Single dose Covid Vaccination 16 + 17 year olds

[Runningincircles]

I took my DS (16) to the walk in vaccination centre this morning. He has given the Pfizer vaccine. They said that he will only have a single dose vaccination and that is what the government have put in place for this age group. They also said that the NHS app will recognise his age and show him as fully vaccinated.
This doesn't seem to be the case elsewhere. Have other 16 and 17 year olds been given one dose or two?

[quote Walkaround]@MRex - so being vaccinated on your 16th birthday and then having a 2nd dose 2 years later is not too long a gap?! Bollocks.[/quote]
Why do you think it's 2 years when they said "It is likely that, when the second dose is offered, this will be from 12 weeks after the first dose."?
I think you should read the full document, they just appear to want to avoid too many side effects for kids:
www.gov.uk/government/news/jcvi-issues-updated-advice-on-covid-19-vaccination-of-young-people-aged-16-to-17.

@MRex - you need to work out what you are arguing.

I was commenting on the comments on here that a 2nd dose might not be offered at all to this age group. As I thought were you, given your comment: “ If one jab gave sufficient immunity, wouldn't you want to avoid a second dose that has higher side effect risks?” And my reference to a 2-year gap was responding to your argument that the longer the gap, the better.

I'm not arguing anything, except that the concept of vaccines becoming "less safe'' from longer intervals isn't factual. I just don't see a reason to panic about letting JCVI take time over the decision to gather more information on actual immunity and safety.

@MRex - I wan’t arguing vaccines with longer intervals are less safe. I was questioning what happens if it is decided 1 dose is enough for a 16 year old, without the need for a 2nd dose at all, then when they hit 18, they are told they must have had 2 doses - so, would they have to start again and have 2 doses, or could they have a single “booster” two years later? If the former, I would say that is less safe for them, as that’s 3 doses in a relatively short time. I would have thought you would agree, since you are unhappy even with one dose at adult strength. Suddenly treating 18 year olds differently is arbitrary as it is, anyway.

As for a single dose then a booster 2 full years later, that may be safer in terms of vaccine reactions, but may also not be very effective in terms of providing best protection from catching and transmitting covid - so less safe in an alternative sense. Regardless, for those of us who have friends and family in EU countries, the mess around whether or not young people should be vaccinated at all is, imvho, an aggravation which needs sorting out, especially if the unvaccinated are going to find their lives made difficult in those countries.

I don't think I'm qualified to decide dosing strategies, nor that anyone should be deciding right now vaccine strategies for 2 years' time. Dose strength, numbers of doses, dose gaps, variant strain in doses, vaccine types... There are a lot of variables. Getting a first known safe jab in arms rather than waiting to work out the next step seems safer than no jab while they do more investigation.

I don’t think I’m qualified to decide either - that’s why I said the JCVI needs to hurry up and decide! It would be a bit concerning now if it chose a shorter gap than 12 weeks, though, having made a big thing about how risky it thinks that is. If it goes for a gap of more than 12 weeks, then surely it is just experimenting on young people, as I’m not convinced there are many, if any, completed trials on vaccinating teenagers with gaps longer than 12 weeks between doses?

They experimented on old people, so it's been done before and their reasoning turned out to work. I am just struggling to see the potential harm you perceive.

This is interesting, and might apply to Pfizer etc. too:

www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2021/vaxzevria-induced-immunity-for-at-least-1-year-following-a-single-dose-and-strong-immune-responses-following-either-a-late-second-dose-or-a-third-dose.html

It looks like the longer interval gives the best immunity... but of course this means you are (possibly) more vulnerable in the interim.

@MRex - clearly not a harm the JCVI struggles to perceive, or they would bloody well have got on with vaccinating 12-15 year olds instead of vacillating.

*12-17 year olds.

I'm certainly with you there. I can't see any evidence to suggest that doing the same with 12-15 isn't helpful. Especially with schools opening and new variants affecting younger ages so much more. It also confuses messages for those close in age, as any age barrier has e.g. AZ.

The decision making is also unfair on year 11 children, as the vast majority will be 15 in September, not 16, but going into a year group that needs minimal disruption, as a return to public exams is planned for them. They may not fear hospitalisation, but they do not need an illness circulating widely that may give them several weeks of lingering symptoms and greater susceptibility to secondary infections without being offered the option of vaccination.

@Walkaround

The decision making is also unfair on year 11 children, as the vast majority will be 15 in September, not 16, but going into a year group that needs minimal disruption, as a return to public exams is planned for them. They may not fear hospitalisation, but they do not need an illness circulating widely that may give them several weeks of lingering symptoms and greater susceptibility to secondary infections without being offered the option of vaccination.

Totally agree I have a 15 year old year 11 already stressed about gcses and won't be 16 until February she wants the the vaccine. She uses public transport to get to school and is asthmatic. They will be strongly suggesting she needs flu jab no doubt due to her asthma she has brown and blue inhalers.

I can't see how scrapping 2nd dose with untested gap is safe.
Are they saying they can maybe have 2nd jab in 12 weeks time or are they extending it longer than 12 weeks.
I know some day immunity is best if longer and that may well be case with AZ however pfizer is different type vaccine and company abd most countries doing 2nd jab at 3 weeks.
If MHRA approved it for younger age group surey that was based on 2 doses.

All this plays into the hands of anti vaxxers who will argue we using kids as experimental guini pigs and reduce confidence in people having the vaccine.
As the message when you 18 plus is please have 2 vaccines.

Also won't many partially vaccinated 16 to 17 years make them more vulnerable to mutations and this age group will behave lots of mixing and contacts.

In my country also most of the people are got only single dose now, because of the vaccine demand. Government give the new norms for the second dose, that is people should be wait for more than 90 to 120 days for second dose. This will makes little frustration among the people. So government need to take proper action and also providing second dose within a few weeks.

I have just received a call to say they are cancelling my ds(17) second vaccine appointment which I thought they would do.

It is likely 16-17s will be eligible for 2nd jab at some point. They are waiting for time to pass so they have more evidence. It has always been said that they expect to give them the 2nd jab. It’s just not been confirmed yet.

Those who have been able to book a 2nd jab for this age group will find it doesn’t happen. Approval for it hasn’t been given, so it will either be cancelled as just mentioned by someone, or on arrival the system will flag that the teenager isn’t eligible.

The national booking system doesn’t do 1st bookings for 16-17s. They have to attend a walk in for their age group or get jabbed via the GP, if that is happening in their area. Once they have had their jab, some seen to find that they can then get through the national booking system no book a 2nd. This seems to be an error in the system.

I am surprised how many people aren’t aware that 16-17s are only currently due 1 jab. It has been all over the media since it got the go ahead, but lots of parents and kids don’t seem to know. I am constantly surprised at how little many people look at things like BBC News or similar to keep up to date on stuff like this, even when they have kids of the relevant age….but the reality is that loads of people don’t. It’s a hard job for government to get the message out I think. But I also agree about mixed messaging, in that 18+ told that only 1 jab gives low level protection against Delta, whilst. 16-17 told 1 jab is great.

I think we are in a short term phase of 1 jab for both 16-17s in particular, but also 12-15s in the end and as more evidence comes to light, a 2nd jab will be offered.

Well, the messaging is confused. When someone say”you’ll be offered a first dose” for most people it means “the first of 2”, as everybody else got 2!
:-)