Still don't understand vaccines for kids (don't flame me)

[bigbeachedwales]

I know I should know this by now. But... everyone saying schools are more likely to stay open if 12-15 year olds get jabbed. But if the jab doesn't stop them catching COVID and only means they'll get less ill if they do catch it (and kids are unlikely to get seriously ill anyway) then I don't see the need... am I missing something?

They are less likely to catch covid. If they are less likely to catch it, they are less likely to spread it. Less covid circulating means more children in school.

The idea is that the vaccine will stop them catching it, but if it doesn’t they should be less ill than if they hadn’t had the vaccine.
Hopefully it will also stop/reduce them passing it on to others.

Less covid circulating means more children in school.

^ yes and more teachers in school to teach them.

Also, it is possible to get Covid more than once. So the vaccine would hopefully keep more people less ill.

Google "Do vaccines reduce transmission rate? Do vaccines lower viral spread" for your answer.

Aah I didn't think the vaccine stopped you getting it at all. I got this from another thread this morning. People having a go at the poster saying they couldn't believe she didn't realise the vaccine didn't stop you catching it.

Vaccines do reduce transmission.

They don't stop all transmission but they do reduce it.

Pupils aside, it means teachers are less likely to catch Covid as schools need staff as well to stay open.

@bigbeachedwales

Aah I didn't think the vaccine stopped you getting it at all. I got this from another thread this morning. People having a go at the poster saying they couldn't believe she didn't realise the vaccine didn't stop you catching it.

The other thread is confusing tbf.

Vaccines don't prevent 100% of infections, so yes you can still get coronavirus if you've been vaccinated (particularly now we have newer strains circulating).

They do however reduce your chances of infection, by something like 55%-80% (efficacy will depend on many factors, hence why we've got lots of studies estimating this with different numbers). When there is a breakthrough infection, the chances of onward transmission are also reduced, although again, not eliminated.

When you apply this to big numbers like in a school, having teens vaccinated will reduce the amount of cases and disruption to education overall (although many not translate specifically to the individual). I believe once jab efficacy is estimated at around 50-55%, so that's around half of children not being infected compared to a situation if no-one was vaccinated.

variants, not strains!

There would still be school disruption though as not all yr7 are eligible & we aren't vaccinating any primary age children (yet). I think people who are unsure as to whether to vaccinate their child or not yet would be more inclined to if it was being offered to all school age children, not just those 12 & above.
I do understand that it isn't possible yet with the vaccine not authorized for primary age children before anyone comments that.

Children are being injected with a medication

No they're not. I hate this sort of embroidered hyperbole. Educate yourself on the difference between vaccines and drugs. A vaccine is used to trigger a person's natural immune response by the production of antibodies.

It's the same principle as the flu vaccination programme in primary schools, and nothing to do with a conspiracy to "control mass panic". The flu vaccine doesn't stop people catching flu or vaccinate against all strains of flu either.

No, you aren’t missing anything. It’s a bit silly. We should be focussing on boosters for the people who need them and let everyone else get back to normal.

@bumbleymummy

No, you aren’t missing anything. It’s a bit silly. We should be focussing on boosters for the people who need them and let everyone else get back to normal.

So all the other countries vaccinating children are silly, and UK decided to vaccinate 12+ is silly? Seriously, what do you know better than people who made the decision?

Do what you want with your kids and let those of us who want their children to be vaccinated get on with it. I work in a primary school and the number of kids there who have had covid and are weeks later taking regular time off to deal with returning symptoms or fatigue, or getting more ill from the other bugs that are going round than the kids who have not also recently had covid, is enough to make me even more keen for my teenaged children, who are in exam years, get vaccinated sooner rather than later. It honestly feels like the powers that be have gone out of their way to maximise the harms to children’s education, by disrupting it for two years to stop them from getting covid and now refusing to provide any protection whatsoever from them getting it in an apparent drive to make them all have time off school ill.

Yep. The JCVI weren’t recommending it and the WHO wanted countries to prioritise vaccinating high risk people in developing countries over low risk young people in developed countries. There was an interesting graphic recently showing how many young people need to be vaccinated to prevent one hospitalisation compared to older people. It was a huge number.

It was in a Financial Times article @Megistotherium

www.ft.com/content/3439145a-80a4-47ad-9ceb-54a0cb707cf7

“ A Financial Times analysis of Public Health England data showed it currently took about 800 double doses to prevent one hospital admission in the over-60s over a four-week period, while it took about 25,000 double doses to achieve the same result in the under-18s, because of older age groups’ much greater vulnerability to severe disease.”

Most people think all kids are safe from serious symptoms of covid and while a lot of kids are safe, a lot of children and their carers are vulnerable. Those who can have the vaccine protect those that can't. Even very healthy children can have bad covid symptoms, so it protects them too

The vast majority of children do not have serious symptoms of covid. The JCVI did recommend the vaccine for vulnerable children and children with vulnerable carers.

@bumbleymummy

The vast majority of children do not have serious symptoms of covid. The JCVI did recommend the vaccine for vulnerable children and children with vulnerable carers.

The vast majority of 12-16 year olds don’t have “serious symptoms” with seasonal flu, either. They are still vaccinating all children in this age group for that this year, though. Anyone would think this year is not a normal year.

There are too many side effects for children.

@Walkaround they’re offering it to them.

@bumbleymummy - as they are with the covid jab.

Just replying to your point that they were vaccinating all children in that age group. They aren’t.

It's finely balanced, with a small individual benefit and a tiny risk.
My children are not taking up the offer of the vaccine for now.