My daughter was bullied at school for having the Covid jab. No wonder UK take-up is low | Anonymous
Misinformation led to her being picked on. A clear government campaign aimed at 12 to 15-year-olds is vital
Last week my 13-year-old daughter “S” was offered the Covid vaccine at her school in England. I consented, as required, but made it clear that the final decision about whether to go ahead was hers. By this age, she is aware and responsible enough to be making decisions about her own body, with support, and crucially, clear information about what will be happening and why.
We are a pro-vaccination family, although we have friends who aren’t – we have chosen to stay off the topic with them. My daughter is at an age where she seeks out a lot of information online, so I directed her to some websites to read up more widely about it, while emphasising the reasons why it was my strong preference for her to have the vaccine. S’s 15-year-old cousin was targeted outside school by anti-vaxxers a few weeks ago. When that happened, both S and her cousin were dismissive of the anti-vax arguments, and they thought gathering outside schools was totally inappropriate. These aren’t isolated incidents, sadly: this week there have been further reports of “sinister” anti-vax protests at schools in Liverpool.
The writer lives in the north-west of England