COVID-19 vaccines should be...

Jack Baudoin 

…highly recommended to attend class on campus. 

One of the best parts of living in America is the freedom of choice. The freedom to or not to partake in what the country has to offer. The COVID-19 vaccine is one of those liberties, and it is a person’s right to receive it if they want to.

If people are attending college, however, the vaccine needs to be highly recommended. People who are attending college should get the vaccine due to the nature of being in a classroom. It’s hard to abide by coronavirus protocols in a small room with a large group of people. It is better to be safe than sorry. Getting the vaccine is simply an extra buffer towards not getting sick.

That being said, nobody should be forced into doing something they are uncomfortable with doing. It should not be required for people to get the vaccine to attend class. However, having colleges strongly recommend students get the vaccine before attending classes on campus helps the university ensure the safety of its students.

Aidan Bengford

… required to attend class on campus. 

Vaccination is essential to the end of the pandemic, especially with the new strains of the virus it is becoming even more important to be able to mitigate the spread of the disease. With classes returning in person next semester, vaccination should be required. There should be some limits to the “required” status, but those should only be in place for medical necessity outlined by the CDC. 

Aside from those limited reasons, it is a  public safety concern that vaccinations be required. I understand that there are a lot of people who have some reason or another they don’t want to take the vaccine, but individual desires cannot impede another person’s right to stay alive. While the long-term effectiveness of the vaccine is unknown, we do know the effectiveness of the major vaccines. In trials, the Pfizer vaccine was 95% more effective than a placebo, Moderna’s vaccine was found to be 94.1% effective, and Johnson & Johnson has a 75% overall efficacy of 72% with 82% against the new South African variant, according to Yale Medicine.

 The vaccines we have are effective at disease prevention and vaccines should be required to protect the people who can’t get the vaccine, as outlined by the CDC. Personal preference should never endanger public health, especially of groups that have no ability to choose.

Mikayla Magdiarz

… mandatory and regulated to attend class on campus, but with room for exemptions. 

There are two types for exemption, one where those have limited access to vaccines that are in rural areas or lack resources to get an immediate vaccination. The second are those citizens who did not want to vaccinate their children even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and I don’t believe they will have a change of heart with this new product. 

However, the majority of us, if receiving a regulated vaccination, are able to help communities reach herd immunity as well as keep the vaccine rates up. There is much hesitation around the vaccine as the CDC has not approved any of the vaccine brands. Yet, given the risks and detrimental effects that COVID-19 can have on the body, including those of healthy young people, it is a wise decision to get vaccinated considering the unpredictable risks and potential health damage one may have if contracting the COVID-19 virus. I want my older teachers to stay safe and protected against the virus, as well as my fellow students and their families. 

Yari Tapia 

… mandatory with room for exceptions to attend class on campus. 

Coronavirus will be around for a while, there’s no getting around that. But like other viruses we’ve had in the past, I think vaccinations are crucial to controlling COVID-19 cases. Having a large population of vaccinated students can build herd immunity. This, in turn, can allow us to return to some normalcy. The reality of the situation is if people do not get vaccinated, mask-wearing and social distancing will be extended even longer. 

As easy it is to think everyone is enthused about getting vaccinated, that simply isn’t the truth. It’s important to take into account those who religiously cannot get vaccinated, or minority groups who are fearful of attempts towards racial discrimination and erasure. Vaccines are supposed to bring the world one step closer to normalcy, but it’s important to consider valuable reasons people may have to not get vaccinated.