Positive for the vaccine please?

[debbs77]

Discussing the vaccine with our teenagers tonight, one of which is 18 next year.

Besides the obvious covid related benefits, can anyone help to out her mind at rest for reasons to have it. All she has heard of are the negatives, such as potential infertility etc.

She feels like she doesn't have choices

Reducing the risk of getting Long Covid or infecting someone vulnerable. Being able to travel to countries that require her to be vaccinated. Minimising disruption to her life.

Why does she think there are risks to her fertility?

Has she had any other vaccines?

They’re all exactly the same risk to her fertility. So if mmr, men b, hpv, polio, etc etc haven’t made her infertile then neither with Covid.

Well it could save your life. No-one knows how bad Covid will hit them. My 16yr old son and I are recovering now, it’s grim. He’s super fit but has been hit hard, as have I but at least I’m double jabbed. Selfless reason, you’re protecting those who can’t have the vaccine or have an underlying condition which means the vaccine hasn’t worked to protect them. Selfishly it’s going to make travel so much easier. I’ll be heavily encouraging my son to have it when he’s 18 if he can’t have it before

I think it is the idea of seemingly not having a choice, or being of an age (almost) to make that choice herself.

Yes she has always been vaccinated and that's been part of our discussions..... I never questioned the kids having them before.

Our household are at the tail end of covid right now and thankfully she didn't suffer too much compared to many.

If she’s 17 she’s been of an age to make her own choice for a few years. You can encourage her and provide her with information, but if she refuses there’s nothing you can or should be able do about that.

I’m extremely pro vaccine but also extremely pro bodily autonomy.

All she has heard of are the negatives, such as potential infertility etc.
Eh?

Where is she hearing these anti-vax stories? Is it a particular friend with an agenda, or has her worried social media clicking taken her down the anti-vax rabbit hole?

The NHS has looked after her from before she was born. For every other illness and vaccination she's gone to a GP, A&E, walk-in or pharmacy and taken their advice. That same organisation is recommending that she should be vaccinated. She might like to look here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnhASgDToTktp2HIjdyeo2fsI6Agcn1ul.

She is also old enough now to start being aware of social media disinformation campaigns, and to start challenging why friends are sharing this. Currently vaccines are the trend, but much of this activity is trying to stir general unrest rather than achieving particular goals. It can be uncomfortable to see how these things work, but it's important to know:
apnews.com/article/european-union-russia-europe-fake-news-coronavirus-d12316c1e6c21fe2f1a450e8f387dbac,
www.politico.com/newsletters/global-pulse/2021/01/28/what-chinas-vax-trolling-adds-up-to-491548.

Following on from MRex’s post about misinformation (which I bring up because you mentioned infertility):

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/17/covid-misinformation-conspiracy-theories-ccdh-report

Advice her and let her have access to various opinions

[quote MRex]The NHS has looked after her from before she was born. For every other illness and vaccination she's gone to a GP, A&E, walk-in or pharmacy and taken their advice. That same organisation is recommending that she should be vaccinated. She might like to look here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnhASgDToTktp2HIjdyeo2fsI6Agcn1ul.[/quote]
Also, NHS www.theguardian.com/society/2013/sep/19/swine-flu-vaccine-narcolepsy-uk

At that age, one positive for her is, if these "passports" come in, she won't be restricted in things she can do if she is vaccinated.

If that's the reason some get vaccinated, then fair enough.

Her decison is a year away isn't it?

So much can happen over that time scale.

My advice would be to keep a watching brief on the science and make up her mind nearer the date.

fwiw, my DD had pfizer at 20yo nhs placement, zero side effects and pleased to get it done, mainly to help protect her elderly relatives.

There is plenty of evidence now that it doesn't harm fertility, and will be even more by the time she's offered it, make sure she is getting info from sensible sources then let her do the reading and make up her own mind.
There's a reason they're pushing people to have it and venues are requiring evidence

Businesses are free to protect themselves and their staff as they see fit, she is free to give them her custom or not, that's what choice is

So, just this week I actually saw a news article on this. The findings were as follows:

• No correlation has been found between any of the vaccines and infertility
• Pregnant women were not at an increased risk for contracting the virus.
• However, pregnant women who did contract the virus were at far greater risk of getting seriously ill, developing complications and even dying from COVID.

So, if fertility is a concern for your daught she should definitely get the vaccine.

@PhilCornwall1

At that age, one positive for her is, if these "passports" come in, she won't be restricted in things she can do if she is vaccinated.

If that's the reason some get vaccinated, then fair enough.

I'm pro vaccine but this argument doesn't sit right with me.

Consent needs to be voluntary, no exceptions. And if people are being threatened with restrictions if they don't have it, how is that voluntary?

This is beyond pro/anti vac, this is entering pro/anti bodily autonomy which is bad news, even for the vaxxed.

@debbs77

Discussing the vaccine with our teenagers tonight, one of which is 18 next year.

Besides the obvious covid related benefits, can anyone help to out her mind at rest for reasons to have it. All she has heard of are the negatives, such as potential infertility etc.

She feels like she doesn't have choices

"beside the obvious Covid related benefits" "all she has heard of are the negatives"

Say what?

@BlaBlaSmthSmth

They aren't being offered vaccination or nothing though. It's vaccination, or the willingness to be tested regularly to show you aren't carrying and spreading.

23 women in the Pfizer trial went on to get pregnant.

Over 95,000 pregnant women in the USA have been vaccinated with no adverse outcomes reported.

I’ve read that In the scientific world “long term” is a period of 1-4 months, after that nothing happens. So, when people say we don’t know the “long term effects”, we absolutely do because it’s been almost a year since the first people were vaccinated. Vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective.

@BlaBlaSmthSmth

This is not the same thing as abortion, organ donotion or "do not resuscitate" orders. These affect only the individual.

Not getting the vaccine does not only put yourself at risk from a deadly disease, but also those who are far more vulnerable than you are at dying from it. Not getting vaccinated and still wanting no restrictions is like wanting to smoke indoors. It's is selfish AF.

I know a double-jabbed 21 year old who had her second jab in April (NHS). She is now pregnant - clearly hasn’t affected her fertility!

DS nearly 17 had his a month ago. His life has been devastated by Covid, GCSEs have been a disaster, zero social life, stuck in his room for 18mnths, on-line school the list goes on. He jumped at the chance because he is determined that Covid is not going to wreck 6th form or his future.
As for the side effects, no one knows the long term effect of the vaccine or Covid. How ironic would it be if it turns out that Covid causes infertility and the vaccine doesn’t. We know that mumps is a high risk for adults (and some children) Covid is a brand new virus so we have no idea what long term effects it will produce.

Oh, also, something that opened my eyes.

People go on about how it hasn’t been tested “long enough” and it’s been “rushed”, however I’ve read articles from virologists and various other professionals explaining that the actual testing process is very quick with all vaccines, it’s all the other parts that take ages (recruiting volunteers, funding etc) but with the covid vaccines there was a HUGE amount of £ poured in to it and they weren’t short of volunteers etc, so it happened faster. Nothing to do with “testing.” Once the testing is done then it’s done, they don’t spend 10 years “testing” other vaccines.

Where has she been reading about potential infertility? antivaxx.com?

She needs to look at reputable sites. I would also recommend watching some programmes about people suffering from long covid. If I was 18, that is the thing that would most scare me. Fit and healthy people having their lives ruined.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-57693637.amp