Will I be asked to vaccinate my young children?

[chickenbasket]

I have a 2year old and a 4year old, we're both double jabbed and I don't have any issues with being vaccinated at all, but I feel (perhaps unreasonably?) very strongly against having my small children vaccinated. I don't know why, I don't know if it's ever going to be a requirement to have them vaccinated? Any thoughts or opinions?

@Thesearmsofmine

I imagine it will eventually be like the flu vaccine and offered to young children but just like any other vaccine you don’t have to give then to your child.

Flu vaccine is given to young children because they are very good at spreading it which the aim of the vaccination to prevent more vulnerable people from catching flu so unless it proven to spread more easily among young children than adults or older children then it’s won’t specifically be offered to just them.

I would vaccinated my 5 yr old and 2 yrs of the vaccine was approved for children.

People are forgetting that other parts of the world are already vaccinating over 12’s and trials are being carried out on children as young as 6 months. Maybe (hopefully) they will never make it compulsory in the uk but what about travel? From the end of September this year for example, all over 12’s trying to enter almost anywhere in France will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test less than 72hrs old and €25 euros a time at the pharmacy. They may also have to quarantine on arrival into countries who expect children to be vaccinated, so how does that work for a holiday?
We need to push back globally on this matter. There is no long term data but we do know that children do not get seriously ill except for on massively rare occasions. Vaccines don’t stop spread so there’s no argument there either.

Vaccines don’t stop spread so there’s no argument there either.

Repeated ad nauseum . No vaccine "stops spread". Vaccines greatly reduce transmission and severity of onward cases, hence why an individual being vaccinated helps provide population level protection.

There is no long term data

Screaming into the void..

There is no long term data on COVID infection in children either. What we do know, from epidemiological data from existing vaccines and viruses, is that long term complications are more likely from infection than from vaccination.

Well as an adult, I don’t wish for any child not at risk themselves to take a non-established vaccine for my protection and I would hope that then majority of adults would be with me on that.

Immunisation isn't enforecable in the UK what makes you think the covid vaccine is any different or that it is even licenced for young children?

You really need to give your head a shake OP. Everyone has already said why. Start living in the moment instead of worrying about a hypothetical dilemma.

@Lostinacloud

Well as an adult, I don’t wish for any child not at risk themselves to take a non-established vaccine for my protection and I would hope that then majority of adults would be with me on that.

Yup fine (ignoring the "non-established" as it has been approved, and would be licensed for the under 12s before roll out), but no need to back up this viewpoint with misinformation as you did above.

Post viral effects are well known and I would hazard a guess that most children are as equally unaffected by covid after effects as they are covid! Certainly anecdotally I can confirm that as my own personal experience. When very little evidence of problems for post infected children has arisen but already there are many reports of heart and neurological problems amongst teenagers and young adults, why would the vaccine outweigh any risk of natural infection to the young?

@chickenbasket

This isn't going to happen, and if it was, it would be choice.

By the time your children reach age 12 there will be a huge amount of data to help you make an informed decision. No vaccines are mandated in the UK.

@Lostinacloud

People are forgetting that other parts of the world are already vaccinating over 12’s and trials are being carried out on children as young as 6 months. Maybe (hopefully) they will never make it compulsory in the uk but what about travel? From the end of September this year for example, all over 12’s trying to enter almost anywhere in France will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test less than 72hrs old and €25 euros a time at the pharmacy. They may also have to quarantine on arrival into countries who expect children to be vaccinated, so how does that work for a holiday? We need to push back globally on this matter. There is no long term data but we do know that children do not get seriously ill except for on massively rare occasions. Vaccines don’t stop spread so there’s no argument there either.

If France want to implement those rules it's up to them. If you don't like it, don't go to France.

"CEV aged 12-15 are still struggling to get appointments"

Yes Ds is in that category and as yet locally there are no arrangements made for that group.
I cannot be fussed with people worrying about it being more difficult to holiday in France.

Totally agree with @Lostinacloud . People have lost all sense of perspective . Children are not there to protect adults, they are statistically not likely to get very unwell from covid so why take that risk.

As for the person saying MRNA has been around for ages . Where else is it being used on a large scale ?

@Nerdygirl

Totally agree with *@Lostinacloud* . People have lost all sense of perspective . Children are not there to protect adults, they are statistically not likely to get very unwell from covid so why take that risk.

As for the person saying MRNA has been around for ages . Where else is it being used on a large scale ?

As has been said repeatedly though - children in this age group are not being offered the vaccine and nor are they likely to. And even if they were, it is an offer. No vaccines are mandated in the UK so this thread just seems like a lot of scaremongering.

No one has suggested the under 12s should be vaccinated to "protect adults", and again, there is no indication this is going to happen.

mRNA has "been around" since forever, given that it's an intrinsic part of cellular function, mRNA vaccine technology is not new or alarming. There is no plausible mechanism by which it could cause effects that emerge in the long term, something which has been discussed to death, and is not an argument against not vaccinating anyone.

Thank you for everyone who has replied.

No, I'm not trouble making and I'm very sorry my post has come across like this - I'm
Honestly just worried.

I suppose I thought that because they're saying you can't do XYZ by X date if you're not double vaccinated, they could say the same for the unvaccinated children. I'm not trying to dramatise I'm just trying to navigate life right now.

The thing about vaccination is that you can decide on Monday that you don’t want to be vaccinated and then change your mind on Friday and get it.

When the first woman was vaccinated back in December last year I was nervous about the idea. By the time i was actually eligible for my jab I was completely happy (excited!) to get it. What had changed? Millions of others had had it first.

What would have to happen for your (very little) children to be offered it? First all the 12 - 16 year olds would have to actually get it. Then it would have to be licensed for younger children. And then the jabs would have to be available. (Don’t forget - they are talking about boosters this autumn for the elderly - there is a good chance that kids will be pushed right down the queue.) Then I suspect that they would slowly move down the age groups. So you would be able to see millions of 11, 10, 9 and 8 year olds be vaccinated and be fine.

And then you get to decide if you want to be at the front of the queue or “politely” hold back. You don’t have to be first if you don’t want to. There will be many people who are desperate to get the jab for their kids - either because the child is vulnerable themselves or because they live with someone very vulnerable.

Eventually it may hit a point when U18s have to be vaccinated to do things that you would like to do. But it won’t be sudden or extreme. It will happen slowly. You can always change your mind.

I can’t see them offering it to that age group, OP.
I have a three year old and wouldn’t get him vaccinated (both me and DH are double jabbed)

@Sylvia18

They are doing trails on under 5s now. It will come. And I would never EVER vaccinate my children, ever.

Where have you heard this?

Pfizer in the US have applied for authorisation for their vaccine in six month old babies.

The OP was right to be worried back in August.

These are evil times in which children are being disregarded. I am extremely worried about where this is going.

@CurlyGirlsMum

Worried about what? It is still not a requirement to have a child vaccinated.
There are no plans to make it a requirement.

THIS is the true fear-mongering shit.

Eventually but probably a year off.

Pfizer began enrolling for trials in this age group at the beginning of 2021 I think.

Pfizer are presenting data on 5-12 year olds at the end of September and submitting to to FDA for expanded Emergency Use Authorisation early October.

They will follow with data and submissions to FDA for 6 months -4 year olds in November.

Be aware: this is in the US and who is to say for certain that it will be approved. They may well ask for an expansion of the trial and further data since delta.

I expect it will be approved and Europe will follow but take quite a bit longer.

Sorry just to be Crystal clear:

This is information about timelines to when it may become available.

No one is going to tell you it is compulsory.

In the U.K. it looks like we’ve waited for another 6 months’ data from other countries once jabs have been available there (see JCVI on 12+ year olds)

Maybe the OP was thinking of this:
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/10/biontech-to-seek-approval-for-covid-jabs-for-younger-children

[quote ArnoldtheAngryTapir]Maybe the OP was thinking of this:
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/10/biontech-to-seek-approval-for-covid-jabs-for-younger-children[/quote]
Okay, but it still isn't a requirement to have your child vaccinated, no matter who it might be approved for.