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Original poster

Will you be vaxxing your 5 year old kids?

218 replies

WoolyMammoth55 · 08/12/2021 11:57

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...?

OP posts:
BurntO · 08/12/2021 15:41

We will as we have vulnerable family members we see every other day. They are vulnerable themselves but covid only hit them mildly but I am concerned about family.

Needspace21 · 08/12/2021 15:43

No we won't be. And we should be resisting covid passports anyway
It is the start of a Chinese style social credit system.

VikingOnTheFridge · 08/12/2021 15:44

Not at the mo. I want to see what happens in the US and Israel in that age cohort first.

episcomama · 08/12/2021 15:45

I've had my 7-year-old vaxxed, as well as my other kids. Didn't give it a second thought.

TheScenicWay · 08/12/2021 15:49

No. There’s no logical sense to it whatsoever.
Utter madness.

Needspace21 · 08/12/2021 15:54

Let's employ some critical thinking here.

The vaccines don't stop you getting covid or passing it on.
The apparently just stop you getting the severe form. Children don't get the severe form anyway generally. So no.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 08/12/2021 15:58

People saying it’s the only way out of the pandemic are deluded- children in the U.K. being vaccinated won’t make any difference when adults across the globe aren’t. We should be sending vaccines to other countries at this point.

Gingerbreadhoose · 08/12/2021 16:03

Yes. Why on earth wouldn't you.

My 5 year old gets the flu vaccine every year and he's not likely to get that severely either.

Polio for the majority of children wasn't severe.

We know nothing about the long term effects of covid. Whereas vaccines have been safely in use with no long term adverse effects for many years.

Needspace21 · 08/12/2021 16:08

Also it's not just going to be one jab and done and I'm not happy with a booster every 6 months for my kids

MarmitesMyMate · 08/12/2021 16:26

No

JassyRadlett · 08/12/2021 16:34

@Needspace21

Let's employ some critical thinking here.

The vaccines don't stop you getting covid or passing it on.
The apparently just stop you getting the severe form. Children don't get the severe form anyway generally. So no.

If we’re going to employ critical thinking, could we please do it with facts?

The current two-dose vaccine mix in the U.K. (pre-major rollout of boosters but taking into account waning and delta) is a little over 50% effective against infection (not just symptomatic infection) (source: ONS surveillance, controlled for major demographic variables). Boosters look like changing that significantly, above the levels we saw with Pfizer two weeks post-second jab. Boosters also look like they could last longer (but very early data on this, obviously, from the trial groups.)

Data on the impact of secondary infection (how likely a vaccinated infected person is to be able to transmit the disease onwards) is much more mixed with delta; it could be as high as preventing two thirds of secondary infections, or as low as zero. It’s not possible to be unequivocal either way.

Their best performance is against severe illness and death, sure. But it’s simply not accurate to say that they don’t stop you getting Covid - they stop about half of infections with two doses - and there’s not enough evidence to be able to say they don’t have an impact on you passing it on (beyond the fact that if you’re not infected, obviously you then can’t pass it on.)

IrishMamaMia · 08/12/2021 16:36

I'm not against it per se but I'm really unsure as it stands.

sirfredfredgeorge · 08/12/2021 16:38

Boosters look like changing that significantly, above the levels we saw with Pfizer two weeks post-second jab. Boosters also look like they could last longer

Once you control for infection too, the look is not there so much, booster alone doesn't help as much as adding infection as well as the vaccines into it. But as you say, we still don't have complete information

amymel2016 · 08/12/2021 16:41

Definitely

MrsColinRobinson · 08/12/2021 16:47

No, nor my older kids - eldest 13.

Both myself and their father double vaxxed.

JassyRadlett · 08/12/2021 16:49

Once you control for infection too, the look is not there so much, booster alone doesn't help as much as adding infection as well as the vaccines into it. But as you say, we still don't have complete information

The data I’ve seen isn’t great at disaggregating infection within the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, particularly at a population/screening level overall to be honest, and most rely on modelling of likely prior infection levels within each group.

I have seen the studies on infection + vax from Johns Hopkins and Cornell which definitely make that point though for two-dose Pfizer and Moderna - can you share on boosters vs infection + vax?

ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings · 08/12/2021 16:54

I probably will. My 5 year old has no allergies and has never reacted badly to any vaccine. I don't really care that Covid is unlikely to affect him badly. I was planning to get him the chicken pox vaccine as well and that has really mild symptoms. He ended up getting it before I could get round to booking one and was absolutely fine, but I still wish I had vaccinated him against it and saved him from a week of itching.

Bee4229 · 08/12/2021 17:03

Right now I would say no, absolutely not (My youngest is just 6 and oldest 10). I may change my mind one day but for now, no

Arethechildreninbedyet · 08/12/2021 17:09

@Needspace21

Let's employ some critical thinking here.

The vaccines don't stop you getting covid or passing it on.
The apparently just stop you getting the severe form. Children don't get the severe form anyway generally. So no.

OK, let's!

No vaccine is completely effective, there is still a risk of catch whatever the illness is but that risk becomes significantly lower.

Like any other vaccine you are being injected with the antigens to strengthen your immune system. It is therefore not the vaccine stopping you getting 'the serious form', it's exposed your immune system to a low form Covid and given your body a head start in fighting off the infection - as with ANY other illness.

You can fight it off far more easily and there is significantly less chance of you become ill and therefore spreading it to more people.

This is ONE virus and it's brought modern society to its knees. No vaccine will 'stop you getting' something, it gives your body a fighting a chance against it.

The anti-vax argument has always been that our immune systems will eventually mutate to defend against any illness. This is, to an extent, true, however it would be a case of naturally selection with millions if not billions dying in the meantime.

Adopting the attitude that vaccines have no purpose is so, so harmful. Again with Anti-Vaxers (in no way saying having hesitation about the covid jab makes you anti vax) but they believe an immune system will fight off anything - that is a very hedonistic attitude to have in a first world society where 99.5% of the population are vaccinated. Those who cannot take the vaccine risk becoming deathly ill because someone else isn't vaccinated - mainly babies and the clinically vulnerable. There have been generations who have watched their loved ones die of preventable diseases and would have done anything for a vaccine. Let's not become blase about them.

1234comeonbaby · 08/12/2021 17:13

If all the adults had done it, we wouldn't need to vaccinate our kids woulsld we

firstimemamma · 08/12/2021 17:31

ds isn't 5 yet but even if he was it's a definite no from us and dh works for the nhs frontline.

Cornettoninja · 08/12/2021 17:32

@1234comeonbaby

If all the adults had done it, we wouldn't need to vaccinate our kids woulsld we
I don’t think this is entirely true. Children are a significant pool of infection and we regularly make them congregate in enclosed spaces (I.e school).

If infection rates were lower that would make me consider not vaccinating but if we see a consistent high level of covid in circulation and the same level of disruption coupled with very little mitigation I’m pushed to consider it seriously.

theDudesmummy · 08/12/2021 17:33

I would if I had a 5-yr-old, yes. My youngest is 12 and had the second jab some time ago now.

FreeBritnee · 08/12/2021 17:35

[quote hygtt]@FreeBritnee but surely that logic would apply if you chose to get them vaccinated and they had ill effects? [/quote]
By making that decision you would have gone against guidance so no, that wouldn’t be the same.

Dinotruxagain · 08/12/2021 18:07

Unsure but unlikely as it stands with the data right now.
There is not enough information for me to vaccinate my almost 5 year old against covid.
I think he had it last year anyway and he's had all other jabs.
Both myself and my OH have been double jabbed and as it currently stands I don't think it's enough of a risk to him at his age compared to the risks of complications.

My view may change as more data becomes available.