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...?

Imo a holiday is not a good reason to choose to vaccinate.

Absolutely not. The data doesn't suggest it's necessary for healthy children.

No way

Not a chance.

I think it's worth noting that we don't k ow if these vaccines will have any long term affect on fertility. Yes, 1 in 5 women women have experienced menstrual changes following vaccination, but no one gives a shit. It's just women wittering.

Absolutely yes. DH and I are double (soon to be triple) jabbed
DS1 (15) is single (soon to be double) jabbed and DS2 (13) has had the 1 jab he is allowed to have.

My 3 younger (primary aged) dc will be having theirs as soon as we get a call/letter and ds2 will be having a 2nd jab as soon as he is allowed one.

I have trusted science, medicine and my children's doctors so far, and it's worked out well. Why would I stop now in the face of a new, ever evolving virus that has thrown the entire world into such a shit state of affairs?

I trust the scientists and doctors, not just in this country but all over the world. We'll get the jab for my 5 year old when it comes.

@elliejjtiny, if you don't mind me asking... do you not worry about the risk of myocarditis, etc for your two eldest sons, what with the risk increasing so much upon the second jab?

@Rocaille no, I don't mind you asking. I think the risk of myocarditis and other side effects from the vaccine is considerably smaller than the risks of them getting covid. Both have health conditions that make them clinically vulnerable.

@GalesThisMorning

I have trusted science, medicine and my children's doctors so far, and it's worked out well. Why would I stop now in the face of a new, ever evolving virus that has thrown the entire world into such a shit state of affairs?

I trust the scientists and doctors, not just in this country but all over the world. We'll get the jab for my 5 year old when it comes.

Yes...science and medicine have done incredible miracles for my child. And long covid scares me.

Thanks, @elliejjtiny. Interesting to hear what other parents are thinking.

Won't make any difference getting primary kids jagged to getting life back to 'normal'. Im in scotland and we've just been told that all households contacts of ANY covid case have to self-isolate for 10 days regardless of vaccination status. Vaccines are stopping transmission they make serious illness less likely.

But they're not at zero risk having long covid or post viral complications. And definitely not zero risk of death or serious illness, tiny, even negligible risk but not zero. And we need to protect the vulnerable kids amongst the healthy ones too.

@Spaghettipie1

But they're not at zero risk having long covid or post viral complications. And definitely not zero risk of death or serious illness, tiny, even negligible risk but not zero. And we need to protect the vulnerable kids amongst the healthy ones too.

I’m not putting my kids at even the smallest risk to protect anyone else adult or other child. It’s simply not right to ask children to protect others when covid has such a minuscule chance of affecting them health wise and the risk does not outweigh the benefit

No way am I vaccinating my children with an emergency use authorised only, liability free therapy. Our lives will potentially be very limited depending on which restrictions they bring in but I couldn't look my children in the eye if somewhere down the line they have issues as a result of this injection, which I was pressured into allowing them to have

Nope!! Hell no. I'm double jabbed myself but feel no reason to jab my child

@maa32

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

Agree with this. It's not necessary otherwise

Yes we woukd likely vaccinate children as soon as eligible.

@needspace21

We also have no idea what impact covid infection will have on fertility

I would be a lot more keen to vaccinate kids if I felt it gave them a chance of avoiding covid. But the vaccines seem to last about 3 months protection. And covid is here forever and forever mutating. So I do t think our children will be able to avoid getting covid at some point

Yes.

The chance of the vaccine having long term effects are far far less likely than the chance of covid having long term effects (see also: long covid in kids). The UK strategy is clearly to let it run 'hot' all the time with high infection levels. Given it's inevitable in this scenario to catch it eventually, I'd rather my child be vaccinated to give her the best protection against long covid and other long term covid impacts.

I'm honestly amazed at how many people are frightened of the long term effects of the virus, but not about the long term effects of covid, given it has been shown to cause heart and lung damage even in people who only had it mildly.

That should say long term effects of the vaccine, not virus!

Absolutely not, their Covid risk is minute (and mine have had it).

Yes! But then I’m very pro-vaccine anyway.