Teens will not be routinely vaccinated, JCVI recommends

[noblegiraffe]

Their report isn't out till tomorrow, but continuing with the govt tradition of making big announcements via favoured news outlets, the Telegraph reports that the guidance will be that children aged 12+ will not be offered routine covid vaccinations.

"Instead, under guidance due to be issued on Monday, jabs will be offered to children between 12 and 15 who are deemed vulnerable to Covid or who live with adults who are immunosuppressed or otherwise vulnerable to the virus. They will also now be offered to all 17-year-olds within three months of their 18th birthday."

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/07/17/children-will-get-covid-vaccines-vulnerable/

So from September, there will be literally nothing stopping covid spreading around schools bar the odd open window.

Like the OP said, they don’t have enough vacc for this age group. The new batch that’s ordered for September has already been counted for for the over 50s and all the vulnerable and anyone who is eligible for a flu jab.
They are basing their decision on supply rather than need.

@Walkaround

My 17 year old ds will be truly pissed off by that. Why within 3 months of your 18th birthday? He doesn’t want being vaccinated to clash with the middle of winter in his A-level year, he wants the vaccine now, so he can get on with focusing on driving tests and year 13 and knowing he’ll not have to worry about travel restrictions for the unvaccinated due to the idiotic timing of when he was finally allowed to be vaccinated. It should be offered to children going into exam years now for those who want it - they are old enough to make their own decisions. Those who don’t want it don’t need to have it.

Exactly. DS is on his third isolation. He is doing 4 very tough A levels. He wants to be vaxxed so he can get on with his life.

@Appuskidu

You want yours jabbed fine, do it

I can’t, that’s the point.

I want it to be offered to 12-17 year olds so that my teens can have it. Hopefully that choice will become available to us soon. You can then choose to withhold it from your children if you want to.

Absolutely. If the vaccine was available, parents could still choose for their children not to have it. This way, none of us gets the choice.

I think they will stop the isolations though. No need when vulnerable vaccinated.

And I agree with @littlepeas

This decision pleases me, as I was unhappy about my dc receiving the vaccine

I don’t understand this viewpoint as you could have opted out? This decision would therefore make no difference to you?

@noblegiraffe

Not sure what counts as a vulnerable child, but I'm glad they are going to be offering them to kids with immunosuppressed parents.

Thanks for flagging this @noblegiraffe ! I'd skimmed the article, & thought that DS wouldn't be eligible, but actually I see now that he will be.

That's a big relief for us, but why not offer it to them all? You can always refuse consent.

I don't understand this need to control other people's parenting decisions. It's bizarre.

A health centre near me is offering Pfizer to anyone over 16 on a drop in basis. It's all over social media and lots are taking them up on the offer so not sure how that fits with what the JCVI have said?! (All NHS and totally legitimate, not a private clinic).

@VaccineSticker

Like the OP said, they don’t have enough vacc for this age group. The new batch that’s ordered for September has already been counted for for the over 50s and all the vulnerable and anyone who is eligible for a flu jab. They are basing their decision on supply rather than need.

Is the information on supply available to the general public?

@littlepeas

This decision pleases me, as I was unhappy about my dc receiving the vaccine and this seems like a good middle ground where those who are vulnerable are protected. It is ethically a bit dodgy to vaccinate healthy dc, who are very unlikely to be seriously unwell - not just from the point of view of the balance of risk for them personally, but also because there are vulnerable people in other parts of the world who have not yet received a vaccination.

The majority of other countries are vaccinating their 12+ despite the fact lots of other people in the world need it. We vaccinate healthy dc all the time. In fact the flu vaccination is only given to children to protect adults

If I thought a vaccine could be diverted from my child to a vulnerable person abroad then yes.
However this is not likely to happen.

Where do 16yo fit in?

Makes you wonder what is worrying them that isn’t worrying other countries?!

Or our own MHRA, who like regulators in other countries approved it for use on the basis the benefits outweighed the risks.

I know the issue of myocarditis has been raised, but it’s likely less common post vaccine than it is from getting covid. If we are worried about myocarditis in kids and we aren’t going to vaccinate them we need a huge u-turn in our handling of Covid immediately.

@thenakedmolerat

Good. Morally wrong to inject children with it.

Even if they will benefit from mass vaccination?

The high rates here will speed mutations. And UK is a travel hub. That's bad for the world.

Looking forward to reading the report but I don't think across the board vaccination of children should be happening while other countries are struggling to vaccinate adults who are higher risk. To me that doesn't feel right, covid needs dealing with on a global scale.

Good I'm glad this decision has been made and technically taken it out my hands. I didnt want my DS vaccinated (im double jabbed) but also didn't want the social coercion and bullying tactics that's gone on with the adult vaccines. For most teenagers covid is so bad for them they need to have twice weekly asymptomatic testing just to know they've got it, doesn't sit right with me that we vaccinate them to reduce severity of illness and death, when for most its that "severe" they don't know they've got it 🤷‍♀️
Also supplies coming in September will be allocated for the boosters, after that any vaccine we have acquired should be sent abroad to poorer countries.

Not enough vaccine I expect!

Not enough safety data I believe.

@Toty

Not enough vaccine I expect!

Not enough safety data I believe.

Or both

I did see reports that they are going to routinely vaccinate all secondary kids against flu this year.

That's a big relief for us

Yes, Miles, I'm glad that was included, I assume because they want those parents to send their kids to school.

Thats always been to protect the NHS and not the child.

@noblegiraffe

I did see reports that they are going to routinely vaccinate all secondary kids against flu this year.

And why do people feel this is acceptable, when apparently It is ethically a bit dodgy to vaccinate healthy dc

The flu jab for youngsters that is.

so 17 year old dd stays in the positon where, acording to the jcvi, she can have a booster because she's over 16 and on the flu jab list but still can't have the first 2 jabs because she's not group 6?

Great.