Calvin Robinson says ‘we can’t force people to take vaccine’
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The Government has found itself embroiled in controversy over its possible decision to make Covid vaccines mandatory for healthy 12-15 years olds in recent weeks. It comes as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) says it does not recommend vaccinating children aged 12-15 years old on health grounds alone. At the heart of the issue is the trade-off between the benefits to society at large and potential health risks the Covid vaccines could pose to this age cohort.
A new study will further stoke tension around this issue.
It suggests that healthy boys may be more likely to be admitted to hospital with a rare side-effect of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine that causes inflammation of the heart than with Covid itself.
The researchers analysis of medical data suggests that boys aged 12 to 15, with no underlying medical conditions, are four to six times more likely to be diagnosed with vaccine-related myocarditis than ending up in hospital with Covid over a four-month period.
Most children who experienced the rare side-effect had symptoms within days of the second shot of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, though a similar side-effect is seen with the Moderna jab.
About 86 percent of the boys affected required some hospital care, the authors said.
To arrive at this conclusion, Dr Tracy Høeg at the University of California and colleagues analysed adverse reactions to Covid vaccines in US children aged 12 to 17 during the first six months of 2021.
They estimate the rate of myocarditis after two shots of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be 162.2 cases per million for healthy boys aged 12 to 15 and 94 cases per million for healthy boys aged 16 to 17.
The equivalent rates for girls were 13.4 and 13 cases per million, respectively.
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At current US infection rates, the risk of a healthy adolescent being taken to hospital with Covid in the next 120 days is about 44 per million, they said.
How generalisable these findings are to this age cohort in the UK is unclear.
Vaccine reactions are recorded and monitored differently in the US and shots are given at longer time intervals in the UK.
According to the UK medicines regulator, the rate of myocarditis after Covid vaccination is only six per million shots of Pfizer/BioNTech.
Prof Adam Finn, a member of JCVI at the University of Bristol, said: “I stand by the JCVI advice, which is not to go ahead at this time with vaccinating healthy 12 to 15-year-olds on health outcome risk-benefit grounds given the current uncertainty – as there is a small but plausible risk that rare harms could turn out to outweigh modest benefits.”
Vaccinating younger people – latest advice
Currently under-18s are being given the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, although the Moderna vaccine has also been authorised for use in children in the UK.
16 and 17-year-olds do not need the permission of a parent to have the vaccine, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
The NHS says that children under 16 can consent “if they’re believed to have enough intelligence, competence and understanding to fully appreciate what’s involved in their treatment”.
Safety concerns
It is important to note that serious side effects from the Covid vaccine remain extremely rare.
COVID-19 vaccines have to go through several stages of clinical trials before they can be approved for use.
Clinical trials are where a vaccine or medicine is tested on volunteers to make sure it works and is safe.
All vaccines used in the UK must be approved by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The MHRA makes sure the vaccines meet strict international standards for safety, quality and effectiveness.
Once a vaccine is approved, it’s closely monitored to continue to make sure it is safe and effective.
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