Schools should offer yearly Covid jab instead of flu

[SteakBakesAndHotTakes]

If we can have one, Covid is more common than flu, spreads more easily than flu, and although flu causes more severe illness at time of infection, repeated exposure to Covid increases the chance of long Covid for the child and the rest of the family.

I would rather both but if we had to pick one, my kids have brought home Covid four times and I would rather they be inoculated against it.

Pay for them to get vaccinated then 🤷‍♀️

I thought it was included in the flu jab tbh and not separate

Not how herd immunity works btw

Pay for it if you are not happy with what you are offered.

@lnks @MumChp You're missing the point that we get free flu jabs anyway...I'm saying it would be money better spent on Covid than flu.

You should probably go tell public health officials of your findings, I expect they don’t put any thought or research in to this kind of thing.

considering the covid jab is known to cause blood clots and other medical issues you are being unreasonable.

My children have not and will not have the Covid vaccine until they’re old enough to consider the benefits & risks themselves. Flu can be nasty for adults and children and the flu jab is incredibly low risk. Covid for kids is a cold (unless there are comorbidities at play)

The Covid jab has horrible side effects for many and my kids have never been ill with Covid, there’s no way I’d agree to let them have it. Flu is a nasal spray that doesn’t have any side effects and flu can make children horribly ill. The vaccination programme makes sense as it is.

Children do not need that crap injected into them.

It's easy enough to give children a flu nasal spray. I don't believe they've developed a Covid Nasal spray vaccine and giving primary school children jabs would be a whole different ballgame. On that basis alone I wouldn't imagine it's being considered.

But anyway I don't think a lot of people want their children having Covid vaccine. My two have never had it (have had all other vaccines and DH and I had the original 3 jabs).

flu is still dangerous
covid is only offered to people over a certain age currently.

ii cant imagine there would be much uptake for a covid jab in younger people

These vaccination programmes are for the benefit of populations, rather than individuals. The main reason for vaccinating schoolchildren against flu is to protect those in the community who are more vulnerable to becoming seriously ill or dying from it (i.e. their grandparents).

I wouldn't have my children have the covid jab and I have long covid (4 years in) especially as they are boys. It was also not offered to children under 12 unless significant health risk for a very good reason.

There has been vaccine issues and increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis.

Of course having a long term health condition they still have little idea of how to treat sucks but anyone can develop a health condition or cancer and life has to change.
I have accepted and adapted my life. It's not been easy and I've done a lot on my own but I function and back working.

Based on what evidence? Do you not think that vaccines offered on the NHS are pretty carefully assessed for value for money as well as health benefits? If you think the public health experts are wrong that’s fine, but are you basing that on anything beyond a general feeling?

I thought the Covid jab caused blood clots in young people?

This.

They brought it home 4 times and are fine, which rather implies that they're absolutely fine with it, and don't need immunisation.

Kids don't need the immunisations, adults do.
COVID deaths are a third of flu deaths. Children are generally tough enough to survive COVID, where as the flu is more likely to kill them and others

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/influenza-in-the-uk-annual-epidemiological-report-winter-2024-to-2025/influenza-in-the-uk-annual-epidemiological-report-winter-2024-to-2025#community-surveillance

Covid vaccine eligibility this year has changed. Now only for:-
over 75's
residents in care homes (older adults)
people who are immunosuppressed

Not a chance!

Ideally the immunisation team would be able to offer Covid vaccination in the same session (parents can always decline if that's their personal choice).

However, there are practical constraints. The flu vaccine is (for most children) an individually packaged nasal spray, whereas the Covid vaccine is an injection from a multi-use vial which has strict storage requirements.

And when are parents responsible for anything?

Flu is only less common because of the jab. It knocks you out for two weeks and six weeks to really recover. It kills loads of people. And can also cause long term impacts in a few.

In children who are repeatedly exposed to a range of corona viruses (common cold) Covid is just another cold virus. The vaccine also gives less protection.

I know - why would you think my argument was based around individuals rather than populations? Long Covid is a big risk on a population level.

The uk vaccination programme is about heard immunity and a large chunk of it is delivered through nursing teams coming into schools already.

Op is suggesting they switch the flu vaccine already done in schools to covid.

Personally i think uptake is pretty low of flu vaccine in schools and I think covid would be even lower.