Covid vaccine for a 12 year old boy with no underlying conditions

[happytoday73]

I feel very conflicted about what to do for my son vaccine wise. Where is the best place for more unbiased information to make this choice?

Dont get me wrong..I'm pro vaccine. I'm vaccinated for covid and would love to get a booster... but 2 years too young!

My son has had all his vaccines and thankfully is fit, healthy, sporty....but
I just don't know...on balance it feels his individual risk from covid is very very low, adverse reaction to vaccine again very very low (but significantly higher)... So why bother?

I totally get why only 1 vaccine shot being offered. But again that doesn't give the advantages that come with being fully vaccinated....

It's a risk/benefit calculation really. For some children, it's a no brainer because they're vulnerable if they caught covid. For others it's not as clear.

Given the vaccine is 'leaky' eg doesn't stop transmission it also becomes a more individual choice as the argument to protect others is less compelling.

For me, given this "I just don't know...on balance it feels his individual risk from covid is very very low, adverse reaction to vaccine again very very low (but significantly higher)... So why bother?" it would be an easy no. The risk vs benefit analysis is quite clear.

These particular vaccines aren't going to be a tool to end the coronavirus pandemic the same way mass vaccination for say polio has, so I am really struggling to see the benefit of vaccinating healthy children right now. If things change eg a new variant that affects children more strongly emerges, well then the risk vs benefit analysis would change too.

I'm conflicted too. 13 yo healthy boy and I'm unsure how a vaccine will be beneficial to him. Dd (18) has had her first dose - mainly because she wanted to be able to go to night clubs (which is now irrelevant) - and all was fine... She also had Covid last spring and only suffered a sore throat with it, so I can see for most young people, it is generally not too bad...

I’m pretty happy that I’m not in a situation to choose- I have a 17 and 3/4 who got his first forse and will get the second in a few weeks, and one 12 I’d most likely go for it.
My personal reasons to give consent would be:

• risks of myocarditis are terribly low and I could look out for symptoms and am pretty confident that they would resolve quickly
• school disruption might be less (although this depends on a number of factors, including policies to send kids home, which are not clear to me yet)
• we are an international family with CV grandparents in Eu. Unfortunately I need to travel to see them because they’re unwell, I think it’d be safer if the kid was vaccinated. Lower risk of transmission (not zero, but lower), lower risk of travel disruptions. The grandparents would benefit from being able to see the grandchildren (psychologically) and viceversa. We’ve had enough separation caused by covid until now. We feel it’s enough. We want to be able to do something to lower the risks, otherwise the alternative is to see them only during the summer holidays, with us self-quarantining for the first week (grandparents are vaccinated but immunocompromised so unsure about vaccine efficacy)
• should there be another variant which is more aggressive towards youngsters, having a vaccine albeit not perfectly designed for it would offer some protection? I know this is an armageddon type of thought, probably coming from a book on 1918 I read recently. But it’s a thought nonetheless.

If I had a child approaching exams (15, instead of 12, to say), I’d have no doubt. Their exams and their schooling has been screwed up quite spectacularly, my kids are amongst the last ones standing who’ve not had Covid last term. The mental toll and the educational toll has been noticeable. Anything to lighten up would be welcomed.

I'm not in the UK but I would imagine that the NHS would have some kind of unbiased info on it, I know the equivalent in my country does. You could also speak to your GP or another health professional.

Follow the JCVI guidance. They are the experts and they did not recommend it.

Up to you really.
We know quite alot about the heart risk of endocarditis.
My understanding that there is a risk of developing this both via covid and from the vaccine.
The risk is low in both ways but lower from the vaccine than from contracting covid. I also understand treatment for those developing it post vaccine is much quicker less dangerous than contracting it via covid.
My child is younger and already at increased risk of endocarditis so this is a discussion that would need with the cardio team before deciding. But the other children will likely be having vaccinations as soon as offered.

My son by his own choice would have had the vaccine but COVID got him first. He literally just turned 13 and he’s had it pretty bad for a young un. Horrible cough!. I would always go by his choice as he has good intelligence to make his own informed choice.

@HitchhikersGuide

Follow the JCVI guidance. They are the experts and they did not recommend it.

The JCVI discussed the medical, economic and other factors. Then the actual decision is made by the CMOs. Who recommended it.

OP- I'd ask your GP.

Since the vaccine doesn't stop everyone getting it, surely it's better to have as many people in a household (well, obviously, in a population on the macro level) vaccinated as possible to minimise the chance someone will bring it home. I get a flu vaccine even though I'm not vulnerable because DH is, so I reckon if the vaccine doesn't work for him, it might for me - so I reduce my chances of bringing it into the household.

Does he have the flu nasal spray? The risk of flu in young children is very low and yet we vaccinate and a lot of people don't question it.

Agree with pp your Gp might be a good source of info. Are the NHS producing any guidance online or leaflets? I would think NHS should be fairly unbiased

1 does still gives about 55% protection and reduces the risk of long covid. Should help reduce transmission for which teachers will be grateful. Should have been done in the summer holidays though.

Dose not does (dozy)

I think Chris Whitty would be a good person to follow guidance from. He has access to all the information/statistics we, the press and internet do not, plus he is very qualified.
If he recommends it then it’s going to be in your son’s interest to have it.
Don’t forget the risk of myocarditis is higher from COVID than from a second jab of vaccine (the second jab seems to be the one with a tiny tiny risk of myocarditis, and children in the UK are only having one jab in order to negate this risk).

I have a 12 year old healthy boy and strongly believe that vaccines in general are the right thing to do.

My son has a phobia of needles - injections and blood tests terrify him. He was very ill as a baby and had to have loads of blood tests through his childhood so I can understand exactly why. I'm finding it hard to explain why he should have the vaccine since it won't seem to do much to stop the spread in schools and his overall risk of getting ill is low. It doesn't feel like the no brainer it was for us as his parents to get 'done'.

Even if I could convince him to get it done, there is no way he would have it done in school. Any ideas if I can get it done at the GP surgery with him? have been on hold for 30 mins to try to ask them but can't get through

If you are unsure, then discuss it with medical professionals, have a look at the evidence together with your child.

Some things to take into consideration:

1. what is his exposure (ie - does he go on public transport, is his school well ventilated, what is your local case rate)?
2. does he have contact with anyone who could be clinically vulnerable?
3. has he had covid before recently?
4. if he were to get covid, is it going to have adverse effect on himself/family (ie - if he had to stay at home while infectious, does school do good home learning that he engages with; would your work be affected)?

It is a hard decision and I hope you can get good support to make the right choices for your son and family.

I'm really torn on this - normally a very compliant type. I'd be happy to vaccinate my kids for the good of society - but given that transmission seems to occur fairly frequently in vaccinated people, the benefit to society doesn't seem that great. And the benefit to them personally as low risk young people seems small too. If it definitely stopped them catching it and would therefore prevent them missing more school, then I'd definitely go for it - but I don't know how much it does reduce their chances of catching it. Plus, they might already be immune from an asymptomatic infection.

That said, I've just heard on BBC that travellers to France over 12 will need to be vaccinated or quarantine on arrival from October, so that might end up swinging our decision.

Incidentally, I'm not sure I agree with the advice to ask your GP for advice on this, unless you've got a complicated situation. GPs are on their knees with backlogs at the moment, and I doubt they can tell you any more than you could find from a reputable online source.

Its no for us I will follow the JCVI on this and won’t be getting my kids it

I suggest looking at the data from other countries that have vaccinated teens (US, various EU nations), if that would help you decide.

FWIW, my healthy teen has had both doses and he's really glad he has.

It what's the point in it? (Genuine question)
Only over 50s are going to be offered a booster and we don't hold on to immunity for long. I had both jabs but can't really understand what the point was if by next year everyone but the older and vulnerable groups will get ongoing boosters and they have all gave/been offered it at the stage anyway!?

If it's a risk / reward thing then it's a clear no. As per JCVI advice

I think it would really help if there was clear information about the remit of each of the bodies that approve the vaccine. It’s not clear enough at all and it’s causing a lot of confusion.

For eg - the JCVI didn’t recommend, despite also stating there was more benefit than risk. Which has confused people.

The MHRA did approve it for use in 12-15 years group, but this hasn’t been pushed as enthusiastically as the JCVI decision.

Then obviously yesterday we knew the CMO approved it.

What’s the difference in strength of recommendation between the MRHA, JCVI and CMO? Because so far there are two recommending/approving the vaccine, and one not.

If the JCVI’s remit was “purely medical” then why did they include the section about the vaccination programme disrupting education as a reason not to go ahead?

Was the MHRA approval purely medical? That would make some sense, as then it would be medically a good idea (MHRA), but logistically a slightly bad one (JCVI)? But all of that is just my guess, and people shouldn’t be having to guess with such an important decision.

I don’t think any of this has been explained clearly enough to the people who actually have to make this decision for their children. As much as I’m happy for my child to have this vaccine, I would like to see some really clear messaging on why it’s been approved, in simple English (and other languages). Not just a woolly “the JCVI said yes but no, CMO’s saying yes if you feel like it, schools etc, so do what you like.”

That’s awful public health messaging, and they haven’t left themselves much time to turn it around.

@bluedart

That said, I've just heard on BBC that travellers to France over 12 will need to be vaccinated or quarantine on arrival from October, so that might end up swinging our decision.

Is one vaccine enough for this though?

@Explosivefarts

Its no for us I will follow the JCVI on this and won’t be getting my kids it

You need to follow the CMO not the JCVI. The JCVI is an expert advisory committee but not all its members are medical professionals. Add the discredited members leaving not so long ago, and their credibility has taken a battering tbh.