As vaccine rollout continues, many questions remain about students’ reactions to the vaccines. As of April 5, Massachusetts is starting to distribute the vaccine to citizens who are 55 and older and certain public workers. On April 19, everyone over the age of 16 who has not yet gotten the vaccine will be eligible, but with so many people all wanting to get it at the same time, some may have to wait weeks to schedule an appointment. The major pharmacies that are administering COVID-19 vaccines are CVS and Walgreens. While these places are common, it can be very difficult to get an appointment.

Hazel Levy, a senior, was able to get the vaccine because she works at a café, qualifying for the shot because she is an essential worker. When first trying to schedule an appointment she tried on the CVS website, but said that every time she checked, the appointments were all full. She was then able to get an appointment by email through the Massachusetts government website. Levy said about her experience getting the vaccine, “It was easy to schedule and didn’t require too much information about me. My appointment was at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury last week. Everything was spread out and the EMT who actually gave me the shot was really nice. I did not have to wait in any lines and even showed up a few minutes early and they let me right in.”

With Massachusetts’ rollout plan, people who are 55 and older, people who have certain medical conditions, child care and essential workers—including some CRLS students—have been qualified to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. One CRLS student was able to get an appointment for a vaccine from a health clinic they were already attending at the Boston Medical Center. Once they got their first dose, they were able to schedule an appointment for their second vaccine with ease and had an overall good experience with it. They were capable of getting the vaccine for a few reasons, one being because they will soon be applying to become a police cadet and an auxiliary officer. When being asked about Massachusetts’ vaccine rollout plan, senior Stella Jarvis responded,  “I feel like it’s taking a long time to get everyone vaccinated, however I can tell that it’s speeding up.”  Now that April 19 is fast approaching, more people will be signing up for the vaccine that will help protect our community.

Pfizer has just recently declared that their vaccine is safe for kids above the age of 12, but it has yet to be approved by the CDC for children of that age. In an article written on March 31 from CNN, it states: “Clinical trial results of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine showed its efficacy is 100% and it is well tolerated in youths ages 12 to 15.” This new trial means that all high school students will be able to get vaccinated when the opportunity arises. While some opinions may emerge about whether or not this new age group should get it, many believe that this new step will help speed up the process of getting back to the new ‘normal.’ Laila Clarke, a junior at CRLS reflected on the new Pfizer data: “I find this believable because the vaccine has been safe for people 16 plus, so it makes sense that the vaccine is safe for a younger age group.”  Tyler Andujar, a senior, believes that “Pfizer now saying their vaccine is safe and effective for ages 12 through 15 year olds might be a bit of a large step to take, but [I] think that it is reasonable. 12 should be the absolute minimum for now, though.”

These vaccines can be controversial. This can be because many adults think that the COVID-19 vaccine is too new, and the long term effects are still unknown. Others have concerns or mixed emotions about vaccines in general causing them to be skeptical. However, many still believe that the vaccine is the ticket to getting our world back to ‘normal,’ and to ensuring a safe environment. Clarke said that she will get the vaccine as soon as she is given the opportunity because it has been tested and is over 95% effective. Freshman Isabella Leith, when asked if she would get the vaccine, responded, “Yes, both my parents have been vaccinated, and aside from some symptoms like fever and chills, they are now vaccinated and less restricted to do what they want to.”

Most students at CRLS have learned about the terrible impacts of Covid-19 on the country and the world, and getting the vaccine will help. As stated by junior Anaïs Killian, “Yes, I will definitely get the vaccine. The vaccine is so important to finally slow and stop COVID, making everything more regular.”  Many want to get the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 from continuing to spread, and hoping that getting the vaccine will bring things back to whatever the ‘new normal’ may be.