The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered to healthcare workers in December 2020, and since then, people around the world have been able to receive the vaccine. While there is still much opposition to the new vaccine, many family members of students in the MSMS community are getting the vaccine.

“Both of my parents received the vaccine,” senior Clare Seo said. “They both work as healthcare providers and were happy to receive the vaccine. They said it felt like getting any other shot.” 

Junior Patrick Bourne’s mom, a home health care nurse, reported a similar experience. Although she had to travel to get inoculated, Bourne said her experience was normal.

“She went early in the morning to get it because there were no testing areas in our community,” said Bourne. “She said the experience went smooth and beyond all the COVID-19 precautions and that it was just like getting a flu shot.”

Although many people are happy to receive the vaccine, a significant number of Americans are opposed to the vaccine for varying reasons such as side effects, as well as the common perception that the vaccine was hastily developed. Even family members of those in the MSMS community are very skeptical of the vaccine and are either waiting or refusing to receive it.

Junior Dylan Griffith’s mom received the vaccine in January, but he says that his grandma is currently quite hesitant to get hers.

“My grandma won’t get the vaccine because she feels it was developed too quickly to be reliable,” said Griffith. “She wants to wait and see how others do, and she also says she’s afraid to get autism from the vaccine.”

Senior Colin Gordy mentioned family members with similar, skeptical mindsets toward the vaccine, causing them to be opposed.

 “I do have some family members that are against the vaccine,” said Gordy. “They usually cite reasons like, ‘It was developed too quickly,’ and, ‘I don’t trust the government; the virus isn’t real.’”

According to the CDC, side effects such as pains, fatigue, chills, and headache are completely normal, and they reflect the success of the human body building immunity.  The side effects are expected to go away within a few days of receiving the vaccine. However, some individuals still reject the idea of getting the vaccine, including those in many MSMS families. 

“My parents both had decent side effects during the first 2-3 days,” said Seo. “After that, they feel completely fine. Their arms were extremely sore – more than a usual vaccine. My mom had chills and was fatigued, and my dad was extremely fatigued and hibernated for two days.”

The side effects combined with the quick development of the vaccine caused Raynor’s dad to have very mixed feelings. She reported that he probably will not be getting the vaccine, but he’s going to wait and observe the status of others. 

“My dad often argues, ‘What about the side effects?’” said Raynor. “He isn’t sure that it’s safe because he’s afraid it’s too similar to the flu shot. He says he will just get sick anyway.”

Many students at MSMS, however,  feel that the vaccine is very safe, and they want all of their family to get it to maximize their safety precautions. 

“My uncle absolutely refuses to get the vaccine,” continued Raynor. “He goes as far as to say that the government could be using it to microchip us and track our every move. I, however, think it’s very safe, and I wish he would agree to get the vaccine for his own safety.”

Gordy feels similarly, saying that he is happy his family members are receiving the vaccine, and he believes that it is beneficial to the safety of all of his family.

 “I personally trust the vaccine,” said Gordy. “My mother experienced mild side effects after her second dose that consisted of a small fever, light fatigue, and chills, but these ended up completely [subsiding] within 14 hours.”

As the world begins to accept and receive the vaccine, many MSMS families are continuing to wear masks and follow all of the precautions originally put in place. They believe that the mandates are as important now as they were before until there is a drop in cases.

 “Just because you received the vaccine does not mean you are 100% immune to COVID-19, which means you still have the potential to spread COVID-19 to other people who may have not received the vaccine,” said Seo. “It should still be imperative that people socially distance and wear masks until cases have significantly decreased.”