Vaccinating your child (5-11)

[WeOnlyTalkAboutBruno]

My kids are in this age bracket. Both have had covid (both were mildly symptomatic) as have I. My husband and I are both fully vaxxed. Kids have had all their other childhood vaccinations so I am not an antivaxxer by any measure.

However, I am feeling very reluctant to have my kids vaccinated against covid. I’m not outright saying no yet, but must admit I’m leaning towards it. My eldest had covid when her appointment came through, so that bought us some breathing space while we think about it, but to be honest I’m finding many of their friends’ parents are similarly reluctant. Purely anecdotally, I’m not seeing many kids in that bracket that are being vaccinated.

my reasons - well I suppose it’s a new vaccine and I worry a little about long term effects - what if there is an effect that we don’t know about yet? Sure I don’t care if it’s me, I made my decision for me, I’ll live with the consequences (if there are any) but it’s different when you’re deciding for other people. Also - I don’t really feel like it is needed at this point 😕

i was just wondering if anyone else had any feelings or insight into this. Is anyone seeing the opposite to me?

There's no point at the moment imo.

Mine is 7 and I got the letter this week. I feel pretty much the same as you. I have had the jabs (mostly to protect others) but I am really hesitant to make my DD do the same, especially if any side effects prove to be long term, as you say.

I'm also opting against it. I am triple jabbed, mostly because I would have done anything to get back to normality! The kids have all their other immunisations, but this vaccine is so new, I'm just not comfortable with it. I suppose I don't think it's necessary, and although I was happy to take the risk, I'm not happy to take a gamble with them.

I'm also hesitating for 10yo, although my 13yo has had for travel reasons. Just really that I don't think it protects for long enough to justify the tiny risks.

I feel the same way as you

I feel the same as you and have decided against it for my 2 younger dc. They've both had covid and been fine. My teenager chose to have the jab and still caught Covid and had it worse than the unjabbed younger ones.
The risks don't outweigh the benefits in my opinion. I'm jabbed and it's messed up my periods, I don't think all the possible long term effects can be known yet.

I asked DS(7) and he doesn't want it at this time. He just had COVID in February, and since the vaccination only gives temporary and limited immunity anyway...I don't see any reason to push it.

I'm jabbed and it's messed up my periods

Me too, plus I got shingles, and this has probably swayed me a bit.

They don’t need it.

I'm pro vaccination, but I just can't see the point at this stage. It's too late in the pandemic, my eligible children have already had it at least once and very mildly so I can't see what is to be achieved by it when natural immunity is proven to be more effective.

It isn't either/or when it comes to immunity and that given by infection or vaccination. Both will generate a certain level of immunity, which will wane over time based of lots of different factors. There is no evidence that immunity from infection is more effective.

What is to be achieved in children who have already have COVID? A boost to existing immunity. Parents needs to weigh up whether they think it's worth it or not.

Personally, now it's on offer, it's something I'd want for my kids if I had them in that age group. The main criticism I have is whether it was justified, on a population level, to roll it out, when the resources could've been used elsewhere. But that ship has sailed, and now that it's an option, so I'm pro.

my reasons - well I suppose it’s a new vaccine and I worry a little about long term effects - what if there is an effect that we don’t know about yet?

@WeOnlyTalkAboutBruno

Has been discussed extensively on all these threads, but vaccines don't work in a way that could cause long term emerging side effects. They're not drugs.

If you have side effects, they emerge in the short term. As we have vaccinated billions of people we have a pretty good idea of what those side effects are.

We just got a letter too. My child has already had Covid two times. I’m not getting them vaccinated.
The only reason I would, would be to travel and at the moment it doesn’t restrict us.

My son in this age bracket has recently had covid so I had to cancel his appointment when the letter came through. When his new appointment comes through in early June I'll be taking him for it. Why?

Why not?!? Vaccines don't cause long term side effects and there's no harm in boosting his immunity from the infection. It also protects the vulnerable people in his life such as grandparents and auntie recovering from cancer. My son had very little symptoms from covid, but vaccinating a population isn't just about the individual, it's about protecting the most vulnerable around us. As I'm not worried about the effects of the vaccine, I'm very happy to do this.

Same here!

@user375242 what's the evidence you've seen that natural immunity hasn't been proven to be more effective? When I looked what I found suggested vaccine based immunity was significantly more effective, e.g.

I am triple jabbed and it didn't affect my periods at all. Then I caught covid and that messed up my periods.
Still not going to be vaccinating my kids though. I just don't see the benefit of doing so.

Sorry posted partway through, www.google.com/amp/s/www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-natural-immunity-what-you-need-to-know%3famp=true

We got DC aged 5 and 7 vaccinated. At least one of them had Covid 1.5 years ago, but they had escaped so far the more recent variants. We offered them the choice, my main concern is thar while there is no evidence of vaccines
causing side effects to emerge later - there are lots and lots of viruses which are known to potentially trigger long term effects. My BIL has type 1 diabetes causes by Covid (known to also be a risk in children) and my DSis has ME triggered by a virus. I looked and having it mildly once (which DC did) is no guarantee it won't be more significant in future. Vaccinating does reduce that risk even if doesn't eliminate it. Not sure however if they'd caught a more recent variant in the last 6 months we'd have gone for it.

I don't know a single person who has had their child within this bracket vaccinated. I also have not given permission for my teenagers to be done (though, ultimately they are in charge of their own bodies) and they have opted not to.

It has absolutely no purpose to them. They are not clinically vulnerable, they have all had covid with barely a symptom, it won't stop transmission. It's a completely disgusting waste of resource: we should be sending these vaccinations to countries who actually need them.

I vaccinated my 10yo as soon as bookings opened - partly because we hope to travel this summer, but mostly because any extra boost to her immune system seems like a good thing. Which reminds me, I need to book in her second dose.

I've also opted against vaccinating my dc, theyve had covid already without symptoms only caught by asymptomatic testing due to cases in their class I cant justify vaccinating them to reduce the severity of their non existent symptoms. If the vaccines had proven to make a significant effect in transmission or the efficacy of the vaccine lasted longer then I may of felt differently.

I had my 2 vaccinated today (12 and 9 years). Why would you not vaccinate against a virus that is potentially so deadly? Vaccinating provides herd immunity and overall weakens the virus. This not a new vaccination either but a variation of one's that exist. Are you aware the flu vaccination changes almost every year to combat evolving flu viruses - so none of you will be allowing that either? And the pp who said it's too late in the pandemic.... the pandemic won't end UNTIL EVERYONE IS VACCINATED FFS!

I think you can play wait and watch especially if they had covid in the last 6 months. See how things pan out over summer and if the situation takes a u-turn and we are all masked up again, go for the jab. Yes, it has been an incredibly short turnaround time to turn it around. However, the jab has been effective. It's just that covid isn't as potent earlier thanks to luck and people being jabbed.

This topic is so timely for me. I was very pro the vaccination, until they got rid of all restrictions and sent the kids back to the classrooms, without having them vaccinated first. My DS has had Covid and only knew about it, as family members that we’d had contact with tested positive. I also have friends that aren’t getting their kids vaccinated. My DH is against our DS having it too.

Why would you not vaccinate against a virus that is potentially so deadly?
because in children it really isn't potentially so deadly