Are you letting child have the vaccine?

[GiveMeAUserName123]

I was just wondering if you have a child/ren between the ages of 12-16, that don’t have any medical conditions, or live with family members that are more at risk, will you be letting them have the vaccine?

My eldest will be turning 12 in the winter and I imagine will be given the choice to have it. I don’t think I want her too (I’ve had mine) but obviously it’s her body and her choice which is something that is held in high regard at home, so won’t voice against it, but if she does choose to have it, is she too young to decide something like this, as I’m not sure a child could really understand the full risk/benefit side of things.

How are you feeling about it in general?

And as for ‘playing their part’, children have more than played their part over the last 18 months with all the sacrifices they’ve had to make. It’s a massive chunk of their lives that they’ve been living with restrictions etc.

My 12yo has it today. Delighted

My consent was not requested when DS got his HPV. With the 12-15yos, it's going to be down to them (in most cases), not the parents.

My 16 year old had theirs last night. 13 yo will get hers when she is eligible.

Neither of them do illness very well, so if it can minimise that - great. If it can minimise disruption to their education - great.

DD is very pro-vaccine (which is fortunate because they've had HPV and boosters at school in the past year).

We all had Covid over the summer, luckily all mild, but DD had a rougher time of it than her double vaccinated parents.

She's had 18 months without orchestras, very restricted extra-curricula, minimal travel. She's been very resilient about vast chunks of her life being cancelled, but must be hoping that next school year is better than the past 2.

I suspect the vaccine decision will be made 24 hours before the school vaccinator teams return to work.

My CEV 12 year old will be having it this afternoon and we are very happy about it. Last time she caught normal flu we nearly lost her after she developed double pneumonia

If the current situation changes and it is offered to all children over 12, I will discuss it with DS1 (13) and if he’s in agreement he will have it. Likewise with his younger brother if it’s offered to younger children.

Nope. Most young people will probably have been exposed to Covid already and there isn't enough information about potential side effects in this group

@Madcats well at least she’s most likely immune now. One less thing to worry about.

No, I would not give it to my kids. The unknown scares me and I put my family before the "greater good" and I don't care if anyone thinks it's selfish. Myself and DH are also unvaccinated at the moment. Not to say we won't ever take it but due to specific health issues I have had in the past then I don't want to take it right now.

@Changemusthappen

For those saying you won’t let your child have the vaccine you are not understanding the systems in place. Schools will not have to ask parental consent, they will just go ahead and vaccinate if your child says yes.

As far as the state is concerned your 13 year old can make their own decisions on things like this.

Not all of our children are capable of.making that decision, even at the age of 13. My now 11yo certainly won't be able to make that decision and neither will a.lot of children who have his conditions, or even one of his conditions. Children with ADHD are often unable to make considered decisions over simple things, let alone something as complex as deciding whether or not to have a vaccine. I would be more than pissed if the school went ahead and vaccinated him without my permission, simply because he isn't capable of making that decision for himself, about far more than age.

As it happens I probably will be getting him vaccinated as soon as possible as he came within a hair's bredth of PICU after catching a cold. Of course he will be involved in the decision making, but ultimately he is unable to make that decision himself.

Don't have kids in that age bracket, so not sure what I would do really.
If a medical professional thought the benefits outweighed the risk, I would encourage them to have it. I am not sure otherwise. I am very pro-vaccine and have had both doses myself.

[quote bumbleymummy]@Madcats well at least she’s most likely immune now. One less thing to worry about.[/quote]
You cannot possibly know that, and if vaccines are approved for this age group, shouldn't be used to a reason to try and discourage people from taking it up

Nowhere recommends that people with a previous infection are "immune" and therefore don't need to be vaccinated, the consensus opinion is that vaccination will bolster previous immunity. This is true specifically for 12-15 year olds in the countries that are currently offering them the vaccine.

Not bullshit at all. The state will use the ‘competence’ card when it works for them. Every child, except those that have additional needs, SEN etc are ‘competent’. There is no ‘test’. I don’t think many parents understand this. I’m always amazed in MN at the amount of parents who believe their 13 year olds are deemed to be able to make important decisions without referral to the parent!

@MrsBlondie

15 year old son and nope don't want him getting it

He is of an age where he can usually decide for himself. It should be his decision

All my teens have been double jabbed.

Yes, because:

They want it
Reduces risk of catching covid/getting sick with it
Reduces risk of passing it on to vulnerable people
They won't have to isolate if there's a positive case in their class (this was a pro for me and a con for my child!)
Less chance of positive cases in school with more in the class vaccinated
More vaccinated, less risk of other variants (I think)
They have had all their other vaccines
EMA recommends it (I'm in EU)

Think we are very privileged to be getting it tbh, when so many other countries need vaccines. But we are taking vaccines other countries didn't need so better used than wasted.

@stairway

I will leave it up to my 12 year old but I’d advice him not to have it. There was an article on the bbc website which kind of suggested getting natural immunity was better for this age group.

It's actually highest when you have natural immunity from the virus AND have had the full vaccine course, based on what the scientists have been reporting. I think it's the way the vaccines and the virus work to make different types of antibodies - can't remember the technical stuff. I was reading as I've had both.

@wasthataburp

No, I would not give it to my kids. The unknown scares me and I put my family before the "greater good" and I don't care if anyone thinks it's selfish. Myself and DH are also unvaccinated at the moment. Not to say we won't ever take it but due to specific health issues I have had in the past then I don't want to take it right now.

The unknown scares you?

In that case, the Russian roulette of catching Covid and being one of the % who end up on breathing support in hospital will be pretty terrifying?

we can’t stop transmission with vaccines

😳

Of course we can. That's literally how they work. No vaccine is 100% but vaccines will significantly reduce the transmission.

Here you go: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html

we can’t stop transmission with vaccines

Whilst, with Delta, transmission still happens in double vaccinated people the fact that we know the vaccines greatly reduce your chance of catching it in the first place means that the risk is already significantly lowered.

There is no vaccine for anything that is 100% effective. The flu ones are normally only around 50% effective, sometimes lower, for example.

This is a great article.

www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/why-the-covid-vaccines-arent-dangerous

Once vaccination is offered to the 12-15 year olds (which now seems likely that it will be) I would imagine policies will change with regards to PCR testing for travel and also the need to isolate as a positive contact. At the moment all under 18's are exempt from isolation as a close contact however the likelihood, given the position in other countries, is that this could change to anyone age 12 and over who is vaccinated won't have to isolate as a close contact which therefore would leave a lot of unvaccinated youngsters in school self isolating again. Same with PCR tests for travel.

If my 13 year old is offered it then of course I would.

Anything we can do to get life back to normal.

Not in the UK but France and our 4 DC 12,15, 15, 16 have had both Pfizer now. Their choice. The eldest 2 were on days 1&2 that it become available for them.

Come September theyd have been screwed in France without it.