The ethics of giving children the Covid vaccine

My grandson aged 16 has been vaccinated - does that count as children?

He was born with 2 holes in his heart- which are more or less healed.

But I think ethically it would have been wrong not to have vaccinated him.

There was a child aged 7 I think in my daughter’s village who died from covid - no underlying health issues.

I know that it is extremely rare.

Will it come down to the risk of harm from the vaccine versus risk of harm from the disease, balanced with the impact it could have on the health of the whole population?

The issue is with testing vaccines on children because they can't give consent. There are very strict guidelines on this.

Ideally, children should be vaccinated because they can still transmit infection. It's claimed that vaccines reduce, or maybe even eradicate, infection so it's necessary for this link in the infection chain to be broken.

Looking at the cases over the last week by age group, the 10-19 group has the highest number of cases of all age groups, undoubtedly caused by the full-time reopening of schools. Although the children themselves will probably not be badly affected, they will take (and already have taken) infection back to their families, some of whom will be more vulnerable.

Alegrias1

Will it come down to the risk of harm from the vaccine versus risk of harm from the disease, balanced with the impact it could have on the health of the whole population?

Well that’s exactly the ethical dilemma.

I felt the same, sw, when I heard that my grandsons had had a vaccine (squirt up the nose by the sound of it) at their primary school. I was shocked that it was felt necessary to vaccinate children against seasonal flu. Perhaps I shouldn't have been shocked but I was.

However, being a non-interfering grandparent, I sort of assumed permission had been sought from their parents and that they had given it, so I said nothing.

Re the flu vaccination, the risk ( death/long term damage) to young children is evidence based and so the ethical argument is imo clear - ie primary purpose is to benefit the child with the added advantage that the older generation in particular will also benefit from limiting the spread. With the Covid vaccine only the latter argument applies.So we have a clash of ethical principles. PS parents always have to give consent to the school.

I don’t know enough about the science to give an informed opinion. I was vaccinated against several diseases as a small child and I don’t disagree with vaccination of children as such. I’m sure parental consent will be required.

I heard on the news this morning that Astra Zeneca vaccine is being trialled on children at the moment, results due June/July this year.

Under 18’s make up 25% of the UK population so some of this age group need to be vaccinated.

I agree with you Alegrias and suziewoozie

Baggs here in Essex primary school children have had the flu squirt for the last few years. I assume it’s because the little imps can be super spreaders

And AZ aren’t the only ones running trials. I think Moderna are doing trials on 6 months- 11 year olds. I think the science is clear with 16 years and older. It’s the younger ones I think there’s an ethical issue. I’m not disagreeing with properly run trials as there will be some young vulnerable children who would benefit from the vaccine. I just think ( like the debate about mandating vaccines in adults ) we ( ie our society) should have a grown up ethical debate about vaccinating our children.

As some children have had a nasty illness which has been described as similar to Kawasaki syndrome, and have had to be treated in hospital, perhaps parents would be willing to give permission for their children to be vaccinated in order to prevent this - admittedly rare - complication.

After seeing infants and toddlers in pediatric ICU with covid - the risk could be small but the price is too high

100% to vaccinate them. Kids deserve as much protection as adults need

I still think we need to know more about the long term impact of the vaccine on the developing child. There’s a good reason why we don’t give medication to children in the same way we do to adults - it’s because they are still growing and developing. They are not adults. It’ll be interesting to see how this is presented (spun?) to us - saving children or reducing the spread.

We give them lots of other vaccines, that may also be of limited protection

I just do not understand all this getting ones knickers in a twist over the COVID vaccine. It is only perfectly ordinary average vaccine against a nasty virus. Find something more important to worry about. I am almost tempted to say: 'Frist world problem.'

I agree Hithere. No point being squeamish with this vaccine, considering all the others they get.

First world problems can harm children too. The other vaccines protect the child themselves, I am wary of vaccinating children to protect others. I am very pro vaccination generally.

We are currently making decisions with very little thought about the wider implications, I dont particularly mean in terms of harm to children, I mean in terms of the ethics, and where that could lead.

Although the children themselves will probably not be badly affected, they will take (and already have taken) infection back to their families, some of whom will be more vulnerable.

I do not think that that is a valid enough reason to vaccinate under 16s.
If they have underlying health conditions which render them more vulnerable then yes, they should be offered it.

Perhaps older children of 16-18 might be offered it as they can consider and give an informed opinion, particularly if they intend to go to university or college.

Which vaccine? What proportion of a dose to be safe but effective?

After seeing infants and toddlers in pediatric ICU with covid - the risk could be small but the price is too high

Were these infants who would at been at high risk because of underlying health conditions, Hithere?

If the virus mutated and became more dangerous for children then we would need to think again, but there are some brave children who have volunteered to undergo trials at the moment.
There are too many unanswered questions as yet.

Children never give informed consent against other virus vaccines, so that is that argument out of the window.

The only reason not to vaccinate a child in my opinion is if the scientists are not satisfied that it is safe.

Not heard any suggestion to the contrary yet. And I assume the trials are well under way.

For the record DGS had zero side affects.

This is a tricky question, and I think I agree with you Callistemon. It’s not similar to childhood vaccinations where children are at risk from the diseases they are vaccinated against.

Is it permissible for the greater good of society, to inhibit the spread?

I am minded to put this question to the Indie Sage group on a Friday, that’s if I can get on.

Children never give informed consent against other virus vaccines, so that is that argument out of the window.

I don't think it is quite out of the window as other vaccines tare given in infancy and childhood are against childhood illnesses which can cause death, paralysis and have other serious life changing effects, whereas Covid has not affected children as badly as it has adults.

which are

X post, Greeneyedgirl

Well polio, smallpox, TB are across all ages really and if an adult gets a childhood disease they are usually pretty poorly.