5 - 11 year olds to be allowed vaccine in wales

[RedToothBrush]

Adrian Masters @adrianmasters84
1/3 The health minister has confirmed that children aged between 5 and 11 year olds here in Wales will be offered covid vaccinations.

2/3 Eluned Morgan told Senedd Members: “Whilst yet to be published officially by the JCVI, I have received JCVI advice regarding the vaccination of all 5-11 year olds and I have agreed it and we are working with health boards on implementing the offer.”

3/3 There’s been a delay to the official announcement, reportedly because of disagreements between the UK Government and the JCVI. Although it’s thought to have made its decision more than a week ago, the recommendation is not expected to be announced until the 21st February.

I'm in England so I don't know which why the government will go for England on this yet, but it looks likely that all 5 to 11 year olds will be offered the vaccine on a not urgent basis.

I'm not entirely sure how i feel about this nor what i will do.

Its not an issue with travel to most places (there are places its now an issue though) and there are potential implications for travel insurance (you may not be covered for covid related healthcare if you have been offered the vaccine).

I don't know if having it purely for travel purposes in this age group is a good thing or not.

DS is 7. He has had covid.

Genuinely don't know what we will do.

There is always the prospect of a new variant and whether being vaxxed is better for children.

In terms of disruption to school, i think the horse has well and truly bolted on that one.

I don't think im alone in thinking like this and will struggle to know what to do.

I’m in Wales and had a voicemail left this morning asking me to book and appointment for DS2 to be vaxxed. I assumed it was due to his medical history as it’s being offered to children who are vulnerable or have medical conditions. Although I wouldn’t have classes DS2 in that category.

He has had Covid twice, in fact he only came out of isolation on Saturday. Neither of those times was he especially unwell.

I’m really unsure about what I will do about vaccinating him. He won’t be able to have it just yet anyway as I’m sure you have to wait so long after a Covid infection to have the jab.

I've already gone through this dilemma with my 12 & 15yo I did a lot of head wrestling with the situation and I'm now very much at peace with my decision not to vaccinate them, I personally couldn't justify it just for a holiday, so I'm already decided my 7yo won't be having it he does have some allergies too which was the final decider.
Every family is different though and will come to their own conclusions over what's right for them.

Reinfection happens and we don't know the long term effects of COVID. There are also reports of T Cells aging and depletion on each infection.

www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.717194/full

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.06.09.21258553v2

www.immunology.org/coronavirus/connect-coronavirus-public-engagement-resources/covid-immunity-infection-vaccine

We will get our children vaxxed.

I'm in Wales. I will happily get my 9 year old vaccinated. The problem is that because the flu vaccine for kids is a spray he's telling me that unless it's an up the nose vaccine, he's not having it! 😂 So I think having some arm medicine is going to take some persuading!

I'm in England but the same thing will surely happen in the nations soon.

I am not planning on getting my 2 vaccinated at this time.

They have had Omicrom and it was mild.

I would rather wait and see what happens especially if another variant or updated vaccines comes along.

Then they may have better protection at the time.

But I also accept that they will probably get vaccinated at some point in the future if Covid is still a risk.

I will not do it for travel. It needs to be because its best for my kids (we only travel abroad for holidays - visiting family would perhaps change my decision).

They started offering it to children age 5-11 in my country beginning of last month and immediately booked DD an appointment, she was anxious to get jabbed. Getting her 2nd one soon, once its been 6 weeks. Not doing it for travel (although we are travelling this summer, but to the UK and I doubt it'll be a requirement for the UK) but to lessen her chances of a nasty case of covid. I think we might actually have covid now, its been going around her class and she started to feel ill today but hopefully it'll make it milder for her.

Im in wales and am triple vaxxed. I won’t be getting my children vaccinated. I hope it won’t be needed for travel as we’re going abroad in the summer

Good on Wales! I wish I still lived there. Hopefully it will focus minds elsewhere in the U.K.

My daughter who is 11 almost died last year because of covid. She still isn't recovered, she has been left needing a wheelchair full time. She will be getting vaccinated as will my youngest child who is 9.

I’m not in wales but once offered my DC will have it.
A) they want it, they aren’t scared of covid (and have had it asymptomatically) but they want to do their bit- and this feels like that to them. B) I can’t honestly see the harm- I wasn’t particularly concerned about them getting some of the other diseases they’ve been vaccinated against but they got the vaccines on a ‘it might help, where’s the harm’ basis and I don’t see that this is any different.

@Ohsofedupwiththis

I'm in England but the same thing will surely happen in the nations soon.

I am not planning on getting my 2 vaccinated at this time.

They have had Omicrom and it was mild.

I would rather wait and see what happens especially if another variant or updated vaccines comes along.

Then they may have better protection at the time.

But I also accept that they will probably get vaccinated at some point in the future if Covid is still a risk.

I will not do it for travel. It needs to be because its best for my kids (we only travel abroad for holidays - visiting family would perhaps change my decision).

This is exactly my position too. I have no immediate plans to vaccinate my children.

I’m in Wales and I’m so pleased about this decision. My dd is 10 and she really wants her vaccine as we haven’t had Covid yet. She is very politically and socially aware and wants to play a part in helping society. She will be over the moon when I tell her in the morning.

Ah take your misinformation elsewhere @Scottishflower65

I'm pleased it is an option for those who want it. Based on the benefit/risk profile I'd be pro.

I will not be vaccinating my primary age DC. One has had covid with no issues beyond a slight temperature for 24 hours. The other hasn't caught it, despite his brother licking his face when he had it and half of his class having it.

The long term consequences of the vaccine are not yet known. As adults, DH and I have been able to give our informed consent to have the vaccines and boosters. I don't think it's right to give our children when the long term consequences are still unknown.

Scottish i agree... 100 %

Aren’t they already vaccinating 5-11 year olds starting with the vulnerable ones? Dd has her appt next week.

Can I take my English kids to Wales & get it done?

The vaccines have been tested on millions of people & are known to be safe & effective. My kids want to be able to travel to visit family in Europe, and have been waiting ages to be allowed this. I just wish we could get it quicker - there is no reason to delay for those who want it.

The long term consequences of the vaccine are not yet known.

For balance, neither are the long term consequences of Covid. Though we do have more evidence to suggest that there are medium term consequences from even some mild Covid infections; conversely long term effects from vaccines are staggeringly rare (because of the biological mechanism of vaccines - they don’t hang around in the body.)

For all of us it will be a risk/benefit analysis. I hope parents in England also get the opportunity to make that choice.

@parietal - show me the long term data? You can’t. It doesn’t exist - obviously. There is scientific data that shows severe short term effects for some younger people from the vaccine which is more than effects from COVID. I can cite scientific papers - can you?
@leafyygreens - give me cited scientific papers / evidence to refute anything I say rather than a rude and ignorant “misinformation” message which just shows you have not engaged with the actual evidence? I despair of people like you.
@boogiebogie and others who are not willing to put an untested for long term effects / documented major short term effects into their children for something that usually is like a cold for that age range - I am heartened that many of us are looking at this rationally and considering the actual evidence.

DD(6) had covid and was asymptomatic. I won't be getting her vaccinated (at least) until the long term effects are more understood.

I've had all my jabs, and she's had the childhood vaccinations, but this one I am wary of.

@Scottishflower65 Since you asked about the long term effects of covid, and are a fan of actual knowledge, I hope you will enjoy these links. (All complications mentioned can and do occur in children as well as adults.)

Scientists know that covid can affect your heart, which explains the heart problems, chest pain, palpitations and sometimes the fatigue that people feel:

www.bayer.com/en/news-stories/understanding-long-covid-heart-muscle-damage-needs-to-be-spotted-early

And it can affect blood vessels, leading to POTs, dizziness etc:

meassociation.org.uk/2021/12/pots-and-long-covid/

It can affect the immune system:

www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2022/01/25/new-clues-to-long-covid-prolonged-inflammatory-response/?sh=24aae8ea765c

And it can affect your neurological system.
www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(21)00059-4/fulltext

And this from the American Academy of Pediatrics is also useful

www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Post-COVID-Conditions-in-Children-and-Teens.aspx

My dc have been vaccinated for covid early in their age groups because of me. I receive immunosuppressant medication to treat what is almost certainly a condition triggered by a virus I caught and 'recovered from' when I was 13. It took over 30 years to show up.
We vaccinate healthy dc every day of the week.

This is hopefully reassuring for anyone worried about vaccine safety*

www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20211230/serious-problems-rare-in-ages-5-11-from-covid-vaccine

*Just in case the usual troll and their terrible comprehension skills are running rampant, the fact that I’m happy to give my child this vaccine doesn’t mean I’m forcing it on other children. Other parents will choose not to vaccinate for their own reasons and that is absolutely their right.