Younger children were less willing to get vaccinated than older teenagers, of whom the majority said they would accept a jab. Youngsters who had previously tested positive or believed that they had survived Covid already were more likely to decline a vaccine. The research was carried out by the University of Oxford, University College London (UCL) and the Cambridge University. Among the main authors were UCL’s Professor Russell Viner and Professor Sir Andrew Pollard of Oxford, who sit on influential panels advising No10.
The research suggests that students who are hesitant to receive the jab are more likely to spend more time on social media than those who are happy to have the jab. The researchers say that something needs to be done about this. According to Sir Andrew Pollard:
“Given the huge disruption that has happened in education and for children, I think this study is really important because it’s highlighting that we’ve actually missed this really important group in making sure they have access to information.
And of course they don’t access their information by reading the newspaper or watching broadcast news. A lot of it is through social media. We have some work to do in order to improve that.”
Pollard’s fellow researcher Russell Viner said:
“Young people are potentially vulnerable to those pushing views that are very strongly opposed to vaccination. Our findings suggest it will be essential to reach out and engage with young people from poorer families and communities with lower levels of trust in vaccination and the health system. A school-based vaccination programme, as planned in England, is one way of helping reduce these health disparities.”
I said it before and I’ll say it again today, They’re coming for the children. Parents, be strong.