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What’s Up With Covid Vaccines?

Francesca Perez

  • May 26,2021 ​

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California is now offering vaccines to people over the age of 16. To prevent people from getting covid or having extreme symptoms of coronavirus, we need to get vaccinated. According to the CDC, a vaccine stimulates the immune system and produces antibodies, which help develop immunity to the disease without getting infected first.  It seems like a no-brainer that people would want to go and get vaccinated, but that is not the case. Some people are wary of the vaccine, and others completely reject the vaccine. Let’s take a look at what some of our students have to say about their own thoughts about the vaccine. 

Junior Brenna Frick who recently got vaccinated said, “I didn’t feel nervous for the actual shot because needles don’t hurt in my opinion. I was ready to get my vaccine to protect myself, but I was nervous about my arm being sore because my cousin's arm hurt really bad for a few days after she got hers.” Like Brenna, many people were conscious of the side effects. However, many people know that the side effects of covid are more harmful than the vaccine. This makes the vaccine a better and safer option.  According to the CDC, the vaccine’s possible side effects include pain, redness, or swelling on your arm and tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea for the rest of your body. Even though these side effects do seem to take a toll on your physical health, they are 100% better than not being able to breathe, spreading the virus to others, or even dying from getting infected with the coronavirus, and they go away within a few days. 

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On the other hand, some people are more skeptical about the vaccine. They wonder if it is safe to get a vaccine that was developed quickly. A student that does not wish to be named said, “I am not getting the vaccine for now because I am better without it. I’m young and healthy, and also the side effects are suspicious.” Many other Americans also feel skeptical about the vaccine. As of right now, it is the citizens’ choice whether or not they want to get vaccinated if they are eligible for it. They have every right to be concerned about what they are putting into their bodies. However, a simple google search about the side effects could alleviate some fears. As mentioned earlier, the side effects only last for a few days, and they are the only possible side effects, so not everyone would get the worst of it. In addition, young people still need to get the vaccine in order to protect others with compromised immune systems and to protect themselves because even young, healthy people can still get infected and be impacted with life-changing symptoms or even death. 

Despite the vaccine skeptics, there is hope for America when it comes to getting vaccinated and stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Omar Garcia, an 11th-grade student at Gahr says, “I feel like they [the vaccines] can help a lot as proven right now actually. California has the lowest covid positive rate in the country right now. That just shows how well the vaccine works! ” This is true. According to the LA Times, California’s recently reported a new average of 1,901 cases per day, which is 34% lower than before. Like Brenna and Omar, students must do their own research about the vaccine and get vaccinated so that we can get back to normalcy. 

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