In a year defined by chaos and misfortune, there finally appears to be some good news: the development of not one, but two seemingly effective vaccines against the deadly threat of COVID-19. One created by pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its partner BioNtech was said to be more than 90% effective, and the other, reported a week later by biotech company Moderna, was said to be about 95% effective.
These stats brought joy to a vast majority of students, who eagerly await the full release of vaccines in hopes that they will soon be able to return to school and go back to normal.
“I think that’s huge for everyone, to get back to a ‘normal state of life’ especially after eight months of quarantine,” junior Vatsa Setty said. “Personally, I’ll take the vaccine if I know it’s 100% effective because in the past other vaccines or methods like hydroxychloroquine wasn’t the most effective. All in all, I’m excited to get closer to normalcy; I just need the assurance that it will be safe to do so.”
Similarly, many teachers and administrators have also been anticipating the distribution of vaccines, as many are currently expected to return to school in the upcoming semester.
“For me personally I’m really nervous about going back because I have had quite a few family members and colleagues who have gotten COVID, but I have not so I would feel more comfortable if there was a vaccine; I would definitely take it,” said Natalie Shroter, FHS German teacher. “Also I don’t know if this is true, but I’ve heard that younger people are less symptomatic than older people, so if there is something going around among students it might not show as much until the teachers, who are older, start showing symptoms so that also really concerns me.”
It is clear that while the distribution of these vaccines is a top priority, it will likely be a slow process; one that requires a great deal of patience. The continuation of social distancing and other safety precautions may be necessary to ensure that these vaccines are indeed the light at the end of the tunnel.
