To let my child have the vaccine?

[Vaxwonder]

Posting on AIBU for traffic sorry!

My DDs school have their COVID vaccinations on Friday. I was ok with her having it but now I am having some doubts.

I am double jabbed and I am happy to have had it although I was quite poorly afterwards. My DD is fit and healthy so even if she caught covid she would probably be fine whereas other illnesses like cervical cancer can be a lot more deadly which is why I allowed her to have that vaccination and I’m not sure about this one.

I’d love to hear your opinions on whether you would allow a 12-15year old to have it or not and your reasons.

YABU - you wouldn’t allow your child to have it.
YANBU - you would allow your child to have it.

I absolutely wouldn't. The risk is too high compared to the benefits.
My friend's DS had it last week and is in hospital with myocarditis.
(By the way, I'm pro vaccines, DCs have had all their vaccines and I have had both C19 jabs, as had DH)

@DoubleTweenQueen Thank you

I’m doing vaccines in schools and I’m surprised by how many we’re doing. It’s great that they want to protect themselves and others.

My 13 and 15 had it a couple of weeks back. They seem OK.

I dithered for a little bit because it seemed unnecessary for my DD (she has already had covid) but think it is for the best as she will be more protected if any nastier variants come along. It will also mean she is less likely to have to self isolate and miss more school. So she will be having it.

I would advise my children to have it but let them choose as it is quite a new thing and emotive too.

My son is off school now for 10 days as he tested positive, he isn't ill yet though......

Why do people think it would stop you getting infected & passing it on?

1. there's no data to say 1 jab does this
2. even with 2, this is only the case for 6 months....hence the boosters

My children are not having it. Risk of myocarditis is too high. They can wait until an antigen based vaccine is available - holidaying in the uk for another year won't kill them, but myocarditis might

Dd 15 & ds 12 have both had theirs

Dd has had Covid and was quite ill, it was not easy for her

Then both DH & I got it (healthy, 40's, double vaccinated) and we were very ill. Dread to think what we would have been like unvaccinated

Both dc and we are very glad they have had it

@confuseddotcom090

Why do people think it would stop you getting infected & passing it on? 1) there's no data to say 1 jab does this 2) even with 2, this is only the case for 6 months....hence the boosters

My children are not having it. Risk of myocarditis is too high. They can wait until an antigen based vaccine is available - holidaying in the uk for another year won't kill them, but myocarditis might

There is data. Also about the risk of myocarditis being tiny, both for Covid infection and the vaccine, but significantly higher for Covid itself.

www.newscientist.com/article/mg25133462-800-myocarditis-is-more-common-after-covid-19-infection-than-vaccination/

My neighbour’s son aged 12 was about to have the vaccine but caught it a month ago. He was fit and healthy but was hospitalised for a week as he was so ill. When he is fully recovered he will have his first dose and this is both his and his mother’s choice.

This is a good overview, from Nature (very highly regarded journal):
www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02740-y

I have zero sympathy or time for parents who do not allow their children to get vaccinated. IMHO they are both extremely selfish and ill informed. (Incidentally I have both a BSc and MSc so please don’t tell me that I don’t understand the science behind it! )

Having looked only at news sources (BBC etc) it seems to me like the risks and benefits are fairly negligible either way for DS who is 13. We decided to let him have it based on the idea that it may at some point be a condition of travel

Both mine have had flu and covid vax. (1 dose allowed only.) I'm glad they are less likely to get long covid and less likely to catch it and have to be off school isolating. Dd1 had swine flu and it was awful so I'm glad she now has protection. I felt for this teenager with long covid who looks so ill with it www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-58856068.amp

@Mushypeasandchipstogo

I have zero sympathy or time for parents who do not allow their children to get vaccinated. IMHO they are both extremely selfish and ill informed. (Incidentally I have both a BSc and MSc so please don’t tell me that I don’t understand the science behind it! )

Selfish? You've got to be kidding me. If a parent rightly or wrongly decides against it, they're thinking of their child - that is natural and right. We're talking about a jab that still allows a GREAT DEAL of transmission to take place.

Its totally warped to think deciding against for your kids for now is "selfish".

@Mushypeasandchipstogo

I have zero sympathy or time for parents who do not allow their children to get vaccinated. IMHO they are both extremely selfish and ill informed. (Incidentally I have both a BSc and MSc so please don’t tell me that I don’t understand the science behind it! )

It can’t be that bad if JCVI didn’t give go ahead. As scientific experts

And Chris Whitty said each should decide

I don’t really get these ott posts

You're not going to get a balance of opinions on here OP. Don't feel rushed or pressured. It's an important decision either way. There will be plenty of opportunity they are desperate to get everyone so even if she doesn't have it this week I'm sure there will be ample opportunity. Do whatever is right for yourselves not based on what everyone else is doing.

Have you read the latest about the JCVI @MarshaBradyo ? (I know you're not an anti-vsxxer or anything, but a voice of restraint often on these boards) but the JCVI isn't made up of scientific experts, that's why its findings were so contentious,and the latest hoohah about them refusing to publish the minutes of their meetings, plus the sociology professor (I think)on there who left under a cloud after being discovered to have proven links to anti vax groups and far right groups whilst retweeting Us4Them does, or at least, should, make you wonder.
The problem is, there's been such a lot of confusion about the JCVI, given they were the first port of call to debate the pros and cons of the vaccine for kids, lots of people presumed they were all scientific experts- far from the truth, unfortunately this was compounded by the fact that they only looked at medical pros and cons. The real scientific experts, the GMO, who of course overturned the JCVI findings, tend to be dismissed by those not as up to speed on what these organisations actually are and, more importantly, who their members are.

Well both my husband and I also have a BSc (whoop-dee-doo) and in consultation with DS have decided that at present to not rush for him to be vaccinated as on an individual level there seems little benefit and unknown potential risk. And what happened to the advice from Chris Witty not to judge parents and children either way?

@Geamhradh

Have you read the latest about the JCVI *@MarshaBradyo ? (I know you're not an anti-vsxxer or anything, but a voice of restraint often on these boards) but the JCVI isn't* made up of scientific experts, that's why its findings were so contentious,and the latest hoohah about them refusing to publish the minutes of their meetings, plus the sociology professor (I think)on there who left under a cloud after being discovered to have proven links to anti vax groups and far right groups whilst retweeting Us4Them does, or at least, should, make you wonder. The problem is, there's been such a lot of confusion about the JCVI, given they were the first port of call to debate the pros and cons of the vaccine for kids, lots of people presumed they were all scientific experts- far from the truth, unfortunately this was compounded by the fact that they only looked at medical pros and cons. The real scientific experts, the GMO, who of course overturned the JCVI findings, tend to be dismissed by those not as up to speed on what these organisations actually are and, more importantly, who their members are.

They look pretty good to me?

Membership
Professor Andrew Pollard, Chair (University of Oxford)
Professor Lim Wei Shen, Chair COVID-19 immunisation (Nottingham University Hospitals)
Professor Anthony Harnden, Deputy Chair (University of Oxford)
Dr Kevin Brown (Public Health England)
Dr Rebecca Cordery (Public Health England)
Dr Maggie Wearmouth (East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust)
Professor Matt Keeling (University of Warwick)
Alison Lawrence (lay member)
Professor Robert Read (Southampton General Hospital)
Professor Anthony Scott (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)
Professor Adam Finn (University of Bristol)
Dr Fiona van der Klis (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Netherlands)
Professor Maarten Postma (University of Groningen)
Professor Simon Kroll (Imperial College London)
Dr Martin Williams (University Hospitals Bristol)
Professor Jeremy Brown (University College London Hospitals)

I don’t quite agree with your take on overturning either. More it was a different remit, and even CMO wouldn’t castigate parents for deciding as pp did - quite the opposite he said you must as individuals decide. He knows it’s not straightforward but is finely balanced.

DD is generally in the best of health. She had covid in the summer and she is VERY keen to have the vaccination. She has never felt so ill in her life. Unfortunately even fit and healthy children do get quite ill from covid on occasion.

Please don’t risk it.
Check the yellow card reports.
Children are more likely to suffer side effects from the vaccine than from Covid.
Do your research.

@Geamhradh I would rather trust medical experts at JCIV than a random poster on Mumsnet, accusing those who quite rightly question vaccinating their kids with being “far right protestors”.
You need to come up with something better than that.

My children (all older teens) don’t want vaccinated and I’m really happy that they came to that decision as I would prefer for them not to be.