Imogen Rawlings-Green, Features Editor
@irawlingcourant
While the vaccine is not available for students 16 and over yet, in phase 1a, first responders including all Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s) were offered the vaccine. Current high school senior and New Canaan EMT Morgan Daniels took the vaccine during this phase. “I decided to get the vaccine to protect myself (being a first responder) and having been exposed multiple times it was the best solution,” she said.
Junior student at Hotchkiss and New Canaan EMT Jack Johnson said the vaccine offers an extra layer of protection to the people most exposed to the virus. “No piece of PPE or vaccine is ever 100% perfect, so the more angles of protection I can have, the safer I am,” he said. “I hope that having a vaccinated healthcare workforce will mean that providers will no longer become critically ill, leading to deaths, increased strain on the healthcare system, and loss of staffing numbers for healthcare facilities.”
Senior at Staples high school and Westport EMT Olivia Bollo said she got the vaccine because she too felt it is one step closer to stopping the pandemic. “Most of my colleagues have gotten the vaccine,” she said. “I think it gives everyone a little more comfort although we understand that we still need to be as cautious as ever.”
Some people notice pain and aching feelings after receiving the vaccine but students say these effects are very minor considering the long term results. “The first round of the vaccine caused me minimal pain the day after, very, very minor,” Olivia said. “Less severe pain than the meningitis shot that I got at my physical.”
Jack said the effects of the vaccine were not anything major. “I had a slight headache after my first dose and anticipated some muscle pain and fatigue for the second dose.”
“So far I have only noticed arm pain. It feels like when I got a flu shot but hurts a little more but nothing else,” Morgan said.
There has been circulating hesitation about getting the vaccine, especially due to the spread of misinformation about its effects. “Many pharmaceutical companies have put all their effort into this vaccine due to this dire situation which contributed to the speed,” Olivia said. “There is this fear that it will alter your DNA, but if you really look into the mechanism of the mRNA vaccines, the mRNA instructs your body how to make antibodies and does not interact with your own DNA.”
“The vaccine was tested on tens of thousands of people in clinical trials before it was even approved; we know that it is much safer than the alternative of contracting COVID-19,” Jack said. “In terms of misinformation I would encourage people getting the vaccine to remember to be extra vigilant with protecting others; the vaccine prevents the inoculated person from contracting severe illness, but they can still carry COVID-19 virus and infect others. As we move into a phase where some people will be vaccinated and some will not be, it is extra important that as a collective, people put others before themselves.”
