Will you be vaxxing your 5 year old kids?

[WoolyMammoth55]

I'm pro vaccine, have had 3 myself, DH has had 2 and has booked his booster. Our kids are vaccinated according to the normal schedule.

However we have a 4yo and something about the thought of vaccinating him for Covid once he turns 5 feels really wrong to me.

I haven't really got much to go on, although this article about teens and vaccine side-effects is part of it:
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/10/boys-more-at-risk-from-pfizer-jab-side-effect-than-covid-suggests-study

Basically I just feel like we know some people react badly to the jab, it's not a perfect medicine because it was developed and rolled out under huge pressure. We know kids are at minimal risk of Covid and so it's not for their benefit they'd get jabbed, it'd be to stop them infecting grandparents... To me it feels like the wrong risk-to-benefit ratio for our children.

And I'm fully aware that if we don't get them jabbed, we'll be vax-passport-ed into a second-class existence! This is already happening to my DSis who lives abroad in a vaccine passport country and despite her and her DH being jabbed, they are under house arrest because their 2 kids - who can't be jabbed yet - aren't allowed to go anywhere!

Talk me out of this feeling of dread, anyone...?

I agree with you, although not about the side effect bit. Vaccinations for their own health is one thing but I’m not comfortable with the idea of vaccinating them for the greater good. I haven’t decided what I’ll do yet.

No, we won't be.

It's not necessary, so no.

No

No definitely not, he does have allergies though and has had to have previous injections given in hospital in case of reaction, thankfully he didn't have any but I'm not about to start experimenting with this one on him. He doesn't have the flu nasal spray either. That being said if he was CEV I would consider it and do not have an issue with anyone who did decide to vaccinate, all our circumstances are different. I wouldn't be rushing out to get it just so we could go abroad though I'll quite happily stay at home if that does become a necessary requirement for over 5s

No. Unless my children because clinically vulnerable or the virus becomes particularly a concern for them, then I would.

No absolutely not. She's 8 and I'm not doing it

Dh and I are super pro vax but even this doesn’t sit quite easily with us so my true answer at the moment is ‘I don’t know’. I expect if it is rolled out for children from 5-11 there will be an enormous pressure campaign to try and persuade us to get our children jabbed.

I am pro-vax. Had mine as soon as i could book.

Despite that ive always been hesitant about whether id want to do DS.

However the early data from SA is definitely giving me pause for thought.

Most of the population in SA is thought to have some immunity as everyone is thought to have been exposed there but the age profile of omicron isn't looking so good. I wonder what would happen to kids with no immunity at all.

DS hadn't had covid so I was starting to lean towards thinking it was a good idea and we would (then he got covid and thats now making me wonder again!)

My kids have had covid so I am struggling to feel particularly keen to vaccinate them. The risk to benefit ratio doesn’t seem worthwhile. Not looking forward to feeling forced in to it with vaccine passports

I think we are lucky that people in UK have time to think about it, while other countries are vaxxing their children and we can see the data from it.
So far, it sounds promising, not major side effects like it was for older age groups.

Absolutely not.

No. Unless my children because clinically vulnerable or the virus becomes particularly a concern for them, then I would.

agree

Absolutely not. I have a very healthy 5 year old.

My 10 year old keeps asking when he can have his vaccine. He knows everyone else in the house has had it to help protect others and sees it as the same as his flu vaccine.

Yes, a thousand times yes.

I've been having this dilemma for a while as my child approaches 12. My current thinking is JCVI have been hesitant to do it, so as now decide to go ahead must be needed. But I may change my thoughts again.

I am pro vaccine and did not hesitate but it is definitely a harder choice to make on behalf of someone else. (Obviously 12 my year old will have a say but they are likely to go with what me and dh advise)

I’m on the fence leaning towards yes (I have a 6yo).

Whilst the vaccines have rare side effects in children so does covid. I’m not sure I’m happy to brush off an acquired infection as mild with lots of unknowns (including long term damage - no one is monitoring kids during or after an infection unless they present to hospital and covid is a systematic infection. I worry about organ damage which could become apparent in the future) whereas a vaccine is controlled, heavily monitored and I can be alert to specific symptoms at specific times.

I’m not wildly happy about the fact it’s a new vaccine but I’m also not prepared to essentially offer up my child for experiment by acquiring covid if I can possibly prevent it, which if she avoids it will be pure luck given local rates. I’m watching American data with great interest.

I will because I don't want her whole early childhood to be during this strange restricted, uncertain time. I want the pandemic to end and I want her to be protected from any worse variants that emerge. I think social restrictions and lockdowns are really dangerous to her.

I'm triple vaxxed, husband double and dd1(18) double. I was adamant I was going to get her vaxxed when the time came (she and dd1 have all their standard vaccinations) but I am having doubts now.

Not sure, but think not.

Both DH and I are jabbed and kids are up to date with all other jabs. However, they are not at high risk from Covid so the benefit of jabbing them is marginal at best, unlike the case for other childhood vaccinations.

I meant to say dd2 is 6 almost 7.

I'm not sure either. I'd like to see data on long covid in kids (if there is any data). Then I'd think about weighing up the risk of heart damage from myocarditis vs long covid. DH has a chronic auto-immune disease so long I am worried about their susceptibility to immune malfunction post virus.

Absolutely not. For the vast majority of people covid is a mild illness. This is even more so for children.

It is unnecessary, we don't know if this vaccine will have any long term impact. Much better to get natural immunities.

Another element I’m considering is that there are little to no attempts to curb the spread in schools (certainly not primary). Vaccines reduce transmission (up to 60% I believe?) and I think this effect may be stronger in children given they don’t appear to harbour high viral loads in general.

If I’m not given any other tools to protect dd’s education then it makes the vaccines look very attractive imho. I’m fed up of the stress of watching waves work through classes in her school, the constant testing and keeping her off for new symptoms. If vaccines can reduce the chances of any of those things I’m listening.