Thread by @CiaraMcMillan4

On #COVID vaccination for the 12-15 age group:

In children with preexisting conditions (eg poorly-controlled asthma) the risks of COVID infection clearly outweigh the risks of vaccination. The vaccine should be recommended in this group. This is in line with JCVI guidance.

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For otherwise healthy 12-15 year olds, the decision is more nuanced. The JCVI correctly note that the margin of benefit is too small to support universal vaccination.

However, @CMO_England said that this group should be offered the vaccine. Some find this controversial...

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Some argue that COVID is harmless in children, so a vaccine is unnecessary. It's not that simple, though. COVID can result in serious illness (or even death) in a small number of children.

fullfact.org/health/mail-un…

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However, a disease doesn't have to put you in hospital to be considered harmful. A week off school with fever can be unpleasant, or potentially impact academic progress; particularly if you're unfortunate enough to be hit with the illness during your GCSE or A-Level exams.

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The delta variant is much more transmissible. Prof Whitty's assessment is that, eventually, it will be inevitable that every child gets COVID.

#COVID can be a miserable disease, long COVID even more so (and we're only beginning to learn about the long-term effects).

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Some people are expressing concern about a pre-print paper that claims to show high risk of endocarditis in children given the vaccine. This paper is consider is considered to be deeply flawed (see bmj.com/content/374/bm… for a critique).

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Will more evidence come to light? Yes, I'm quite sure that there will be data both for and against the position that @CMO_England has taken. The advice is clear and reasoned.

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gov.uk/government/pub…

There is no 'correct' answer here, but that's the job of medicine, and health policy: making the best decision in light of the available evidence.

On thing is sure, though: it's much more nuanced than the outraged opinions you're seeing on social media!

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