2021 06:11

The statistic missing here that I would need to find out is how that 44 per million for serious illness requiring hospitalisation breaks down between girls and boys.

If it is equal between the sexes that these statistics suggest that the vaccine decreases risk for girls but not for boys, but it is more likely that there is a significant difference given that the virus is known to affect the human body differently in males and females. You could get the same overall 44 per million if the rate was 2 per million for girls and 86 per million for boys - which would mean that the vaccination actually increases the risk more sharply for girls than for boys. OR it might be more like 34 per million for girls and 54 per million for boys which would have the opposite implication.

I think you do also have to weigh in the disruption and long term effects on educational outcomes from the constant testing and isolation periods and missing school. Given that those negatives are a virtual certainty in the absence of vaccination for teenagers, many might think that even a risk of 162 in 1,000,000 is a risk they are prepared to take.

SinoohXaenaHide · 26/09/2021 06:14

Sorry the above was supposed to be quoting:
@kowari
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."

kowari · 26/09/2021 06:21

I think you do also have to weigh in the disruption and long term effects on educational outcomes from the constant testing and isolation periods and missing school.
I didn't think teens had to isolate anymore unless they had covid? Our school hasn't mentioned testing since the initial back to school ones, no kits sent home.

kowari · 26/09/2021 06:27

The statistic missing here that I would need to find out is how that 44 per million for serious illness requiring hospitalisation breaks down between girls and boys.
Yes, I definitely agree that we need more information. It would have been good if the JCVI had broken it down by sex when saying if it was worth the risk to jab teens. Also, offer antibody tests. There just isn't enough information for young people to be able to make an informed decision.

ThisIsNotAMill · 26/09/2021 12:17

Have you asked your children for their opinion? Could they make an informed choice for themselves....or are they not mature enough...which is why you have decided for them?

They're 13 and 11 (soon 12) and neither could be less interested if they tried. They'd have the jab or not and don't much care either way. The fact that they're both so blasé about it kind of proves to me that they're not mature enough to make this decision...they're not even mature enough to care either way.

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