COVID-19 has affected the world in many aspects of all of our lives, so when a vaccine came about, many people became hopeful. However it’s also very scary to think that only a little over a year later from the virus being discovered there’s already a vaccine being distributed worldwide. This a very different world now than when the last plague hit over a 100 years ago and now having a safe vaccine ready in a year is more possible. Recently Prep held a vaccination clinic in the library of the Prep campus. Multiple students decided to go get the vaccine and are scheduled for their second shot.
One student who got his vaccination at the Prep clinic was junior Jack Rouch.
“I’ve thought a lot about the risks and decided the positives far outweigh the negatives,” Jack said.
He had some concerns with the possible side effects of the vaccine, but he decided to go through with it anyway.
“My parents already got it, and they seemed to be fine, and my mom convinced me to finally get it,” Jack said. “It didn’t hurt as much as I first thought it would, but I’ve heard you get a little sick for a couple days after.” Jack said this only a few hours after receiving his shot.
Another student that decided to take a trip to the vaccination clinic is another junior, Saul Parr-Plasha. Saul wanted to get his shot because he said, “It’s gonna be the new ticket to do anything from going to a concert to traveling out of the country.” And in shorter terms, he’s right. Many events have already started requesting you to be vaccinated before going to them. “Obviously the side effects scared me a little bit, but I think it’ll be well worth it in the long run, and I don’t think the government would mass-produce a vaccine that could seriously harm us.”
Some other students got their vaccinations from sources outside of the school. I myself got my vaccination done down at the Erie Convention Center. When I first walked in, I was immediately temperature checked, and then had to fill out a form. First, I went and gave my information to a lady in a room at the end of the center. Then I went into another room where they gave me the actual shot. I received the Pfizer vaccine, and then was sent to another room where I had to sit for 15 minutes just so they could be sure I wouldn’t have a side effect while driving home. In total, the whole ordeal took around 45 minutes.
The world is reaching a point where going back to normal is finally in sight, and this is hopefully the path to doing so. The students of Prep are doing their part to help prevent the spread and put an end to what we’ve been going through for a year now. This, of course, can be attributed to the Cathedral Prep administration and staff for putting this vaccine clinic on and offering an easy way for students to receive the vaccine. Hopefully the vaccine will prove to work, and within the near future we can return to normal, but until then we must continue to practice the safety protocols for just a little longer. The end is near.
