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Original poster

Vaccinating healthy 11 year old

195 replies

Hocuspocusandfairies · 04/02/2022 12:32

Can I please ask you all whether you'd get your healthy 11 year old vaccinated as my son has come home with a letter and I've no idea what to do.

OP posts:
TinaYouFatLard · 04/02/2022 13:27

@Snoopsnoggysnog

So no one on this thread planning to take their DC abroad this year then
Yes, but not to a country that coerces young children into medical treatment they don’t need.
rainrainraincamedowndowndown · 04/02/2022 13:28

Vaccine is normally for healthy people, like all the other vaccines. It's odd that for this particular vaccine, people say they don't need it because they are healthy.

MazzleDazzle · 04/02/2022 13:29

My DD made the decision herself. She’s had two jabs.

We’re in Scotland - she’s 13. Most of her friends have had it too.

zafferana · 04/02/2022 13:34

I have a 10-year-old and I would only get him vaccinated for travel, which is fortunately not necessary at the moment. I wouldn't do it to protect him, because he has just had Covid and was almost totally asymptomatic. Based on his/our experience I think it's outrageous to be vaccinating under 12s and I'm otherwise very much pro-vaccine and the rest of the family is fully vaxxed.

SummerInSun · 04/02/2022 13:35

Do you want to be able to travel anywhere abroad? Because you won't be able to go to most of continental Europe, for starters, if your DC aren't vaccinated. Or even if you can go, you won't be able to go to cafes, museums, etc, in countries like France.

Literally millions of children worldwide, down to age 5, have had these vaccines without ill effects. Yes, the risk of covid for children is low. But the risks of the vaccine ARE EVEN LOWER. I don't understand people who seem to think that it's better to run the risks of covid (a small number of children do get long covid) than run the even lower risk of vaccinating against covid. If it's because the disease is seen as "natural" and the vaccine as "artificial" then that makes no sense for a scientific perspective.

WineGetsMeThroughIt · 04/02/2022 13:35

@rainrainraincamedowndowndown

Vaccine is normally for healthy people, like all the other vaccines. It's odd that for this particular vaccine, people say they don't need it because they are healthy.

Most vaccines work to prevent the recipient from actually catching the thing they're meant to protect from though. Can you imagine what a predicament we'd be in if there were this many breakthroughs cases of measles??

dementedpixie · 04/02/2022 13:38

They have only just starting offering the vaccine to at risk children age 5-11 so maybe they are getting consent for when he turns 12

Hobbes8 · 04/02/2022 13:40

Healthy 11 year olds aren’t eligible yet (unless they live with an immunosuppressed person) so I would presume this is a mistake.

BewareTheLibrarians · 04/02/2022 13:40

@TinaYouFatLard

No. My 13 year olds have not been vaccinated. The vaccine does not prevent infection or transmission, it reduces the severity of symptoms. Children only experience mild symptoms anyway so I do not think the risk/benefit works in favour of vaccinating all healthy children - the JCVI agreed with this.
All children don’t only experience mild symptoms, that’s bollocks.

Ds is still being affected by his covid infection 22 months on. Not really the definition of mild. Plus thousands of kids with long covid* lasting over a year who you’ve just dismissed as if they don’t exist.

*scientists have found physical markers in patients post covid, in patients who’ve previously tested positive and have “long covid” type symptoms. So yes, it is real.

FelicityPike · 04/02/2022 13:41

Yes I would.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 04/02/2022 13:42

Yes

Twizbe · 04/02/2022 13:42

I'd get mine vaccinated. They've had all other vaccines including chicken pox.

I don't see any downsides at all.

For those worrying about it being 'new';

  1. the technology used to make the mRNA vaccine has been around for 10 years. It's been through extensive testing. The only 'new' bit was the genetic data for Covid.

  2. these vaccines have now been administered en masse for over a year. Several million people have been vaccinated around the world. They know a lot about how people react to it.

On flu. I get my kids vaccinated as flu can kill. We don't often hear of people dying of it as a lot are vaccinated and we have better treatments, but it still kills a sizeable amount of people each year.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 04/02/2022 13:46

I wish I could get my 10yo vaccinated before she starts secondary school in September. I know its not perfect protection, but its a boost.

3 school years of disrupted education now.

SummerHouse · 04/02/2022 13:49

I think you have to consider it's not really being given to them to protect them as an individual. They are having it for the greater good. I am ok with that. Same for flu. My 12 yr old is double jabbed and one covid infection down. At 12 I asked him what he wanted to do and I would have respected either decision. To be honest, I wasn't keen on the second jab but he wanted it.

Serenschintte · 04/02/2022 13:51

No I would not. I took my 14 year old son to the doctors for something else a few months ago. She stated there was no health benefit to him to be vaccinated. She said vaccination would protect others and enable us to get our freedoms back - where we live there are Covid certificates for museums, swimming etc.
Neither of those are a medical reason to protect a child. Adults vaccinations should protect them.
So I decided not to.
We all had Covid recently, his vaccinated older brother was sicker than my son who was unvaccinated. There is only a 2.5 year age difference.

amylou8 · 04/02/2022 13:51

Not a chance. I struggled to justify taking it myself as a healthy 40 something. I really hope Boris hasn't got this as wrong as everything else.

Veryvversatile · 04/02/2022 13:53

Do not allow anyone to help you make up your mind because ultimately your children and their safety is your responsibility only. My teen won't be having it, it is totally unnecessary for children and young people. They should give vaccines to countries that do not have any, rather than dose up our kids.

BewareTheLibrarians · 04/02/2022 13:53

Oh as if your doctor said that @Serenschintte Hmm

Sloughsabigplace · 04/02/2022 13:54

@Snoopsnoggysnog

So no one on this thread planning to take their DC abroad this year then
That would be a ridiculous reason alone for vaccinating a child against something that is no real risk to them.

My 19 year old has chosen not to be vaccinated. Something that actually having covid a few weeks ago and having nothing more than a light cold has been cemented.

The one thing he gets asked all the time is “what about holidays?” like it’s the most important thing in the world.

lumpofcomfort · 04/02/2022 13:58

Not sure why he's got it at age 11 if he doesn't turn 12 until August and isn't considered at risk. My DC turns 12 in a few weeks and we haven't had a letter.

My DC is healthy and had Covid with virtually no symptoms. She will still be getting the vaccine. Vaccinated people are still less likely to catch and transmit the virus than unvaccinated ones. The situation in schools is dire at the moment. DH and I are both teachers and the absence rate due to Covid is very high. That's not just due to isolation either as the majority of staff that we know, and it seems to be reflective of a wider picture, have been really quite poorly and needed several days in bed. Anything that helps to reduce the transmission will improve the disruption to schools.

Veryvversatile · 04/02/2022 14:00

@Sloughsabigplace unvaccinated people can travel to a few places without all the hassle. Slowly they will drop the restrictions on travel all together for everyone.

JamieNorthlife · 04/02/2022 14:01

Im connfused I thought the Gov website only recommends for over 12's.

This medicinal product has been given authorisation for temporary supply by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. It does not have a marketing authorisation, but this temporary authorisation grants permission for the medicine to be used for active immunisation to prevent COVID-19 disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus in individuals aged 12 years of age and over.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19/information-for-uk-recipients-on-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine

rainrainraincamedowndowndown · 04/02/2022 14:01

@WineGetsMeThroughIt

It still protect us against Omicron, though it's less effective compared to Delta.

As of January 8, 2022, during Omicron predominance, these rate ratios were lower for both comparisons, with infection and hospitalization rates among unvaccinated persons 3.6 times and 23.0 times, respectively, those in fully vaccinated persons with a booster, and 2.0 and 5.3 times, respectively, those in fully vaccinated persons without a booster.

www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7105e1.htm

So even without the booster, like for most children in England, it still halves the chance of catching it, thus reduce the chance of long covid too. It's a good enough reason to get vaccinated, imo.

GiantSpider · 04/02/2022 14:03

Yes - these vaccines are safe and effective. My 12yo has been vaccinated.