All 12-15s to be offered single dose of Pfizer, CMOs decide

[bagofconkers]

news.sky.com/story/covid-19-coronavirus-vaccines-to-be-offered-to-children-aged-12-to-15-chief-medical-officers-decide-12402855

It's obvious we still have a tight supply. We urgently need to booster jab the elderly and clinically vulnerable. Who are at much higher risk of serious illness and dying (and taking up hospital capacity). Children are still low risk.

Ideally we'd be like most other developed countries but we're sadly not. Our mask policy (or rather, lack of one) is another major negative difference between us and them.

One dose is better than none.

If this gov had tried their best to keep covid out of schools I might have believed they had my child’s best interests at heart

So you think it would be in your child's best interests if the govt kept covid out of schools (therefore reducing their risk of catching it) but if the govt is offering your child a vaccination which reduces their chance of catching covid, then it's because its not in their best interests?

Is reducing the risk of catching covid in your child's best interests or not?

@Roguehair

If they think my 15yr old gets to overrule me they have another thing coming. All the jabs the kids get at the moment need parental consent, what’s so special about this one? Especially considering this doesn’t affect them to the same extent as older people. They can get to fuck if they think my teenager is overruling me. Not happening. I can’t believe this government thinks that they can pit children against parents. WTAF!

The right to bodily autonomy probably. There were some threads about this recently talking about Gillick competency. At 15 a child's views would definitely be given precedence over the parents.

If they think my 15yr old gets to overrule me they have another thing coming

Well there's already a precedent re medical treatment.

15 year olds are allowed to get a drug (with potential side effects including blood clots) - the contraceptive pill - without parental consent (or knowledge). Why not a life and health saving vaccine?

I can see the U-turn incoming in 3-2-1. This government has previous, so I’m not even worried about it.

@severusvape

JCVI don’t recommend it on health grounds alone, that’s the one and only reason I would give my child a vaccine. What are the direct benefits to children? They can still catch it, transmit it, miss school if waiting for a test or infected, as can teachers/classmates which will lead to disruption.

If this gov had tried their best to keep covid out of schools I might have believed they had my child’s best interests at heart. Instead, they are simply letting it rip at the moment with no safety measures in place, shows how concerned they are about our children catching covid.

There was something whitty said in conference cant remember exact words but vaccine issue aside non compulsory testing infection control measures and ventilation in schools are poor. The vaccine is not the magic pill to avoid disruption in school. The decision finally vaccinate kids is red herring a distraction from other crap happening in school s like job isolating house hold contacts.

@Roguehair

If they think my 15yr old gets to overrule me they have another thing coming. All the jabs the kids get at the moment need parental consent, what’s so special about this one? Especially considering this doesn’t affect them to the same extent as older people. They can get to fuck if they think my teenager is overruling me. Not happening. I can’t believe this government thinks that they can pit children against parents. WTAF!

Are you likely to have a difference in opinion?

I don’t understand the claim about disruption when isolation has gone for contacts

Now they’re saying vaccination in this group will save 1 day of disruption per 20 kids

1 day!!!

They’ll have more time lost than that from the effects of the vaccine (headache, chills and dead arm were all very common and lots had time off work for that!)

They must think we are stupid

3x as many adults have declined the vaccine as in this eligible group

Adults at far more risk which is why kids are making up shortfall

The disruption line is a laughable as they couldn’t even back it up

@ollyollyoxenfree if you are so sure report the accounts . Mumsnet will delete posts like this. It takes them two minutes to sort that.

@Watapalava

I don’t understand the claim about disruption when isolation has gone for contacts

Now they’re saying vaccination in this group will save 1 day of disruption per 20 kids

1 day!!!

They’ll have more time lost than that from the effects of the vaccine (headache, chills and dead arm were all very common and lots had time off work for that!)

They must think we are stupid

3x as many adults have declined the vaccine as in this eligible group

Adults at far more risk which is why kids are making up shortfall

The disruption line is a laughable as they couldn’t even back it up

I seldom ever agree with you on most posts.

But vaccines won't decrease disruption whitty said that.
If so many teachers are off sick then vaccinating kids is not issue.
I'm all for I think vaccinating my teen although I think parents should have choice.
I just don't think they sold the benefits that well for parents to make informed decision.
Why they worrying about disruption jow they dident give a monkeys last autumn or even worse here summer term.
I feel something else worrying them but they can't be honest.

Most of the teen are able to understand the advantage and disadvantage of the vaccine. Any medical intervention has risks.
I have asked my dc again to make sure he understand.
It's very clear from the data that the vaccine is safe.
I can understand people who are reluctant because of the "new" vaccine. But data is so clear the risk of vaccine is way smaller than actual virus itself. We are lucky enough to have data from other countries that went ahead of us.
I just hope people make the right choice, from real data, not from anti- vax info.
Even on this thread, there are many misinformation. Vaccine don't stop transmission, risk outweighs benefits, you can get myocarditis from vaccine(when risk is way higher from covid), etc, etc.

I do hope people do check out fact before believing something someone said on the internet. It's exactly the same scenario when someone is explaining risk vs benefit to an anxious adult. The risk of the child having some effect, mainly myocarditis in this case, is way higher with infection.

I'm completely baffled by this thread. You know the risk of your child dying of covid is extremely low and the risk of long covid could potentially be exaggerated by anxiety induced parents and children. You know they usually make a recovery in a few month max. The risk with the vaccine is higher and we have no long term data. Do you remember the swine flu being taken off? This is a risk I'm not happy to take with my child. I hope with every cell in my body there is not casualties from this but I would be astonished if there isn't. I find this utterly terrifying. Are have children vaccinated to have a human shield for the elderly? May be someone can convince me otherwise but I am shocked parents are happy to sign up for it and even disappointed they aren't getting 2 potentially with more risk associated jabs. I can't get my head round it!

Re disruption. One dose, whilst not as good as two, still lowers the risk of infection. Which in turn reduces the likelihood of a child being off sick.

Why are they only offering it to those 12-15 why not everyone in high school and mixing in same canteen and buses?

You have one child in year 7 turning 12 on 3rd September is able to get it and is covered against mixing hundreds kids for whole school year. Mean while poor August child get it’s a week before they go into year 8?!

They did this with 16y olds. August kids only got go ahead to have it at 15y and 11months which bit late have them double dose like everyone else in their year and until July kept being told no you have to wait for your actually birthday even if it’s august 31st.

we have no long term data

On Long Covid? Well that's impossible until, well, the long term.

Why are they only offering it to those 12-15 why not everyone in high school

Because it's only approved for age 12+.

@dontwantausername

I'm completely baffled by this thread. You know the risk of your child dying of covid is extremely low and the risk of long covid could potentially be exaggerated by anxiety induced parents and children. You know they usually make a recovery in a few month max. The risk with the vaccine is higher and we have no long term data. Do you remember the swine flu being taken off? This is a risk I'm not happy to take with my child. I hope with every cell in my body there is not casualties from this but I would be astonished if there isn't. I find this utterly terrifying. Are have children vaccinated to have a human shield for the elderly? May be someone can convince me otherwise but I am shocked parents are happy to sign up for it and even disappointed they aren't getting 2 potentially with more risk associated jabs. I can't get my head round it!

"human shield" needs to go on the bingo card

it is being recommended after considered direct benefits to teens themselves, not the wider benefits to society

The JCVI only considered medical benefits as is there remit, the benefits of this were marginal (although existing). However when you factor in the other harms associated with infection it makes the case stronger.

@Tealightsandd

we have no long term data

On Long Covid? Well that's impossible until, well, the long term.

They do say they recover in a few months, terrible as it must be.

all of the typos

the risk of long covid could potentially be exaggerated by anxiety induced parents and children.

Hi @dontwantausername what are your medical qualifications exactly? Can you explain to me how my child’s heart damaged caused by covid (which, as it is still not healed after a year is classed as part of long covid) is caused by him or me being anxious or over exaggerating?

I assume you have qualifications* to state this, and are not just being an absolute dick downplaying what is actually a serious problem for some children?

For eg, like ds’s consultant, who diagnosed his post-covid heart condition?

Stop spreading this absolute shit that long covid in children is anxiety, or parents over exaggerating. You don’t know about it? Fair enough. Why lie about it though?

@BewareTheLibrarians

the risk of long covid could potentially be exaggerated by anxiety induced parents and children.

Hi @dontwantausername what are your medical qualifications exactly? Can you explain to me how my child’s heart damaged caused by covid (which, as it is still not healed after a year is classed as part of long covid) is caused by him or me being anxious or over exaggerating?

I assume you have qualifications* to state this, and are not just being an absolute dick downplaying what is actually a serious problem for some children?

For eg, like ds’s consultant, who diagnosed his post-covid heart condition?

Stop spreading this absolute shit that long covid in children is anxiety, or parents over exaggerating. You don’t know about it? Fair enough. Why lie about it though?

That's terrible so no pre exciting conditions either? Will your child have the vaccine knowing they will have strong immunity now and knowing the vaccine has problems associated with the heart?

@Roguehair this is nothing new, and it's just known to us parent recently because of the issue with covid vax. So, if your now 15 years old wanted some medical intervention against your will 2 years ago, she/he could have overruled your decision if they were deemed competent.
I think this is something that you should be proud as British.

This thread is baffling.

Its a mix of anti-vax sentiment

and

"Follow the science. No not that science. The other science which I prefer the sound of."

I think the subject has been badly handled but I also think that the evidence was saying this group was very low risk so I do think it was sensible to wait for stronger evidence that the vaccine was appropriate for this age group.

I do think it should have been a decision made last month, ready for things to roll out as soon in September as possible, but I think this evidence was only published the back end of last week and it seems to have been what they were waiting for. If thats the case, I wish that had been stressed from the off.

I think that the end result is that no one seems to be happy about the decision that has actually been made!

I think it was always the case that its likely that we would vaccinate kids in September (I've been saying that on here since June or July).

I think they must think that there's enough of a case to say 1 dose rather than 2 as thats something I don't think was really seen coming.

@dontwantausername

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

It's nothing to do with the government. It's a decision that's been taken by the CMOs based on evidence provided by a wide range of a medical professionals (that the government can still overrule if they want to)

Also, Whitby