Why are the young reluctant to take the vaccine?

I am not a vaccine sceptic by the way, I work with children with autism and observed some of the stress and heartache that the MMR nonsense led to. I just have some niggles about the conversations we as a society are having and the implications that may have.

I'm not sure who "they" is. Has anybody officially talked about making it compulsory?

I can think of two reasons off the top of my head:

Firstly, vaccines might reduce transmission while not eliminating it entirely.

Secondly, to minimise absences in health workers. If they do become infected, they'll have to take time off while they're ill, but hopefully won't suffer long Covid, thus needing to take long-term sickness absence.

There might be other reasons, which somebody more knowledgeable might know about.

Vaccine hesitancy in the young isn’t something I’ve come across. They all seem pretty keen. We had a street bbq recently and all but one youngster had had at least the first vaccine. The one who hadn’t yet had it had experienced difficulties in obtaining an appointment locally so was going to make a 250 mile round trip to get his first jab.

Friends in other places have also told of their young people getting vaccinated. One person’s son queued for five hours in one of the vaccine open clinics in London. That sounds like dedication to duty.

On vaccines reducing transmission:

‘A growing body of evidence indicates that people fully vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) are less likely to have asymptomatic infection or to transmit SARS-CoV-2 to others.’
From the USA Centers for Disease Control website. www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html

This study included the AstraZeneca vaccine:

‘Adults infected with covid-19 three weeks after receiving one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were 38-49% less likely to pass the virus on to their household contacts than people who were unvaccinated’
www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1112

Where are all these large numbers of young people refusing the vaccine? All I saw near us were queues of young people keen to get the jab. My DGC who aren’t in primary are all vaccinated either for health reasons or because they could be.
Are they perhaps young people influenced by their non-vaccinated parents?

My adult children and in laws in their 30s were very happy to have the vaccine, but I wonder if for some they don't go because they can't find a convenient time . Most young people have busy lives and maybe employees don't give them time off for appointments.

My two adolescent.13 and 16 have had theirs at the first opportunity as they wanted to be free to go out while on their holiday even though they still wear masks in crowds. I am proud of them.

My youngest delayed having the vaccine for a week at first because he'd been fed unsettling lies by someone whos an anti vaxxer and conspiracy theorist. Fortunately he talked to some sensible workmates and friends and knows that all our family who have had the vaccine are all fine.

I think its important we talk to our young people and reassure them if they need it, because some of them are being or have been targetted by the antivaxxers.

Most of the youngsters I know have been keen to have their vaccination. The only young pair I know of with doubts are a couple who don’t have tv, don’t listen to radio or read newspapers. They seem to rely exclusively on social media for their information, I am told that some of the stuff they spout is very worrying because they believe it. Hopefully their type is in the minority and others can set them straight.

The rate in Wales is 72.7% for 18-29s now ( will be higher, as our data is 5 days behind), and they have started chasing the ‘reluctant’ young people - our PHW vaccination lead was on the news on Thursday talking about it. It doesn’t seem to be an ideological issue for most of them, more a personal organisational issue with getting themselves to a vaccination centre at a convenient time and place.

I don't think anyone else has mentioned a possible connection to changes in menstrual cycles which have been observed and are concerning some young women (or 'people' as the article below says)
"COVID-19 vaccines and periods: What do we know so far?" www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-covid-19-vaccines-affect-periods

LauraNorder

Most of the youngsters I know have been keen to have their vaccination. The only young pair I know of with doubts are a couple who don’t have tv, don’t listen to radio or read newspapers. They seem to rely exclusively on social media for their information, I am told that some of the stuff they spout is very worrying because they believe it. Hopefully their type is in the minority and others can set them straight.

One of the people that almost caused my youngest to have doubts doesn't own a tv or read newspapers and relies on internet groups on Telegram for their info. I really hope these types are in the minority because they are really spreading some very nasty and unsettling rumours.

Jillyjosie

I don't think anyone else has mentioned a possible connection to changes in menstrual cycles which have been observed and are concerning some young women (or 'people' as the article below says)
"COVID-19 vaccines and periods: What do we know so far?" www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-covid-19-vaccines-affect-periods

I hadn't heard of the menstrual changes before. I do wonder whether this is the vaccine itself or actual stress of living in these times. Stress has been known to alter all kinds of body functions and in itself can kill.

PS I scrolled down and found this www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/long-covid-and-periods-the-unspoken-impact-on-female-well-being

Because they’re indestructible …… or so they think.

Baggs

One of the reasons for reluctance that I've read about is that they are seen as experimental vaccines in the sense that nobody actually knows what the long-term consequences might be (if any).

In older people this concern matters less than it does for asomeone who has their whole adult life ahead of them.

This is the reason my daughter gives. Her children have been vaccinated so she is not anti vaccine , but she believes that the covid vaccine is still experimental., and I agree that as older people the decision is easier.

Other vaccines are known to affect menstrual cycles, it’s not just Covid. They are short-term changes and things soon revert to normal.

I think young people are more likely to visit sites like Tiktok and Telegram where these harmful secret groups operate that fill their heads with anti vax stuff. Its important to talk to them to make sure they aren't vulnerable to these groups. There is a lot of fake stuff.

I didn't even know until 2 days ago that Tiktok has a Ketamine problem (I thought Chinese sites were anti drugs- but its based in HK and apparently not so strict)

I also only just found out that Telegram has class A drugs advertised to buy online. Watch out for your young ones.

Thank you Skye for providing the links which show that vaccination does reduce transmission. I’ve seen the claim a few times that this isn’t the case and felt sure I’d read that it is in fact the case, but couldn’t remember where I’d seen it. Thank you.

Its good to know how much the chance of transmission is reduced. Everyone I currently mix with has had one or both vaccines. I would still mix with unvaxxed without a worry seeing as Im double vaxxed myself, but I only know a few and they are the ones not talking to me for being vaccinated.

There are also a lot of people posting anti vax stuff on Instagram and they refer people to their secret Telegram groups in the comments.

I think they were starting to be swayed but have been put off by the whole blood clot furore. Although, everyone I know between the ages of 30 & 40 have been vacced. I know a couple of 45 year olds who don't want the vax. I also know of a fair number of 18 year olds overseas who have had it.

"Unvaccinated young people are believed to be behind a rise in cases."

I thought the rise was because BoJo didn't close flights from India quick enough once again letting the Delta Variant
in. But no lets blame the young who were at the bottom of the list for the vaccine. Maybe they are just thinking what is the point with that f**kwit running the show

I know of one person who's elderly who hasn't had it. He seems very against it and fearful of it. I think he must have been "got to" by the anti vaxxers online. Or perhaps someone threatened him that they wouldn't love him anymore if he accepted the vaccine? It's so wrong how people are using it to blackmail others.

Everyone else I know above age 35 has had it. Apart from some neighbors who get their news from Tiktok and don't have much of an education.

Meanwhile the lies are still being told and the false information still circulates. I blame the government who arent doing anything to remove these secret groups from Telegram, Facebook or remove the stupid TikTok posts and instagram posts, spreading fear and misinformation.

I am not anti vax in anyway shape or form.
Interesting about periods as i have at age 49 been put on the pill for the inflammation from long covid and haven't been able to have my smear since i had covid in april 2020 as my bleeding has been constant and heavy. Since having the vaccine the gp has put me on double dose of the pill and i am still having a period starting every Friday - draining.

My youngest dd was one of the first to have the cervical cancer vaccine and was poorly immediately from therein - since been diagnosed coeliac. No idea if it was linked but coincidence.

So i can empathise with the younger ones hesitancy.

And youngest dd was doubly vaccinated in December as she is now a nurse so her experience from the rushed cervical cancer jab didn't make her hesitate.