Your idea of stable??

This shows the percentage of people eligible who had been vaccinated by 16 October.

Many in the youngest age groups haven't been offered vaccination yet. It's more puzzling why so many in their twenties haven't been vaccinated.

PS. The above is for England only.

Oops! Wrong graph. This is the correct one.

As far as I know Growstuff all over 18s have been offered the vacination there is just a lower take up in younger age groups ie they didn't want it

So, if the school kids can be persuaded on grounds of their education we need to get inside the heads of the young 20 year olds to see why they aren't keen. I am pleased the advice for pregnant women, and women planning to conceive, changed, but that is mainly 28+ plus year olds. The ones in the middle are out of step.

We have areas in our nearest city where vacinne take up is very low 50% some a little more some a little less But these are whole areas not just younger people

There's nothing factual in my thinking here, but maybe older adults take up the vaccine because they want life to get back to how it was before. Life was ticking by comfortably, they had established themselves, so why not want that life to continue? (A kind of nostalgia, over a very short period). Maybe younger people are in a state of constant flux and change in their careers or turmoil in their personal lives, so another disruption in the form of covid is just seen as a hiccup and no need to take action. At 20+ I am sure I forgot the bads from one month to the next.

rosie1959

As far as I know Growstuff all over 18s have been offered the vacination there is just a lower take up in younger age groups ie they didn't want it

I'm talking about 12-16 year olds who haven't been offered a jab yet. We're talking about different age groups.

Josianne

There's nothing factual in my thinking here, but maybe older adults take up the vaccine because they want life to get back to how it was before. Life was ticking by comfortably, they had established themselves, so why not want that life to continue? (A kind of nostalgia, over a very short period). Maybe younger people are in a state of constant flux and change in their careers or turmoil in their personal lives, so another disruption in the form of covid is just seen as a hiccup and no need to take action. At 20+ I am sure I forgot the bads from one month to the next.

I'm not so sure, although I don't have an alternative theory. Both my children are in their twenties and have been double vaccinated. Neither has what one could call a secure life, although in different ways. I think both of them see being vaccinated as one less thing to worry about.

rosie1959

We have areas in our nearest city where vacinne take up is very low 50% some a little more some a little less But these are whole areas not just younger people

That would suggest there's something cultural going on, not related to age.

I think both of them see being vaccinated as one less thing to worry about.
Well I'm guessing that shows more maturity than most 20+s.

Josianne

^I think both of them see being vaccinated as one less thing to worry about.^
Well I'm guessing that shows more maturity than most 20+s.

I wouldn't like to generalise. Most of the 20 year olds I know are as mature as they are.

It could be to do with the fact that case rates are highest amongst those in their twenties. Maybe many of them think they already have natural immunity. When venues were re-opened, there was no incentive to be vaccinated. The public message was that they were free to do what they wanted. The connection between "freedom" and breaking the chain of infection is weak.

I don’t think it’s because the lives of people in their twenties are in a state of flux, I think it’s because they don’t think they will come to any harm if they do catch covid, whereas for older people the risk is much greater so of course they want to be protected. Having said that, over 65% of people in this age group are vaccinated anyway.

It also could be the case that the young are not so severely affected by the virus some are but in the main they are not.
Some just don’t trust it so many reasons

So in that case they need to be targeted with more relevant advertising in the media they use for the message to get across. For example getting BAME celebs to go on TV seemed to convince the people who were reluctant to get vaccinated at the time.
The 20+s in my family all live for their sporting activities, so they got vaccinated to pursue this to the full. I'm not sure they ever thought beyond themselves and this is where things maybe going wrong.
Anyway, I am digressing with trying to get into the heads of others.

Teacheranne

In today’s paper, it says that almost half of new cases of people testing posting positive for Covid are in ages 12 to 16, ie Secondary ages children.

I wonder which paper that is Teacheranne, and what population it refers to?

The government's own data says that about 34% of new cases in England this week were aged between 10 and 19, so assuming a linear distribution of ages, that probably means about 16% of new cases are in secondary age children between 12 and 16.

(I know we've moved on to vaccination rates, but I can't pass by egregiously exaggerated data that seriously misrepresents the situation. Please feel free, anyone, to tell me where I've gone wrong.)

Here in the far south west we are experiencing a big increase in cases. This is mainly in school age children, although I read 40s were also affected. Strangely it is no longer as bad in towns like Plymouth or Exeter, but more in rural areas, especially West Devon. Is this because these areas were let off lightly last year and covid wasn't in the community, that they are now catching up?

….she said she’d never been so poorly in her life and absolutely dreads catching it again.

I concur with this. I feel very frightened of catching this horrible disease again, having had it in January. During Spring and early Summer this year I wasn’t so afraid. Newly vaccinated and having had the virus, along with daily cases not too high at around 5000 to 6000 (thanks Maizie for collecting and providing figures) I felt reasonably confident going about my daily life. As the figures started to rise leading to around 45000 a day now, I lost my confidence and started to feel anxious and afraid again. I don’t understand why we have much higher figures than other similar countries (European) but I do feel that our government should be maintaining some restrictions. I understand we can’t live for years under some sort of lockdown but surely some restrictions should be in place. I’m particularly thinking of vaccine passports or negative test results for entry into certain places (pubs, restaurants, theatres, clubs, festivals) and mask wearing in public places such as shops. After visiting my mother in her nursing home yesterday (mask required) I called at M+S food hall for a few bits (masks not required) and the majority of shoppers were neither wearing masks nor sanitising, although the sanitiser station is still there at the door. I’m very concerned at the apparent total lack of any attempt to control the level of infection.

The connection between ‘freedom’ and breaking the chain of infection is weak.

Yes! Unfortunately some people need an incentive to do the publicly spirited thing. There is absolutely no incentive to get vaccinated for some people. They are selfish and only consider themselves, they obviously are not ‘society’ minded. They has to be a consequence to encourage them to get vaccinated. A vaccine passport would serve that purpose.

They are vaccinating all aged 12 plus here. My 14 year old granddaughter just got hers. They have to wear masks in school and have done for a while now. They have finally said we are allowed out at night after Thursday but we still can’t travel to regional areas. Some cafes are opening but gyms and clothes shops are still all closed. We can now visit our families if they live nearby but a pretty small limit on the number allowed.

Josianne

Here in the far south west we are experiencing a big increase in cases. This is mainly in school age children, although I read 40s were also affected. Strangely it is no longer as bad in towns like Plymouth or Exeter, but more in rural areas, especially West Devon. Is this because these areas were let off lightly last year and covid wasn't in the community, that they are now catching up?

Just chatting to one DGD on the phone and she said she is concerned about going into school next week as there are so many cases amongst pupils.
There could be more, of course, as the PCR tests were sent off to the laboratory which were so incompetent with their testing.

Yes, Callistemon, my husband is a achools' inspector, the bravest of the brave, but even he is concerned about going into schools where there are so many cases or even asymptomatic kids.
The south west tests have been a bit of a fiasco at times.

The government are taking a massive gamble, putting all their eggs in the vaccination basket and hoping for the best. While I am sure we all do too, I would be amazed if it's enough to keep the virus under any sort of control. The biggest measure for them is the way the NHS copes this winter. There's already a lot of stress, plus the unknown flu quantity. I find it quite extraordinary that the general population are so accepting.

I’ve just been told that they’re vaccinating people a few miles from where I live and also giving boosters if people had their second vaccine 182+ days ago. But nobodies going because no one seems to know about it. Annoyingly I’m two weeks off being eligible.