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.

England and N Ireland, are now also going to offer vaccines to 5 - 11 year olds

Sorry signal here is slow… - snap

Official scientific advice concludes the move would help protect the "very small" number of children who become seriously ill with Covid.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the rollout will be "non-urgent", with an emphasis on parental choice.

So those who want it for their children can go ahead, those that do not can decline, based on their opinon of the benefit/risk profile.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60406155

And for people who like to say we don’t know the long term effects of the vaccine, hopefully they’d like to balance that with the knowledge of what we do know about the long term effects of being infected with a SARS type coronavirus. Follow up studies were carried out on patients who contracted SARS and MERS. That’s over a decade of evidence of how these coronaviruses can affect the body.
www.rcpjournals.org/content/clinmedicine/21/1/e68

Awareness of post covid complications should have been much higher from the start. (And it has been deliberately ignored by the government, because sorting it out takes money and NHS time. As everyone who’s had ME/CFS or similar knows.)

I hope this won't be an excuse to abandon plans for improved ventillation in schools just because the vaccine is available for this age group.

[quote JingsMahBucket]**@BewareTheLibrarians* @JassyRadlett* @leafyygreens you're all stars. Thank you so much for countering the misinformation troll.[/quote]
Thank you! That’s very kind to say.

I am so so relieved by today's news. CV 11 year old.

@SnowyWinterFox

I am so so relieved by today's news. CV 11 year old.

Surely your CV 11yo was already eligible before today's news

The rollout for CV under 12s has been very slow and in our area has not started yet. I have been in contact with our GP surgery since the 23rd december when it was first announced that CV under 12s would be eligible.

With any sort of luck this will help.

But thanks anyway for your comment.

What a colossal waste of NHS resources and budgets

You’d think there were other priorities, like the 1/2 million + missed cancer appointments 🤷‍♀️

@hamstersarse Get you a competent government that can do both

(Not a government that wastes billions on dodgy contracts and extends lockdowns to the point where the economy, peoples income and mental health is damaged, instead of prioritising healthcare, cancer treatments, vaccines, and income support for people isolating due to covid. I’m sure those billions would have gone a little way towards that.)

Was just thinking...are the vaccines still only licensed for emergency use? If so, what are the implications re the end of legal restrictions/moving to 'endemic' phase? Still an emergency?

@hamstersarse

What a colossal waste of NHS resources and budgets

You’d think there were other priorities, like the 1/2 million + missed cancer appointments 🤷‍♀️

Funny how the government, famed for cutting corners when it comes to the pandemic to save money, decided to widen the programme.

Almost as if the costs of extending the rollout to non-vulnerable children looks favourable when considering the benefits of reducing infection & illness in this age group, and the fact that we already have the infrastructure in place for vaccinating peadiatric populations.

Or maybe no, they're all making a huge mistake and should listen to @hamstersarse ;) Perhaps write them a letter? And to all the countries in Europe & the US?

@containsnuts

Was just thinking...are the vaccines still only licensed for emergency use? If so, what are the implications re the end of legal restrictions/moving to 'endemic' phase? Still an emergency?

They're currently fully approved for those aged 16 and older

It requires participants in the original studies to be followed up for 6 months, so I believe we should be getting close to full approval for 12-15 year olds if that hasn't happened already, and then full approval for 11-15 year olds sometime in Spring.

Not in Wales but I’m in no rush for DS11.

I did vaccinate DS12 and I’m triple vaccinated.

The current vaccines don’t stop spread (especially Omicron) and isolation is about to end so those citing minimising school disruption? That argument isn’t very strong to me.

So then you are vaccinating to prevent the risk of severe disease? Which is low in children.

It always comes down to a risk/benefit analysis. And everyone’s personal situation. Right now for my DS I’m struggling to see any benefit. He had asymptomatic Covid. Then didn’t catch omicron from us.

I’m reading with interest all the studies coming out looking at natural immunity versus vaccine immunity. This includes the studies on vaccines plus infection. And there are lots out there. I don’t want to join in the fight. But it’s very interesting and I’ll continue to look at these studies as more come out. Not suggesting anyone deliberately gets infected with Covid but I’m interested to understand what this means for us that have had Covid. I’ll guess as the months pass we’ll know more. T-cells from SARS have lasted 17 years.

As I said I’m not anti vax but I don’t know why we can’t even discuss natural immunity on here without it being shut down.

As the vaccines wear off we need to understand what the way forward is.

As I said I’m not anti vax but I don’t know why we can’t even discuss natural immunity on here without it being shut down.

Where's it being shut down? I see this all the time on MN but no actual posts doing just that.

It's critical to point out that the "natural immunity is better than vaccine induced immunity" narrative is false, but also that infection induced immunity is important to help build long-lasting protection, along with vaccination.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

That was my point. The two are not mutually exclusive.

But thinking longer term we can’t keep having boosters every 6 months so it will be interesting to keep an eye on the studies coming out.

Just reading vaccinations for MMR are down and HPV, what a shame. Far more important than a Covid vaccine for children.

Well HPV for teenagers.

@Delatron

That was my point. The two are not mutually exclusive.

But thinking longer term we can’t keep having boosters every 6 months so it will be interesting to keep an eye on the studies coming out.

But no one is suggesting boosters every 6 months? Again I keep seeing this claim but no evidence for it.

Children aged 11-15 are being offered their first vaccine, let alone a second or even a first booster.

For the general population, it's likely to be an annual programme for certain groups.

This, alongside repeated exposure/infection with coronavirus is what will allow the vast majority of individuals to build robust immunity over time, which in turn will protect those who cannot (i.e., herd immunity).

@SnowyWinterFox

The rollout for CV under 12s has been very slow and in our area has not started yet. I have been in contact with our GP surgery since the 23rd december when it was first announced that CV under 12s would be eligible.

With any sort of luck this will help.

But thanks anyway for your comment.

I fail to see how this actually helps you, your local CCG clearly must be struggling to vaccinate those who are already eligible if they arent doing so already, and yet they now have that workload increased by needing to consider an even bigger group of eligible patients

@Delatron

Just reading vaccinations for MMR are down and HPV, what a shame. Far more important than a Covid vaccine for children.

Yes it's hideous.

Yet another side effect of the anti-vaccine disinformation campaigns.

I’m just thinking out loud @riveted1

Obviously we can’t give boosters every 6 months for the general population therefore I am watching with interest the studies coming out about natural immunity. I’m agreeing with you. Long term it will be repeated exposure that will build our immunity. Currently best immunity appears to be vaccination plus infection.

@riveted1. Natural immunity was dismissed on this very thread, just read it?

But beside that, it’s just absolute hysteria to believe children need this vaccine and clearly an overhang of Project Fear. Why? If you look at the risks, an 88-year-old has 8,700 times the risk of death compared to an 8-year-old. This isn’t an equal opportunity disease.

I remember the heady days when vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable would be enough. Now….nothing will ever be enough for some people .

I just can’t think how this would be a priority for this age group, there are so many other things we could spend our time and money on.

[quote hamstersarse]@riveted1. Natural immunity was dismissed on this very thread, just read it?

But beside that, it’s just absolute hysteria to believe children need this vaccine and clearly an overhang of Project Fear. Why? If you look at the risks, an 88-year-old has 8,700 times the risk of death compared to an 8-year-old. This isn’t an equal opportunity disease.

I remember the heady days when vaccinating the elderly and vulnerable would be enough. Now….nothing will ever be enough for some people .

I just can’t think how this would be a priority for this age group, there are so many other things we could spend our time and money on.[/quote]
It really hasn't been?

I saw you were rightly pulled up on the fake claims that "natural immunity is better than vaccine induced immunity" and that "there is no benefit for children or for society" for them to be vaccinated though.

Every post has explained that there is significant evidence demonstrating the importance of vaccination after infection, and none of your links refuted that.