Should we be worried about our children?

[Moonme]

I know several families that are having to isolate due to children being in contact with cases at school. It seems like the Government is going for a herd immunity strategy amongst the young. Should we be concerned about this? I know the risk of dying is super low but I’ve seen a few doctors on Twitter (respected UK Drs) saying we shouldn’t be playing fast and loose with a novel virus as we don’t know the long term impacts.
What are your thoughts?

I don’t understand why the government are dragging their heels about vaccinating the over 12’s.

It seems every other western nation is doing it. The more it spreads in schools, the higher the threat of mutation.

We should all worry about our children, I think that's part and parcel of having kids. I'll be honest, I worry more about the main road we have to cross on the way to school every morning. Numerous petitions asking for barriers and it's like whistling in the wind.

@Babdoc

Well there are only two options for children, OP. Herd immunity or vaccination. Take your pick.

But there isn't, currently our children have one option, herd immunity. We are not allowed to pick and if they stop all isolations as being discussed then children will be completely exposed. I do not understand why they can not do daily testing in school instead of isolation for close contacts (and don't say schools can't cope, they can if the government spent money on them)

Are we able to get our kids vaccinated if we choose to now? They are doing in over in the Netherlands.

I’m not worried about covid itself for my DC, no. Obviously I’d rather they don’t catch it. But if the way for them to not catch it is continuation of the restrictions and impact of repeated isolations on their life, then catching it (if they haven’t already had it) feels like the lesser of two evils.

@bellamountain

We should all worry about our children, I think that's part and parcel of having kids. I'll be honest, I worry more about the main road we have to cross on the way to school every morning. Numerous petitions asking for barriers and it's like whistling in the wind.

Yes same here. I worry more about DC scooting to nursery with me than Covid, but still do it because otherwise I’d be adding to the problem by driving a short distance and creating yet more traffic.

. I do not understand why they can not do daily testing in school instead of isolation for close contacts (and don't say schools can't cope, they can if the government spent money on them)

Good luck doing daily testing on my 8 and 5 year olds and my 1 year old in nursery. They see it as a form of torture!

This was never about protecting the children.

It was about protecting middle aged men with money until they could get vaccinated. Women (and children) were thrown under the bus to make it happen with the carrot of "ooooh, flexible working forever?" and that expectation is already being rapidly managed downwards.

Kids (and mum) are being isolated to manage covid spread so that...middle aged men can attend crowded sporting fixtures, and without masks. Yeah.

Next they'll be asking why women aren't having any/as many kids anymore. 🤷‍♀️

It’s disgraceful that the government won’t step up on vaccinating.

I don’t know that they’re necessarily going for herd immunity but what are the other options? We can’t vaccinate them if we don’t know enough about the effects on children and we can’t keep them out of school indefinitely; that would be far more harmful for generations to come. There’s already been enough damage done

@OliveTree75

. I do not understand why they can not do daily testing in school instead of isolation for close contacts (and don't say schools can't cope, they can if the government spent money on them)

Good luck doing daily testing on my 8 and 5 year olds and my 1 year old in nursery. They see it as a form of torture!

Apologies should have been clearer. Secondary schools, I am involved in a pilot test with several schools, all get tested in school, unsurprisingly when parents found out that they could skip isolation if they were tested daily virtually the vast majority consented.

It’s not the government delay it’s JCVI making decision on 12 plus

Looking at international data

Kids (and mum) are being isolated to manage covid spread so that...middle aged men can attend crowded sporting fixtures, and without masks. Yeah.

This^

One y11 at my DD’s school has had about 4 weeks total in school

@PicsInRed is right imo; the government don’t care about kids or women in this

I just hope they will give parent a choice to vaccinate children or not soon. Then it's up to us parents to decide if we are happy with natural immunity or vaccine.

Not many seem to care about children first. Lots of cries for isolation on here.

But yeh I agree women and children hit hardest

My teenage daughter currently has Covid. She's not noticably ill. I'm not worried about her siblings catching it. I'm double jabbed, so far i haven't caught it, but I'm not worried if I do.

I would be worried about the jab for a teen, given the reported menstrual issues with it.

The vaccines for adults have broken the link between cases and deaths. I think the time for isolation of kids is over.

@Bksjshsbbev2737

I don’t know that they’re necessarily going for herd immunity but what are the other options? We can’t vaccinate them if we don’t know enough about the effects on children and we can’t keep them out of school indefinitely; that would be far more harmful for generations to come. There’s already been enough damage done

We can't vaccinate as we 'don't know enough about the effects on children', but we can let them be exposed to a novel virus...

Yes, I am worried, both about long covid and any future variants which could develop while covid burns through the younger population - And about continuous isolations, missing education, missing all the normal activities in a child's life. I guess when/if the vaccine is offered I will worry about whether they should have that too.

FWIW I think it is absolutely normal and healthy to have some degree of worry about all these things, instead of the media trying to simplify the argument to divide people into pro/anti-lockdown/ vax. It's not black and white. It's a complicated picture and our children are now at the centre of it in many ways.

Do you know any child who has been seriously unwell due to Covid OP?

Does anyone here?

We all must know 100s of children and Covid’s been circulating in schools freely for nearly 2 years now. I’m not aware of any children who have been unwell. So I’m not worried.

@Babdoc

Well there are only two options for children, OP. Herd immunity or vaccination. Take your pick.

Vaccination. But we aren't being offered that. Shoving them all in unvaccinated schools and letting it rip is cheaper innit.

I think there should be parental choice, especially for kids with medical conditions as they put it.

And we should do more to support vaccines going to the developing world. As well.

I don't understand why anyone would chose the live virus over a vaccination? I would chose to vaccinate, like I have for measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus, flu etc etc

My dc had covid earlier in the year, literally a runny nose & felt off for a day. Only tested as a GP friend had said runny nose could be a sign.

I'm so worried about dc, but I'm not worried about them getting covid. I don't know of any kids who have been more than a bit poorly with it.

I'm seriously worried about the impacts of lockdowns and isolations though. About the lack of preventative dental care, lack of exercise, educational and social opportunities. Lack of travel and genuine leisure time. Lack of extended family contact and lack of influence of other interested adults in my dc's lives etc etc. I'm seriously worried about my DC mental health and emotional wellbeing. About their expected ability to deal with uncertainty and disappointment repeatedly.

I am very worried.

Vaccination. But we aren't being offered that. Shoving them all in unvaccinated schools and letting it rip is cheaper innit.

Of course it’s not about cost. There are adults who haven’t had first doses yet, over 50s who haven’t had 2nd doses, are you seriously complaining that children haven’t yet been vaccinated? To outweigh the absolutely minuscule risk to healthy children from Covid, this would have to be the safest vaccine ever created.

If I had an older teenager I’d probably feel differently but with very young DC I’m far more concerned about vaccination for them than covid and I’m about as far from an antivaxxer as it gets.