I keep reading statistics that vaccine take-up in the 12- to 15-year-old age group is low. Take-up implies that there is a choice, but low rates are surely the result of several factors? First, it is extremely difficult to get a local vaccination appointment for a teenager. I’ve found one – but it involves a 44-mile round trip by car.
Second, since Covid rates have been so high in the unvaccinated, unmasked teenagers attending school, take-up will be lower because, according to what my GP surgery told me, children still aren’t allowed the vaccination for 90 days after a positive test.
Third, over the autumn term we were assured that children aged 13 would receive them in school, so parents didn’t attempt to arrange vaccinations. Unfortunately, the mass Covid vaccinations didn’t take place in many schools for this age group. My friends on the other side of the country have had similar experiences.
Take-up is low among children aged 12-15 because they cannot “take” what hasn’t actually been made available to them. It is not necessarily because their parents and carers are hesitant.
Joanna Fletcher
Dorchester, Dorset
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