The COVID-19 vaccine has been around for a while now. The vaccine first went to residents at long-term care facilities and healthcare workers. There has been lots of talk about who should get the vaccine, if it’s safe, and many other things. Students and teachers at the high school have also been talking about it.

Everyone had their original thoughts when the vaccine first came out. Most being whether it was good or bad. 

“I didn’t know a lot about it, but I was excited about it because it seems like it’s going to hopefully help a lot,” Molly Langford, 10, said.

However, those weren’t the first feelings for everyone. Some people wanted to get the background knowledge.

“My initial feelings, having a background in science, were that I geeked out a little bit. I wanted to know how it worked and the science behind how it was going to work, “ Emily Redeker, science teacher, said.

Most people want to get the vaccine and have high hopes for what will happen with it.

“My mom got the vaccine and she seems to be fine. So the side effects are not that bad, at least for her. So I’m not too afraid, I still have high hopes for it. I would get the vaccine. The vaccine is supposed to prevent you from having COVID for 90 days, so if enough people take the vaccine then there will be a lot less people spreading it around,” Langford said.

Others are skeptical about getting the vaccine for personal reasons.

“My best friend is pregnant and she is also a nurse. Initially they were saying that pregnant women shouldn’t get the vaccine because there’s not enough studies to know how they would react to it. So, now there is some new science saying ‘well it might be okay’. She works on the COVID floor, so her doctor is suggesting that she get vaccinated and she’s a little skeptical because she is pregnant,” Redeker said.

While being excited for the vaccine, many people can see how getting the COVID vaccine would be an issue for some people.

“Depending on their underlying health conditions, I would say everyone that’s healthy should get it. I think the people who have fears of the vaccine probably are not as educated as they should be on it or they probably have underlying health conditions, which I understand because that could be more dangerous for them,” Langford said.

The COVID vaccine has been on many people’s minds since it came out. Everyone has an opinion on how they think it will or will not help. In the end, even if people don’t want to get the vaccine, we are in the fight of beating COVID-19 together. This just may be a big step in the right direction.