Covid Vaccine for My Nine Year Old

I live in England, and they have now approved vaccines for children. So, I have gotten a text saying that my nine-year-old daughter can come and receive her vaccination. But, this is not a straightforward decision for us.

Let me start by saying that all the adults are vaccinated in our family. Our middle child, who is Autistic, was the first to be vaccinated at the age of sixteen. This is where our worry comes from.

DIABETES:

Before he was vaccinated, he had no health problems other than his ASD and hypermobility. However, he was given the Astra vaccine, which was not licensed for under eighteen. We did not realise this at the time, and it was not until we took him back for the second vaccine that it was brought up. The person in charge came out to speak to my husband and explained what had happened. We were concerned, but it was already too late. What could we do?

Not quite three months after the first injection, we discovered that my son had developed type one diabetes. This is rare in adolescents his age. Usually, type one diabetes begins in much younger children. The doctors tested him for multiple types of diabetes, including MODY.

“MODY is a rare form of diabetes which is different from both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and runs strongly in families. MODY is caused by a mutation (or change) in a single gene. If a parent has this gene mutation, any child they have has a 50% chance of inheriting it from them” (Diabetes.org.uk)

One thing many will not realise is that Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. My son has had several genetic tests run on him due to his ASD and general disabilities to rule out other illnesses. None of them has ever come back with a hint of Diabetes. However, type two Diabetes does run in my family. Some of my readers may know that I am Diabetic and have been for many years. I first started with Gestational Diabetes, which turned into type two after giving birth.

Not Enough Known:

While I am a proponent of the Covid vaccine, there is not enough known about the possible long term side effects. So, both my husband and I are wary about having our daughter vaccinated at this time. If one child has developed type 1 diabetes, what chance it could happen again?

My daughter is exceptionally healthy and active. She has already had Covid and showed no symptoms. The numbers tell us that it is usually the older generation and immune-compromised at risk. So, having her vaccinated would not be for her benefit but for others.

Now to the part where her consent is valid. Usually, I would not ask a nine-year-old their opinion regarding medical decisions. That is her father’s and mine's decisions to make. Unfortunately, children do not have the understanding most of the time to make medical decisions on their behalf.

However, because we are not sure about it ourselves and are leaning towards no at the moment, we asked her.

She said no.

She does not want to have the vaccination. It is not because of any consequences of what may happen. My daughter still lives in the moment. The long game is not something most children play. Her reasoning is that of most kids her age. She does not like the idea of being jabbed with a needle.

Since she has had Covid with no effects, I can understand her reasoning as to why it does not make sense for her to be jabbed. So, at the moment, we are on the fence as to whether she should be or needs to be vaccinated. This is coming from the woman who almost died from that evil virus. I will advocate it for those who need it, but I am not sure about its use on healthy children.

It is not like smallpox or other deadly diseases that would and did wipe out healthy children. I would not hesitate to have her vaccinated if that was the case. But I am a concerned parent that wants to make the right choice for her children.