What do you plan to do after July 19th if you have a vulnerable child?

[jumpbounce]

I have no idea what we should do now!
We shielded from March 2020 to April 2021 as an entire family unit, DC didn't go to school either until April 21.
It felt there was some sense of normality with cases low, our children had been able to return to school and we were able to take them to outdoor venues and meet other children outdoors.
It now feels like with the removal of all restrictions and the way cases are currently rising that the risk is now going to be higher than it ever has been in the pandemic. No bubbles or isolations within schools and also the change so that under 18's don't have to isolate at all?
So now essentially it isn't safe to take our children anywhere as we have a CEV child who isn't vaccinated. Advice from the government is for CEV (vaccinated adults) to take greater precautions.
How do you plan to take greater precautions without going back to completely shielding again?

Children are no more likely to get severe disease with covid than with adenovirus or boca virus or human metapneumovirus or many winter respiratory viruses. And we don't change their lifestyle to prevent those. Life was never risk free but the benefits outweigh the risk most of the time.

As a society we need to have a cultural shift to not going to work /school when unwell (with appropriate financial support in place ) and to wearing a mask when we have a cold, as they do in Asia.

I know this has been a scary year but children thankfully do not experience the same type of disease as adults.

My DD will be first in the queue for a vaccine. She is fifteen!
I have worked with the MHRA for over 30 years. If they say a vaccine is safe, then I trust them.

Agreed with a previous poster. Some under 12's are being vaccinated off license. I know of a 7 year old who has been vaccinated with the support and recommendation of GOSH. I would contact their consultants for advice.

Good luck op, it must be a heartbreaking situation to be in.

I'll continue to wear a mask post 19th July. I've also written to my MP asking him to raise the issue of voluntary mask wearing on CEV children.

@chillichoclove

Children are no more likely to get severe disease with covid than with adenovirus or boca virus or human metapneumovirus or many winter respiratory viruses. And we don't change their lifestyle to prevent those. Life was never risk free but the benefits outweigh the risk most of the time.

As a society we need to have a cultural shift to not going to work /school when unwell (with appropriate financial support in place ) and to wearing a mask when we have a cold, as they do in Asia.

I know this has been a scary year but children thankfully do not experience the same type of disease as adults.

Try reading the actual thread instead of assuming you know what it is about. The OP is talking about clinically vulnerable children, not the average child with a robust immune system.

@chillichoclove the thing is though, are you going to want to risk your child with cystic fibrosis being the data and contracting covid? I wouldn't
I imagine there's more conditions and children that have been advised to shield on consultants advice

Trouble is OP far too many people are only concerned with themselves. I don't have children but in normal times I volunteer with a charity which provides an activity for disabled children. We haven't operated since March 2020 and were hoping to start up again in September after the school holidays. I am wondering this morning if we will even be able to start then.

I will still be wearing a mask in shops and trying to keep a reasonable distant from people I don't know. Will probably relax a bit with family and friends who know will still be careful.

So sorry for your situation.

@bengalcat

OP presume you and anyone over 18 in your household has been vaccinated ? There are trials ongoing for vaccinating children primarily in addition to safety to work out if giving a smaller dose is appropriate ( likely it will be as children have a much enhanced immune response to vaccines than adults ) . Talk to your GP / Paediatrician as depending on your child’s underlying condition and individuality advice may have changed . I intend to carry on wearing a mask indoors / on public transport and avoiding large gatherings for I’m guessing at least the rest of this year . Disclaimer - it hasn’t been stuck crumpled in the bottom of my handbag all year - washed/replaced daily . Double vaccinated and look forward to a booster and flu jab in the autumn .

Both parents vaccinated - believe me anyone with a CEV child has constantly been asking their consultant about vaccination, consultants are just waiting on guidance being changed. Some children are very very young and given that the vaccine hasn't yet been approved in any countries for under 12's they are unlikely to start giving it to vulnerable children under 12 anytime soon.

@chillichoclove

Children are no more likely to get severe disease with covid than with adenovirus or boca virus or human metapneumovirus or many winter respiratory viruses. And we don't change their lifestyle to prevent those. Life was never risk free but the benefits outweigh the risk most of the time.

As a society we need to have a cultural shift to not going to work /school when unwell (with appropriate financial support in place ) and to wearing a mask when we have a cold, as they do in Asia.

I know this has been a scary year but children thankfully do not experience the same type of disease as adults.

This maybe isn't the thread for you. Second post to this affect now. The reason these adverse impacts of covid aren't in the data is because of the CEV children shielding. You talk about the lungs in young people, those are the young people who have healthy lungs - when they already have damage to their lungs it becomes a completely different story.

@chillichoclove my son is 6 and has a solid organ transplant. You are not wrong in saying that most children who were classed as CEV still seem to do ok. Our son was removed from the shielding list as his consultant said data showed that transplanted children on his level of immunosuppression seemed to cope with it.
It's the fear factor though, the "what if my child is the one who doesn't cope".
We moved him to a rural school with only 40 children altogether and their term ends before "freedom day". Our plan is to carry on with masks and distancing over the summer and see where we are come September.

CEV DS has had his first vaccine. It took:
GOSH consultant recommending.
Heated conversations with GP.
GP and 119 failing to find a vaccination centre
Me finding a vaccination centre independently cos they had done a friend's child.
First attempt doctor in charge failed to agree to DS being vaccinated (despite having no knowledge of DS and his health needs)
Fire and brimstone complaints to MP, GP and 119.
Phone call a week later from vaccination centre to bring him in.

Still dont know which complaint did the job.

It shouldn't be this hard. But if you have CEV child it can be done with your main consultants backing and one hell of a fight.

Despite this we are being cautious. Both DC are homeschooling (DS(14) since September, DD(15) since feb), so we dont have to deal with schools.

We went out and about a fair bit in June (mostly outside and masked, no public transport, go at quiet times etc). We are planning on reducing

Sorry hit post
Outside contacts again for a while. But we are in a low covid area so things aren't too bad

I totally get it and will continue to be cautious. I don’t need anymore freedom than I have now and dread getting on the tube again.
I used to have a CEV child, who died from a respiratory virus (not covid but similar) a couple of years ago. To everyone saying covid doesn’t affect children, to someone who is CEV it could literally be fatal.

What's the data like on CEV children who have caught Covid?

As far as I know there is no data on CEV children like DS.

@chillichoclove
He has a mitochondrial diagnosis, but doesn't fit in one neat category. Theres not many children with it and they'd all be shielding anyway. Hes gets seriously ill with a cold or flu, I dont reckon on his chances with covid. Especially as long covid attacks the mitochondria.

@Cancellingadvice

Speak to your GP. Some CEV children have been given the vaccine “off-label” (even those under 12)

GPs can't do it, you need to speak to your hospital consultant. And chances of getting it under 12 are slim to non-existent. And certainly non-existent for siblings of CEV child (over 16 only at the moment)

I an tired of being berated or told I have health anxiety, or am sanctimonious, or am enjoying lockdown. I'm beyond tired I think, and there's no end in sight for us

Yy to nobody thinking about the siblings. The stress on DD(15) is palpable

It's awful and I dread to think what schools will be like with the few mitigations there are removed (like sending contacts home). I'm a CEV teacher and I don't feel safe as distancing is impossible, but I'm hoping that my vaccines will keep me from ending up in ICU at least.
I look at my CEV students who don't have vaccine protection and want to cry for them - and their siblings who are constantly worried about taking it home to them.

I will keep wearing my mask, socially distance where possible, meet friends outside, rigorous handwashing.

@Temp023

I guess I am one of the “all right Jacks”I do feel for your children. But I also feel for my children and it is time that they were allowed to live their lives again. We can’t stay like this forever, otherwise there will be no society left to protect your children from.

Do you really believe this, Do you really believe that if social distancing and mask wearing were kept in areas that people had to go to (transport, supermarkets etc) that there would be no society left?

OP. We had the tiniest glimpse of this at the very beginning as my dc was on a 3-month course of prednisolone. We will continue to wear masks as a family and I know many others doing the same. Anything else seems like madness given where we are right now.

I don't have any evidence for this, of course, but my sense is that those planning to gleefully rip up their masks are a vocal minority.

to you all
Yes, I think many will continue with masks - after reading this thread, I certainly intend to.

I don't have CEV child, but I am appalled at how these families are being treated.

Anyone of us could have a CEV child tomorrow - plenty of diagnosis of cancer etc start with a trip to the GP about a persistent temperature or other common symptoms in children.

There are still lots of unknowns eg children with SCD, long covid etc. A child (with no 'underlying health conditions') in my dd's school has been ill for a year with covid. I can't believe that people still believe that it's not a serious risk for children.

The very real possibility of more possibly vaccine-resistant mutatations of the virus also makes what is being proposed really scary from a public health pov.

I can't imagine how awful all this is for you OP.

I’m CEV. When the rules change I will no longer be able to go out because people won’t wear masks or stay away from me. Recently I’ve been able to go to the shops etc even though it’s still too risky for me to go to pubs or restaurants. I’ve been glad to get out a bit. But honestly once masks and distancing have been removed I don’t see that I have any choice but to go back to full shielding. I can’t imagine how hard it is for CEV DC who will probably have to stay off school again.

Thanks - got a couple of Cambridge masks with the code.

Albien I've bought some FFP3 masks now in case I need to go somewhere inside.