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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a search for the life saving vaccine has everyone questioning the impact it will have on their lives.

“I do believe that the vaccine will work for people affected by the virus. For people like myself who have had the virus and have fought it off and suffered through the symptoms and pain, my hope is the vaccine will help people like myself with weak immune symptoms get even stronger, so if we do ever catch the virus again, my body will be strong enough  to fight it off, or even maybe help my body not catch it at all,” said coronavirus survivor Lizbeth Ortiz.

The search for the COVID-19 vaccine has not only heavily affected the people of society, but has also changed the lives of many frontline medical health workers.

“It’s very complex. Of course I want everyone to be prioritized for this life-saving vaccine, but from the beginning of the pandemic, many frontline workers like myself and doctors have worked in environments where we have been exposed to the virus multiple times a day even before we had protective equipment such as masks and gloves. We face this virus every day and are in very much need of that vaccine ASAP,” said Nurse Angela from Lake Villa Hospital.

Due to so many people in need of this life-saving vaccine, there will not be enough to go around at the same time, and some people will be prioritized more than others.

“The vaccine is supposed to start being available for people in December I believe, but it’s going to take a long time because it’s a series of two shots, and it’s going to be a long time before a lot of  people get vaccinated because of the amount of people in need of it. They are looking at healthcare professionals first, law enforcement, paramedics, and also the elderly–all compromised people–so it’ll probably be a while before the vaccine gets to teachers and students in schools,” said high school nurse Annie Swiatek . 

Many rumors have spread about a vaccine coming out soon this upcoming year and has put many questions on people’s minds whether they will take the vaccine or not. 

“Everyone coming back to school will have a choice whether or not they want to get the vaccine, and I know people that are completely against the vaccine and plan to absolutely not take it. Everyone has a choice, and some people would rather just not say,” Swiatek said. 

Because of the huge impact the vaccine will have on lives, many people are excited and feel it should be mandated for everyone to get vaccinated.  

“Yes, definitely. I feel everyone should take it in order for the spread of COVID to stop. There have been many cases of the flu shot vaccine that have helped people’s immune systems fight the flu, and I hope this vaccine will help the body become strong enough to kill the virus,” Ortiz said. 

On the other hand, many other people believe it is the people’s personal choice whether or not they choose to take the coronavirus vaccine.

“I believe everyone has a choice. There are people more than ready to take that chance for a life-changing vaccine and need that chance, but there’s also people afraid and not willing to take that risk and are not willing to risk it, as they say, and that’s okay too,” Nurse Angela said.

Taking the vaccine is a risk that is hard for parents who have children in schools who wonder if it will have a positive impact on their children’s lives.

 “Yes, I believe it will because just like the regular flu shot, I think it will have an impact. For example, there are a lot of people that die from the flu, and there are still a lot of people who don’t get the flu shot every year. So I do believe this vaccine for the coronavirus will have a huge positive impact,” Swiatek said.

Due to the risks and sacrifices people will have to take because of this vaccine, many people can’t help wonder how the vaccine will affect their bodies and if it’s really worth it. 

“It will typically take a few weeks for the body to build immunity after vaccination, meaning it’s possible a person could be infected with the virus just before vaccination because the vaccine has not had enough time to provide protection. That’s why it’s very important that people take precautions even when the vaccine gets released. Keep wearing those masks, keep wearing those gloves. You know it’s better to be safe than to be sorry,” Nurse Angela said.