When President Biden and Vice President Harris first entered office, a main goal in their administration became to give 100 million Americans access to the vaccine in their first 100 days. In just 58 days, they’ve accomplished that goal and just this week have surpassed yet another by providing 200 million Americans with access to the vaccine- teens included. Currently, President Biden is encouraging states to lower vaccination ages to 16. As of April 1st, Indiana has accommodated this request.
There are three vaccines to date: the Pfizer, the Moderna, and the Johnson & Johnson. It should be noted that none are proven to be more effective than another, but the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines come in two dosages, while the Johnson & Johnson is just a one-time shot. (All require booster shots typically after six months.) Again, these vaccines have already been accessible to seniors and other at-risk Americans, but only, on April 1st, did Indiana’s Governor, Eric Holcomb, announce that the Pfizer vaccine would become available to people starting as young as age sixteen.
Sophomore, Emma Loftus, is sixteen, which means she is among those eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. She said,
“I've only had my first dose of the vaccine. Getting it stung a bit and my arm hurt for a few days, but it wasn’t anything to cause problems. I felt this automatic relief as I was getting it just because I've been so paranoid the last few months. It was kind of amusing for me because I am terrified of needles, but I was so happy to see that one.”
“I think people should get the vaccine to protect not only themselves, but everyone else around them. Getting the vaccine doesn’t completely eliminate your chance(s) of getting COVID, but it certainly lowers it and all of the side effects. While you could still be a carrier of it, the chances of that happening are very low, so the chance you would spread it around are also low. It's not only [about] taking care of yourself, but also being courteous to those around you.”
Additionally, sophomore, Evelyn Jegier, who recently turned sixteen, was also eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, emphasized the underlying point,
“Everybody should get the vaccine. I’m happy I did.”
In all, this is some very relieving news coming to the Mishawaka School System, as well as the rest of the country; it means that because more and more people of vastly different age groups have access to the vaccine each day, schools and businesses can now get back functioning on some level of normalcy. Knowing this, the vaccine does not represent the end of the pandemic. (Face masks are still needed to be worn even after your vaccination.) But, it’s a step in the right direction.