By Olivia Yin
The first COVID-19 vaccine was given to a U.S. nurse made by the company Pfizer on Monday, December 14th. This is the fastest developed vaccine in history, made less than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Although the fast moving advancements in the medical world seem promising, there are still some hurdles to clear.
Vaccines can only be effective if people actually take them. If a large percentage of United States citizens take the vaccine, it would achieve what is called herd immunity. That means if enough people take the vaccine or have previously had the virus, the virus would be unlikely to spread further.
According to Dr. Fauci, at least 75% of Americans need to take the vaccine for herd immunity but preferably 80% or 85%. According to a poll taken by Gallup published December 8th, 63% of U.S. citizens are willing to take the vaccine. Although it is not nearly as high as Dr. Fauci stated, Americans have become more willing to take the COVID vaccine since a previous poll at a low of 50% of Americans willing to take it in September.
Although many have high hopes that after the vaccine is distributed our normal lives can resume the way it was before this disastrous virus hit, I am worried that this might not be the case. There is a big difference between saying you will take the vaccine and actually taking it. Because the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines must be distributed in two doses with a wait time in between, it is hard to know what percentage of the already small 63% of Americans will go through the entire vaccination process.
On top of this, many people are suspicious of the government because of the veiled lies and confusion of politics and terrible events from the past like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study of 1932 to 1972.
I think it is crucial for communications from the White House and government to show these vaccines can be trusted. The more Americans that take this vaccine, the safer we can all be in the end.
The Paw Print conducted a poll in our own school on the opinions of IHS students regarding this vaccine. Out of 33 students, almost 80% of the students said that they would be willing to take the COVID vaccine, the necessary percentage to achieve herd immunity according to Dr. Fauci. Only 3% said they wouldn’t take the vaccine and about 18% said they might take the vaccine. Many commented that they would be willing to take the vaccine once they have seen how the vaccine played out in the first round delivered.
When asked how confident they were that the COVID vaccine would be safe and effective at preventing infections, about 60% said they were confident it would be effective but only 50% said they were confident it would be safe. About 20% of the students were very confident that the vaccine would be safe and effective. This shows that overall, IHS students seem trusting in the validity and ability of this vaccine.
On the topic of which group of people should be vaccinated first, more than 80% of the participants wanted healthcare workers to be the first group to get vaccinated with 10% voting for people in red zones and others voting for the elderly and immunocompromised.
It is clear that the majority of the IHS student participants in this poll were fairly confident and willing to take the vaccine. The future looks promising; with the first round of vaccines being distributed. There might not be immediate results to the vaccine, especially as distribution has been slow so far, but the country is moving closer to finishing this chaotic chapter.
