To say no to covid vaccine for DS?

[Clarabell77]

My DS10 has asthma - mild albeit a chest infection 14 months ago ended up in an overnight in hospital on a nebuliser/steroid and he’s had to have a steroid once during that time for another infection.

He’s been identified as being at risk and offered a Covid vaccine. I’m not sure whether to allow him to have it as I’m sure he’s had Covid quite a few times when we’ve all tested positive at home - can’t test him as he won’t let me near him with a swab. He’s had mild symptoms, even when ours weren’t.

He’s had the flu vaccine twice and taken unwell within weeks on both occasions so I’ve opted out of that one this year. Does anyone have any thoughts on the Covid one? Ideally someone who has actual knowledge, not from YouTube, I’m not a covid denier or anti vaxxer.

AIBU to not get him the vaccine?

You say he took unwell within a few weeks due to the flu vaccine. Maybe it prevented getting flu and he just had a regular barn door cold virus. If my child had asthma they’d be having the flu and Covid vaccine no questions asked. I’m a doctor but not giving you medical advice just saying what I’d do if it was my child.

I see the anti vaxxers are here. Thankfully MNHQ has deleted some of their propaganda.

I don't think I do, either. I last had flu in late 2009, and the previous time was early in 1993, so twice in over 30 years. People forget that it can be fatal, and a colleague was hospitalised with it in 2009.

I had Covid, albeit very mildly, just when the first lockdown was announced. I've never had it a second time, but have been vaccinated every year since 2001. My SIL and BIL, who don't "believe in" vaccinations, have had it several times. BIL was dreadfully ill with Covid in the autumn, and they were talking about admitting him to hospital, but he started to improve.

Has the op of this post (working in Pharma) actually replied? I’m scrolling but can’t find and I’d be interested know what information they have. Thank you.

New Research. A study published on 26 Aug 2024 in J Amer Med Association, a top peer reviewed international journal, suggests that young men have ‘considerably fewer’ cardiac sequelae if they develop pericarditis or myocarditis after Covid vaccine than after a Covid infection.

In other words, Covid itself also predisposes young men to these conditions and the results are (much) more likely to be serious. Furthermore it is well documented that Covid predisposes the young to heart attacks and strokes, with rates spiking by about 30% after infection, as well as less serious cardiac disease The vaccine is not known to do this.

I have also been watching, @Annabellouise - hopefully someone will let us know if we have missed it

The risk of myocarditis is very, very, very low.

While I am sympathetic to your diagnosis and wish you well, it is extremely irresponsible of you to claim your advanced uterine cancer was due to the vaccine. There is absolutely no way it could have advanced that fast in a year.

You don't say where you haemorrhaged from but if it was uterine bleeding, that would have been associated with your cancer.

Yes, overall from the vaccine about 1/10,000. Somewhat higher in young men but not likely to be serious, reference above.

Having only had mild symptoms so far is no guarantee they won't be more severe in future. I've had covid at least 3 times now and it's always been mild but I do know people who have had 2-3 mild bouts and then a severe one and/or long covid.

Since when is pointing out that myocarditis is a side effect of the covid jab means you're a anti vaxxer?

Yes, the flu vaccine could have caused the immune response in his tonsils/tonsillitis.

As I stated in my OP, it’s advice from people who have knowledge of the subject that I’m looking for, it just so happens that I’m using the internet to get that advice.

The vast majority of the general public are not qualified to do their own research. They don't have sufficient knowledge of statistics to interpret most research papers. Equally, they don't have the knowledge to distinguish between a good academic source and a disreputable one.

That said, government policy on vaccination is based on populations, not individuals. Some people will react badly to any medication. They are in the minority but obviously not great if you are one of that minority.

Forgot to quote poster I was replying to!

The trouble is anti-vaxxers fail to add that a)it is a very, very, very rare side effect and b) most people fully recover with treatment.

But that is not as fear-inducing, is it?

The covid vaccine is no different to other vaccines in terms of side effects. The reason we are hearing so much about them is the sheer scale of the vaccine rollout.

Do you really think that uterine cancer could have gone from zero to advanced in a year?

I think she probably can. Enough women have had the Covid jabs now for a link to have been noticed - an upsurge in unterine cancer in women who have had the vaccine would have been noticed by now if there had been.

I’m sympathetic but it’s like saying I had a Covid vaccine and then a week later I fell and broke my arm. Very bad luck. No evidence to suggest a link.

Get it - there's a reason he's been offered it and the NHS wouldn't incur expense for nothing.

I am clinically vulnerable. Last year both DH (unvaccinated owing to age below threshold for seasonal boosters) and I had Covid. I was a lot less ill than him. It's worth it.

Vaccines are like insurance. You don't necessarily expect the worst will happen, but you take out the insurance when you don't think you can deal with the worst without any help.

You might not take out contents insurance if you could afford to replace all your contents and you'd quite like an excuse to buy new furniture and clothes. You'd take it out if you would be screwed if you had to replace it all because you're living paycheque to paycheque.

I've just had my flu vaccine. I was a bit unwell for a few days. That was the price of my insurance. I've had the flu before, and I couldn't physically move. I hallucinated. Because I don't want that scenario to happen again, I take the insurance (the vaccine). I may not avoid it completely, but I won't have as bad a time if I didn't take the insurance.

If I'd been offered a Covid vaccine as well, I'd have taken it too. Why? Because I do know people who have had mild Covid (and repeatedly). I also know people who have died from Covid, and people who wish they'd died from Covid and are a suicide risk. That's something I'm prepared to insure against - where I think the worst-case scenario is bad enough for me to justify the cost (feeling mildly sick for a few days).

Children don't get offered the Covid vaccine easily, so some doctor somewhere has decided your child is higher risk for things going south if they get a nasty strain. There are different strains - just because your child has had a different one before and it hasn't been terrible doesn't mean he would have a mild reaction next time.

I'd get him the jab without hesitation.

As in big.....

Obviously you don't need to start a new career as a researcher to do your own research. However, in order to do any form of valid research you need to be able to interpret the findings in scientific papers. You need to understand how to discern whether the research was rigorously designed. You also need to be able to judge the quality of the outlet the research is published in.

If you don't have the skill set to to that, you don't have the skill set to do your own research.

Oh the irony of this post!

Can you provide us with some links to the sources you used?

Also, eyes and ears is simply anecdotal. That is not research.