Why students are choosing to get vaccinated

By: Gavin McClean

May 10, 2021

As we head into the month of May, more and more people in the U.S. are getting vaccinated. On May 1 it was reported that nearly 259 million U.S. citizens have received at least the first shot, and 114 million people have been fully vaccinated. That means around 34% of our country’s population is fully vaccinated.

With citizens over the age of 16 now being able to get their vaccine, many high school students have to decide whether they should get vaccinated or not. Although there are a large number of kids that still may have questions and doubts about their decision, here at CCHS, there doesn’t seem to be much of a debate about whether they should take it or not.

A large number of students at CCHS support the idea of getting vaccinated and many of them have already been vaccinated or plan to be.

As soon as students were allowed to get vaccinated, a lot of juniors and seniors jumped at the opportunity.

“I got my first dose on April 4 and I’m getting my second dose on May 10,” said Devin Charton, a senior at CCHS.

With all of these students getting vaccinated, one question that remains: why? There are a variety of reasons that students want to get the vaccine, but the one major consensus is that they want to have less restriction on what they can do and where they can go, especially when it comes to college.

“The main reason why I got vaccinated was because I wanted to be able to travel and so I could physically attend college,” said John Mauro, another senior at CCHS.

With less restrictions, CCHS and other schools may be able to bring back events such as prom and have a more normal form of graduation for the seniors.

At this age it is safe to assume that parents play a big role in a situation like this; however, that isn’t always the case among students at CCHS.

“My parents didn’t really play a role in me getting the vaccine, I made this decision on my own,” said Logan Rudat, a senior at CCHS.

When asked about whether they know other peers who have gotten the vaccine, all students interviewed responded by saying that they know quite a few students who have been vaccinated. They also stated that they hope all of their fellow students will get vaccinated.

“I know a lot of people who have gotten vaccinated and I am really proud of them for getting it, but I would respect their decision even if they didn’t,” Devin Charton said.

As more people get vaccinated, more opportunities for students to enjoy their final years of high school may open up, and students will be able to start their future after high school the right way.