Why are the young reluctant to take the vaccine?

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

Thanks growstuff, so if that is the case, why are they talking about making vaccination compulsory in the health service for example, if there isnt enough evidence on transmission.

Galaxy

On the whole those diseases are a risk to the young, in particular with regard to children the risk of serious illness from covid is low, I am not sure how I feel about children mainly being vaccinated in order to protect others.

Children wouldn't be vaccinated to protect others. They'd be vaccinated primarily to reduce the risk of their being affected by long Covid, which can affect even children who aren't initially seriously ill, themselves.

The only way they'd be protecting others is if vaccination cuts transmission and the data aren't clear about that. The only certain way to prevent transmission is to cut contact, which we know isn't realistic.

Some of the comments on here are based on the premise that young people are reluctant, but the latest ONS stats don't appear to support that. It appears that they were initially more reluctant, but not now. Maybe they've read that the most affected group is now 20-29 year olds and they've read more about long Covid.

PS. I'll see if I can find out the source about shortages of Pfizer vaccine.

PPS. Anecdotally, the parents of teenagers I know want their school age children to be vaccinated. We've had a big outbreak in this area with most of the affected being children, so maybe that's why.

The numbers in the OP also need to be out in perspective according to the timeline of vaccination availability
Could all ages get vaccinated at the same time?
Did different age ranges start vaccinations later than others?

There is a thread on GN where a bunch of posters said they didnt want to take the vaccine.

Refusal to take it happens in all ages instead of the incorrect assumption that ""youngsters" dont care"

Also, plenty of posters display a perceived less caution level than others - visiting family, for example.

The view of " do it, you only live once" can be applied to anybody

On the whole those diseases are a risk to the young, in particular with regard to children the risk of serious illness from covid is low, I am not sure how I feel about children mainly being vaccinated in order to protect others.

Oh I am sorry Jane, hope you hear soon.
I would say there were certainly discussions to be had Maw about all sorts of issues relating to ethnic groups and the pandemic. The fact that people from some of those groups were more likely to work in high risk jobs in terms of the the pandemic, and the way we should respond to those who are reluctant to be vaccinated, those who we have been very happy to expose to considerable risk before vaccination became available. I feel the same about the current 'let's sack them if they wont be vaccinated' with regard to care workers. Its complex and if I was a young person I dont know if I would rush for vaccination.

Both my older DGCs, 18 and 19 have had their first jabs and they are waiting for their second one, they didn't hesitate, nor did their friends.

Baggs

Couldn't remember wherre I'd read the above stuff. Now I've found it: Don't Blame Young People for Plummeting Vaccination Rates by Dr Mark Toshner.

Shame you can only read that if you subscribe to the Spectator. Something important as this should be free, surely?

There is something about the idea of vaccinating people in order to protect others that makes me uneasy

Would you apply that argument to the Rubella, Polio, TB, Chickenpox, Mumps or Measles vaccination drives?

Not true that no-one knows the best gap.
www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-second-doses-centre-b1877217.html

Instead we are stuck with a rigid enforcement of a slightly arbitrary 8-12 week schedule, which risks undercutting the current need to get as many people fully dosed as possible.

Quote from the original article and your extract from it. Arbitrary.

Galaxy

I didnt put words in your mouth. Throughout this pandemic there has often been a narrative of young versus old, I am afraid I am free to express my views on that.

In the early weeks and months of the vaccination programme there was a worryingly lower take up among certain ethnic groups.
An organised and well publicised campaign was initiated to reassure these groups and encourage them to come forward for vaccination.
Would you have applied your comment about a narrative of young versus old to a “narrative of white versus colour”?

As has been said, you brought this “narrative” into the conversation, not I nor the author of the article.

*paras

Last three pras of the article:

"The first part of the vaccine roll-out has been a triumph, but that should not put it beyond constructive criticism. The delay to the second dose was an audacious and successful calculated gamble led by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. But it was there initially to solve the problem of limited supply and a raging second wave. There can be no doubt that it saved lives.

Now, though, we have a different problem: we need to administer as many second doses as possible, as soon as possible. As the easing of restrictions looms, it is difficult to see why we are not just ramping through the second doses, bringing vaccination schedules forward and ensuring those that have already had a single dose are better protected in the short to medium term.

Instead we are stuck with a rigid enforcement of a slightly arbitrary 8-12 week schedule, which risks undercutting the current need to get as many people fully dosed as possible. It would be a shame to see younger people scapegoated (as they have consistently been at various points during the pandemic), when there are plenty of people mostly in their twenties and thirties who are keen to get second doses which they are currently prevented from having."

Not sure I would equate "calculated gamble" with arbitrary. Subtle difference.

Alegrias1

I read Dr Toshner's article. Even signed up to a free trial with the Spectator for it. The things I do to be informed.

The article is concerned with a geographical variation in the interpretation of the "8-12 week" rule and nothing to do with why younger people might or might not be less enthusiastic about the vaccine.

He calls the 8-12 weeks "arbitrary" which out me off him a bit.

I've heard the claim of arbitrariness before too. Initially a shorter gap was suggested but then it was changed so that, as I understand it anyway, more people could be given their first shot.

This isn't arbitrary in one sense – there was a good reason for the change – but it is technically arbitrary because nobody really knew what the best gap between shots should be.

When I had my first Pfizer shot I was told that they'd contact me again in twelve weeks. Actually I had the second jab after eight weeks. No explanation was given. So I can understand how plebs like me can think the gap chosen was arbitrary.

Once again though, I suspect Toshner knows what he's talking about in scientific terms, especially as other scientists have made the same claim.

DiscoDancer1975

JaneJudge

One of mine falls into the 18-24 age group. He went to the first available vaccine clinic and 12 days after caught Covid
They only started offering it to over 18s about a month ago?

Yes, I’ve often thought that Jane. Contracting covid in the vaccination queue! Is your son ok?

Yes he was fine. It was just like a cold, runny nose, bit of a dry cough, headache, sore throat and he said his back ached for a few days. I thought he had hayfever and was milking it a bit. He was already well again when the positive result came through

We are now waiting for our results