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Should we delay covid-19 vaccination in children?

BMJ 2021; 374 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1687 (Published 09 July 2021) Cite this as: BMJ 2021;374:n1687

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Rapid Response:

Re: Should we delay covid-19 vaccination in children?

Dear Editor,

Let's not forget that there is no long-term follow-up with these new vaccines and soon there will be no control group left because almost everyone will have had one of the mRNA vaccines.

Vaccinating a vulnerable patient in his or her 80s is one thing. If their high risk from Covid can be reduced, then any possible long-term adverse reactions that may develop years later are almost academic. This is completely reversed for children. Should we give a still fairly experimental vaccine technology with no long-term safety profile to children who are at almost no risk from the disease? And if so, how do we justify that?

Competing interests: No competing interests

17 July 2021
Oliver Muller
Trustee
consent-charity.org.uk
United Kingdom