Written by Sophia Hysaw, Opinion Editor
Now that the New Year, 2021, has arrived, many people are hoping that the ongoing pandemic will come to an end.
When masks, 6-feet-away social distancing, and massive amounts of hand sanitizer were the public’s only hope for so long, many were relieved that a new COVID-19 vaccine is starting to be released.
“This pandemic has been going on for way too long, especially in our country!” said Indian Trail junior Zarina Atambaeva. “I remember back in February when I thought this would just be an extended break and was super happy about it, but now I’m dying to go back to school to properly learn and see my friends.”
“Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough,” states the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.”
The federal government agency went on to further explain immunity, and how it compares to vaccination benefits.
“Getting COVID-19 may offer some natural protection, known as immunity. However, experts don’t know for sure how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity,” CDC officials state. “COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody (immune system) response without having to experience sickness.
Although many are welcoming this vaccine with open arms, there are still many citizens who are skeptical. According to Scientific American News, there has been an increase in refusal and hesitancy over the past two decades toward vaccines, and there is “an uneasiness around” this new vaccine. Many people seem to be concerned about how quickly the vaccine was developed and if it is truly safe.
Some of those concerns include fear of the side effects. The CDC has addressed recently stating: “After COVID-19 vaccination, you may have some side effects. This is a normal sign that your body is building protection. The side effects from COVID-19 vaccination may feel like flu and might even affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.”
Although there are many scientific reasurancess around the COVID-19 vaccine, there are still quite a large number of people who have been convinced that this virus is not as serious as it has been made out to be. Scientists and public health officials are concerned about how this skepticism may affect the vaccination efforts.
“Seeing a deadly virus somehow be transformed into a political argument is really disappointing,” Adam Ishman, an IT junior, said. “There are tons of people who still don’t care. Not wearing masks, not socially distancing, nothing.”
The CDC comments on how it is important to take these precautions. “Wearing masks and social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.”
Though the vaccine has been attributed to a promising solution to this prolonged pandemic,a new problem has occurred. National Public Radio reported last week that America is falling behind the government prediction of the amount of vaccines distributed.
More than 17 million people have received the initial vaccination dose as of Jan. 21, according to the CDC. That number is still below the government’s goal of having 20 million people in the U.S. vaccinated by the end of December 2020, NPR reported.
This has begun to raise unease and concern throughout the country, but the CDC has already acknowledged this issue.
“There is currently a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, but supply will increase in the weeks and months to come.” They’ve affirmed that once large quantities are available their goal is to have everyone vaccinated as easily as possible.
With the vaccine being more accessible, U.S. health officials predicted that the virus will begin to finally slow down and life may start to move back to somewhat normal.
“I feel you can’t just go from being isolated for half a year from society to complete normalcy overnight, but I do think that as things progressively get better we’ll be able to appreciate things way more than we used to and slowly things will be as they once were,” Atambaeva said.