COVID-19: Vaccinating your kids

[noobcarbuyer]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-28/singapore-vaccine-plan-students-then-open-season-balakrishnan

Singapore Plans to Vaccinate Students First, Then Everyone Else

Singapore plans to roll out vaccines to students, followed by everyone else eligible, in what will be a “great acceleration” of vaccinations in the country, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in an interview on CNN.

“Our next step is that we’re going to offer vaccination to our school students, the teenagers,” Balakrishnan said, “following which it’ll be open season for everyone in Singapore.” The city-state earlier flagged that almost all of its eligible population could be given at least the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of August.

Vaccinations in Singapore are currently open to those aged 40 and above, as well as for priority workforces, such as first responders, hospital staff and airport workers. About 37% of Singapore’s population has had its first jab of the vaccine, a rate far ahead of most developed Asian economies, on par with the European Union’s average, but trailing the U.S., U.K. and Middle Eastern financial hubs like Israel, the U.A.E. and Qatar.

Singapore is one of several countries, mostly in Asia, that have largely kept Covid caseloads and deaths to a minimum but have struggled to reopen. The city-state has tightened its borders and, following a recent uptick in cases, suspended in-person dining, transitioned most schools to at-home learning, and limited groups to a maximum of just two.

Widespread vaccination, then, has become Singapore’s key to reopening.

Balakrishnan said the country has not seen significant vaccine hesitancy, though has been limited by supply. However, infrastructure that can support additional injections capacity is in place, and the country aims to double its vaccination pace.

“Watch this space,” he said. “You’re going to see a great acceleration.”

[Ct3833]

no best approach but this is one of the viable option, students are stayed in a confined environment for several hours a day, the COVID spreading rate will be very high is any of them gets infected, next the rest will be spreading into the society and family members, so to vaccinate students may not be a bad idea.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Ct3833

[Kyrios]

I tot some elite ministar said no evidence that the new south asian variant target kids more? Now get cold feet..??  "No evidence" so why change in stance??

[Sosaria]

28 minutes ago, Kyrios said:

I tot some elite ministar said no evidence that the new south asian variant target kids more? Now get cold feet..??  "No evidence" so why change in stance??

They want the kids to be back in school for face-to-face lessons. Online learning is second-rate at best. We'll be raising a generation of mouse-clickers and with no real skills. Science and technical courses need the on-site lab hands-on. Then of course there's also the social reasons for the kids to be back in school.

Nevertheless, schools with observance of SOP (borrow the malaysia terminology here) has little chance of mass spreading happening. Teachers are also heavily bound to follow procedures such that there is little possibility of anyone still coming to work if ill. The current cluster started in tuition centre where SOP adherence can be quite iffy.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Sosaria

[Kyrios]

14 minutes ago, Sosaria said:

They want the kids to be back in school for face-to-face lessons. Online learning is second-rate at best. We'll be raising a generation of mouse-clickers and with no real skills. Science and technical courses need the on-site lab hands-on. Then of course there's also the social reasons for the kids to be back in school.

Nevertheless, schools with observance of SOP (borrow the malaysia terminology here) has little chance of mass spreading happening. Teachers are also heavily bound to follow procedures such that there is little possibility of anyone still coming to work if ill. The current cluster started in tuition centre where SOP adherence can be quite iffy.

Yeah true..but last year even without the vaccines werent they already called back to school? 

My point is if they are so cocksure that the virus isnt affecting the younger tots more than adults yiu can jolly well follow the stance last year as i mentioned above. Why the change in stance is my question.

[Nolicense]

8 minutes ago, Kyrios said:

Yeah true..but last year even without the vaccines werent they already called back to school? 

My point is if they are so cocksure that the virus isnt affecting the younger tots more than adults yiu can jolly well follow the stance last year as i mentioned above. Why the change in stance is my question.

need parent permission or no need. if no need then compulsory?

[bsswan]

1 hour ago, Kyrios said:

I tot some elite ministar said no evidence that the new south asian variant target kids more? Now get cold feet..??  "No evidence" so why change in stance??

But some India politician said a Singapore virus could make India's third wave and was harmful to kids.

Anyway, look at today's case profile and we can make a case for vaccination of teens and students.

[Ct3833]

19 minutes ago, Nolicense said:

need parent permission or no need. if no need then compulsory?

Very simple, ask the parents to sign off a opt out form, condition is if  the student and parents get infected , no medical subsidy  will be granted to that family. 😀😀

[Ender]

If anyone above 40, who very likely has comorbidities, then the decision to vaccine makes better sense, coz they are higher risk of having severe symptom with covid 19. Plus  they have already lived more than half of their life span, unknown long effect of mRNA  has lesser impact on their shorter remaining life.

But for children, I am not sure. Although the indian variant attacked more children, but they are either asymptomatic or mild.

The little risk doesn't justify the unknowm long term effect for rest of their life, which can be long life to go

[Atonchia]

So only secondary school will resume?

[Ct3833]

10 minutes ago, Ender said:

If anyone above 40, who very likely has comorbidities, then the decision to vaccine makes better sense, coz they are higher risk of having severe symptom with covid 19. Plus  they have already lived more than half of their life span, unknown long effect of mRNA  has lesser impact on their shorter remaining life.

But for children, I am not sure. Although the indian variant attacked more children, but they are either asymptomatic or mild.

The little risk doesn't justify the unknowm long term effect for rest of their life, which can be long life to go

The problem is they get higher risk of infection  because they spend the whole day in their classroom, while they may have an easy infection period,  they will also spread it to their family members as well as to the society, in the bus , mat, McDonald's etc. So the vaccination in addition to protecting them,  it is to protect the rest.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Ct3833

[Volvobrick]

17 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

Very simple, ask the parents to sign off a opt out form, condition is if  the student and parents get infected , no medical subsidy  will be granted to that family. 😀😀

I will sign opt out for my kid. Still young, side effects of the new vaccines still unknown in the long term. Older people OK lah just jab. Runway is already short, other issues will likely crop up first before vaccine side effects. 

[Ender]

13 minutes ago, Ct3833 said:

The problem is they get higher risk of infection  because they spend the whole day in their classroom, while they may have an easy infection period,  they will also spread it to their family members as well as to the society, in the bus , mat, McDonald's etc. So the vaccination in addition to protecting them,  it is to protect the rest.

Any non vaccinated person will have the risk to spread like you mentioned. If you vaccinated the students,  that would leave the under 40s adult not vaccinated and they will have the risk profile you just described.

Children has the longer life ahead of them, so i am concern to have a whole generation subjected to unknown long term risk if their covid 19 risk proflle is not severe.  If the covid 19 death rate is high among children, then I would readily agree.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Ender

[Ender]

6 minutes ago, Volvobrick said:

I will sign opt out for my kid. Still young, side effects of the new vaccines still unknown in the long term. Older people OK lah just jab. Runway is already short, other issues will likely crop up first before vaccine side effects. 

Ya, we have short runaway. If long term side effects takes 20 to 30 years to manifest, I am ok, I will be above 70s, ready to surrender my IC . 

 

[Ct3833]

25 minutes ago, Volvobrick said:

I will sign opt out for my kid. Still young, side effects of the new vaccines still unknown in the long term. Older people OK lah just jab. Runway is already short, other issues will likely crop up first before vaccine side effects. 

No right or wrong , I am Glad I am beyond that state so that I do not have to worry about it. 

[Tianmo]

I asked my children age 16 to 22 if they want to jab when offer to them. 

Their answer is yes.  They think that it is a world wide thing,  and everyone is going into the unknown together,  so they are not alone. If there is going to be a long term problem, everyone injected will have the same problem,  no body will actually lose out. But if hit by covid,  will have to live with the problem the rest of their live. 

My son added that when more than half the world is injected,  any problem coming out of it becomes a world problem,  and the world will develop another set of solution for it. 

To me,  either way there will be risk, do I worry about the unknown future, or worry about the current problem?  

My job as a parent is to protect my children as long as I am alive,  and to keep them safe under my care.  

Since many parents here are going to opt out or not going to allow vaccine for their children,  I hope this will free up more vaccine for those children who are willing to take the jab. 

I really hope I can have my children vaccinated asap, can be first batch best.... 

 

[Wind30]

7 hours ago, Ender said:

If anyone above 40, who very likely has comorbidities, then the decision to vaccine makes better sense, coz they are higher risk of having severe symptom with covid 19. Plus  they have already lived more than half of their life span, unknown long effect of mRNA  has lesser impact on their shorter remaining life.

But for children, I am not sure. Although the indian variant attacked more children, but they are either asymptomatic or mild.

The little risk doesn't justify the unknowm long term effect for rest of their life, which can be long life to go

my thoughts exactly.

My persoal endgame is vaccinate every single willing and able adult, then go into phase 2, open the schools. Assumption is that Covid risk to school going kids is negligible. 

Sure there are pockets of the population who are unable or unwilling (your own fault) to get the vaccine, but I don't think we can protect these people forever as they will still get Covid. Vaccines does not stop you from getting Covid and we have seen Covid spreading no matter what. At the end of the day, it is to reduce mortality the best we can, make Covid into a flu with vaccinations for the vulnerable and get on with our lives.

best is make it voluntary Lor. Vaccinate those children who wants it, then just open schools. 

 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Wind30

[Wind30]

7 hours ago, Ct3833 said:

Very simple, ask the parents to sign off a opt out form, condition is if  the student and parents get infected , no medical subsidy  will be granted to that family. 😀😀

do kids even fall seriously sick from Covid? I know there are MISC cases abroad but we don't see it here, yet..

I think more data is needed, maybe our compulsory Vaccinations (BCG? some studies show links) for children helps them already?