COVID vaccinations for high school students
The vaccines for COVID-19 were developed quickly and with extremely high efficacy rates. All mainstream vaccines allow individuals to not attract the virus, and in the rare cases they do, to avoid serious illness and hospitalization.
COVID vaccines have been available for select groups since December, 2020. Certain CHS students have been able to get vaccinated, as have teachers. Right now, the plan is to open up vaccines to anyone 16 and up on Apr 15.
The COVID-19 vaccine has been available for healthcare professionals, essential workers, and people with underlying medical conditions for months now. Junior Fiona Fabiano was able to receive the Pfizer vaccine because of medical reasons.
“I got the vaccine in order to protect myself and those around me, and also because I was eligible for medical reasons,” Fabiano said. “I took the chance as soon as possible to help the process move along faster.”
Some people are eligible for the vaccine because they work essential jobs. Senior Malik Campbell was able to receive his vaccine because he works at Legoland.
“I just want to do my part to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” Campbell said. “I also work at a job where I’m around a lot of people so getting the vaccine makes that safer.”
The COVID-19 vaccine has been a controversial topic since it became available. All companies have tested their vaccines thoroughly, although there are known side effects. Some of these include fever, fatigue, and soreness at the injection site.
“I did feel some tension in my arm where the shot was placed and I was much more tired than before,” Fabiano said. “Other than that, there weren’t many side effects.”
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have different effects on different people. Senior Kaylie Ronan got the Moderna vaccine. She experienced another side effect in addition to a sore arm.
“Surprisingly I did [get side effects],” Ronan said. “My arm was very sore for a couple days and the day after I had a fever.”
Some people are nervous to be immunized to COVID-19 because of how fast the vaccines came out, and because the COVID-19 vaccine is an mRNA immunization which is different from most others. This means that it gives immunity by teaching the body how to fight COVID without giving the body a weakened version of the virus itself. Senior Jaden Cipolla was nervous to get the vaccine at first.
“I was nervous because I hadn’t done research,” Cipolla said. “After learning about the risks, I was happy to get it. The only risks were not serious. Just day [long] fevers at worst. I’m [allergic] to shellfish, [but] the vaccine is listed as safe for common allergens.”
