It has officially been a year since the pandemic began, and the world as we knew it was significantly impacted. The country shut down where life was disrupted from what it once was, and a new kind of normal started to form after months of quarantine and lockdowns. Some schools, like Mepham, reopened in September, people started to see each other again, and beloved stores and restaurants were back for business. Now, there is hope for an end to this worldwide health crisis: the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was first released in December 2020, and now more than 56 million people in the United States have been vaccinated for COVID-19.

For the past year, everyone has been social distancing and wearing masks; although these measures help to protect others and slow down the virus, it isn’t enough. The COVID vaccine creates an antibody response for the immune system, without the person actually getting sick from the coronavirus. There are many advantages to receiving the vaccine, such as the obvious fact that it prevents you from getting COVID. All of the COVID-19 vaccines are shown to be highly effective at preventing the coronavirus, and they are very safe. The CDC states that the vaccines are being carefully evaluated in multiple clinical trials and will only be administered to the public if they are completely safe. The COVID-19 vaccine also helps to protect people around you, especially people who are immunocompromised or have preexisting conditions. Overall, getting the COVID-19 vaccine will positively impact a person’s health and ultimately prevent the spread of this virus. 

Although there are arguments against the COVID-19 vaccine, it will help return life to the way we knew it before the pandemic. Adversaries of the vaccine believe that it can have a lot of side effects when it’s administered. However, concerning side effects, some people report having no side effects at all, or only mild side effects after receiving the vaccine. Even if a person experiences some side effects, they usually only last between 72 hours or at most a week.

I strongly urge everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Teenagers from the age of 16 and up will be able to be vaccinated starting April 6th, and anyone over the age of 30 can be vaccinated starting March 30th. This vaccine can hopefully end this pandemic. After a long year, I am optimistic for the world returning to a state of normalcy.