Are our kids higher risk of 3rd wave?

[3asAbird]

Read upsetting article about 1300 babies dying in Brazil from covid

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-56696907?at_custom2=facebook_page&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64&at_custom3=BBC+News&at_custom4=75B890C2-9DEE-11EB-8A3B-7E2B3A982C1E&at_custom1=%5Bpost+type%5D

I know Brazil has 2 varients that are more transmissible.

Also read lot younger patients in new York.
A lot of younger people seem to be affected by new mutated varients.

We we vaccinate all over 18s that want it.
That the virus mutates and looks for ways to survive.
Won't our non vaccinated children be a greater risk this autumn winter with non socially distanced schools?

I read this earlier too OP and thought exactly the same as you. I think they will have to vaccinate children, there is no way around it that I can see, otherwise there is just a huge part of the population that is left vulnerable.

And stop non-essential travel outside the country until all are adequately vaccinated and those vaccines are up-to-date (i.e. work on the variants of concern)

If you read the full article, at no point do they reference a mutant, child killing strain. Rather, it’s accumulation of a variety of factors. The sheer amount of cases they’ve had, extreme poverty & malnutrition and extremely poor medical care. Malnutrition has the same effect on the body as an underlying condition. Their bodies are extremely weak. Plus there will be many children with actual, undiagnosed & untreated underlying conditions.

Children will be vaccinated eventually but there really is no cause for concern in the U.K. Our lives are very different.

It's a numbers game.

If you have a 1 in a million chance of winning the lottery - you never expect to do so if you buy one ticket.
But if you bought 100,000 tickets, then you'd be much more likely to win.

Brazil has allowed the virus to spread uncontrollably. This means that even if the risk to any single group is low, when you take into account the number of cases, you end up with a significant number of deaths.

It's another reason why the UK cannot be allowed to let a 3rd wave spread uncontrollably. We could end up with a significant number of children dying.

However, there's no reason to expect a more severe strain for children.

I find this terrifying. You’re right OP, if the virus can’t spread in adults then any strain that can infect unprotected kids will start to spread more and become dominant. Everyone has been saying that Covid doesn’t affect kids, when that’s clearly not the case. I had started to go out a bit with my DC but now we’ll be staying in again.

Just an aside (and I shall be beaten for this) but the concerning variants have developed where the vaccine was first tested on people, Brazil, SA and UK. This virus is capable of changing, it would naive to think that it won't affect the unvaccinated regardless of age.

Agree with @bookworm1632

The article shows the number since the start and reading it I would say it shows the state of the health system - the little boy would have survived maybe with treatment

The vaccine wouldn't be tested in Australia for example for example as no useful data on efficacy could have been gleaned in a population not actually exposed to the virus.

@SteveyFluff

I find this terrifying. You’re right OP, if the virus can’t spread in adults then any strain that can infect unprotected kids will start to spread more and become dominant. Everyone has been saying that Covid doesn’t affect kids, when that’s clearly not the case. I had started to go out a bit with my DC but now we’ll be staying in again.

I agree. This has been my worse nightmare. It was bad enough adults but now children. if this is true, I'm not sure I can take much more.

poolofvipers is right. We need temporary border restrictions and real quarantine. Like Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam. The places where life is largely normal, businesses open, shops, bars, restaurants, hospitals. And everyone is safe.

I find this really scary, but I agree, we need proper border control.

but this isnt about variants - the story shows a sad story at the start of the pandemic.

It is about Brazils terrible response to the pandemic and health care failure there is nothing to say it is a variant that has caused this (other than it being more infectious)

Ok, you all just completely ignore what the article states and live in some kinda weird terror. Keeping your kids locked away is cruel. Read and understand the article, there is no mutant child killing strain. Of course kids can get covid. But your kid is malnourished & living in a slum. READ. The article even explains that malnourishment has a profound effect on the immune system.

Good grief. I’ve no idea how people function in society in real life.

*isnt malnourished

PPs have said it well but @bookworm1632 has said it perfectly.

I despair. People are just looking for ways to prolong the drama and fear. Things are looking up. But I'm comfortable in my state of fear so I'm finding the next fear to latch on to.

Wake up to yourselves.

www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/will-delaying-vaccine-doses-cause-a-coronavirus-escape-mutant--68424

In not very scientific but I keep reading such contradicting information.
That a partially vaccinated population is risky.

This article just refers to people who only had 1 vaccine.
But fact us come September kids will be the only ones not vaccinated.
We don't know if they will open up international travel keep reading Brazilian and South African varients more prevalent in parts of Europe around 10% in France.
We know the British varient seemed to affect younger age people.
Its not beyond realms of possibility that new varients won't affect different age groups.

I don't think school returned long enough show affects in England at least.
My children activities have restarted.
If we allow people go away summer holidays I worry that leaves schools and kids very vulnerable in September.
Matthew Hancock said himself kids can get covid and transmit the virus so if kids go away get virus go school then transmit virus could lead to spread of new varients.
I read viruses mutate and adapt to survive if nearly all adults are vaccinated they can only then infect kids.

I had started to go out a bit with my DC but now we’ll be staying in again.
Please don't do that to your children, it's madness.

Please read the article properly. It’s not saying that the variants have worse outcomes in children. It’s talking about how the virus has spread unchecked in Brazil and due to a struggling health system and consequential late diagnosis there have been a high level of deaths including sadly those of children but this is due to the conditions and circumstances in Brazil not due to the variant.

But it already has adapted to being more infectious for children that was part of the problem of the Kent Variant

New variants usually occur in the immunosuppressed

But carry on living in fear and reading into things that simply arent there.

The poor boy in the BBC story died in June last year

I have health anxiety so I understand the worry but right now things are going relatively well. Yes there may be issues down the line but for now while numbers are relatively low and it’s getting warmer try to enjoy the small low risk things that we are able to do with our children and don’t let articles such as these scare you. We simply don’t know what the winter holds and the experts have differing views too so try and enjoy life right now. The headline is misleading as explained in my above post.

I'm not living in fear my kids are in school and started up back at clubs.
The article just threw me earlier thats all
I think as pleased as I am see them return to school I was anxious as winter term was so stressful.
My 3 children attend 3 different schools.
Eldest is gcse year and really don't want it disrupted.
I know pfizer was doing a study on kids vaccines in states and we were doing a az one here thats now been suspended.
I don't know realistic time line for rolling out kids vaccines I guess 2022.
We going awayUK July self catered cottage.

I hope the government don't open up travel in May but have feeling they might.

I assume the goal every adult who wants it 18plus by 31st July is just 1st dose.

I agree we shouldn't have foreign holidays this year, and also that we need better border restrictions.

However, I hope it might reassure you a bit to remember it's still much rarer for children to be badly affected. Also vaccine trials in children are going on right now.

I understand your concerns though.

I think it is very natural to be worried when we see information like this.

The government really need to keep cases as low as possible - sadly they are not doing this.

But agree the article makes important points about number of cases and impact of extreme poverty, as well as lack of testing and lack of hospital treatment availability due to the scale of the crisis in Brazil.

The UK government has downplayed the risks to children imo - but the big risk from covid to young people is primarily long covid and having ongoing symptoms that affect their lives.

The government really need to keep cases as low as possible - sadly they are not doing this.

How can you argue this?