As COVID-19 vaccines are distributed across the country, many people have had to ask themselves if they are comfortable receiving it. The Union sent a survey to MHS students and faculty, asking about their opinions on the vaccine and their willingness to get the shot when it is available to them.
Of the 178 students and faculty who answered the survey, 52.2% said they loved the vaccine, 43.8% indicated they were neutral, and 3.9% said they had a strong opinion against the vaccine. In the survey, 76.4% indicated they were willing to receive the vaccine while 5.1% were not inclined, and 18.5% were neutral. The Union reached out to survey participants to be interviewed about their opinions; however, all of the respondents who said they were not inclined to obtain the vaccine did not agree to be interviewed.
Teacher-librarian Joy Kim wrote in an email interview that she recently took the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine and explained that she was drawn to the fact that it only required one dose.
“I can tell you how I feel right now, and side effects feel painful, but I will be fine. I do feel better about the likelihood of me getting infected when I get a vaccine, though I’m not sure I would agree with sources that say that it is 95% effective. [It is] so hard to measure that when clinical trials haven’t reached completion. I still plan to wear a mask,” Kim explained.
Kim also wrote that as a leader in a public school district, she felt safer with the protection offered by the vaccine. However, her main critique was that vaccine clinical trials usually run for five to six years and the COVID-19 pandemic is only a year into the virus exposure. Kim explained that if she was not required to be in a public space for work, she would have waited longer until the clinical trials were completed.
When asked if she had any additional hesitations about the vaccine and how it was administered in the United States, Kim elaborated on her concerns. “Clinical trials don’t include children under age 12, so my only concern is for elementary-age kids and how this might apply to them. Also, the side effects are pretty bad, especially as a woman. A CDC study showed more women experience negative side effects from the vaccine, and the CDC has analyzed more than 13 million vaccine recipients. Somehow estrogen has a stronger response to vaccines overall than testosterone,” Kim explained.
Freshman Mary Nguyen expressed her opinions on the COVID-19 vaccine over a Zoom interview. She said she was excited to return to normal, but there are still many more people vulnerable to COVID-19 that need the vaccine more than she does at the moment.
“I think … [the COVID-19 vaccine] will make my life easier. The stress factors are gone now because I no longer have to worry as much about getting the COVID virus and spreading it to my family members like my grandparents who were a lot more vulnerable than I am,” Nguyen said.
The vaccine benefits the world greatly in the sense that everyone can finally return to a normal life, Nguyen said. Those who are struggling during the pandemic would profit from the decline of stress from fearing the virus after taking the vaccine, she added.
“I am going to get …[the COVID-19 vaccine],” senior Ashley Magana said in a Zoom interview “I want to get it mainly because I had COVID before, and it wasn’t a great experience. What I had was such a bad feeling. It was even harder to recuperate after COVID. My head kept constantly hurting, it was so hard to breathe, and me being a student-athlete, [it] affected me a lot. So if I have the chance to get the vaccine, I’m going to get it because I could still get contagious again, and I don’t want that,” Magana explained.
She was skeptical about the effectiveness of the vaccine in the past, but was not worried about the symptoms and would take the vaccine nonetheless, Magana said. The only worry she has now is about the new mutation of COVID-19.
“I would feel so much safer. I wouldn’t be as scared when someone’s coughing or sneezing,” Magana said.
While not everyone may agree on the COVID vaccine, it is safe to say that MHS staff and students want life to return to normal.