During December 2019, China faced dozens of pneumonia cases with unknown causes, the cause would later be named as the coronavirus. This virus spread globally and to the United States early 2020 and has made a home here. This virus swept everyone off their feets and as much as it was a surprise, we were surely unprepared for what was to come. Countries had gone into lockdowns to help slow the spread of COVID-19, schools and jobs were shut down, and everyone remained at home for what felt like years. However, thanks to the advancements in medicine, doctors and scientists were able to create vaccines that would help stop the spread of COVID-19 in a short amount of time. 

   Since the first news of the coronavirus, doctors and scientists have been scrambling to find a vaccine to stop the spread of this virus. Currently there are 3 types of vaccines being administered to the public in the US: Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer. 

BioNTech otherwise known as Pfizer was the first vaccine authorized. This vaccine is suitable for ages 16 and up, which is why it differs from the Moderna. It has a 95% efficacy for those who have never got COVID, and in clinical trials it was 100% effective in preventing serious diseases. 

Moderna was the 2nd vaccine authorized by the FDA. It’s similar to Pfizer, however, only people ages 18 and older can get it. It’s effective rate is about 94.1%, but that number drops to 86.4% for adults 65 and older. 

Johnson & Johnson is the third and last vaccine that was approved for the public. This vaccine only requires one shot, however it’s rate of effectiveness is much lower than Pfizer and Moderna. It has about 72% efficacy and 86% efficacy for the prevention of severe diseases. This vaccine is also for people ages 18 and up like the Moderna. Although, this vaccine has faced the most issues as recently a large number of it got recalled due to manufacturing error, and health officials have decided to halt the use of it for now. Also, there have been cases where people have received blood clots because of Johnson & Johnson. 

To sum it up, Moderna and Pfizer have the highest effective rate, but both require two shots that are scheduled three weeks apart. The efficacy of the vaccines decrease the older you are and there are yet to be vaccines proven suitable for small children.

   How are people now once more and more people have gotten vaccinated, especially Oakton students? COVID-19 cases have increased slightly since vaccines have been introduced, which pair with concerns of another surge from experts. Lots of places have reopened– in fact,Texas became the first state to make wearing masks optional. In addition, the average death rate per day has decreased by 17%.

According to Aaron Gray, 12, he has seen “more people not wearing masks” since the vaccines have gone out and he believes that it is because “people are getting too comfortable with the pandemic”.

Andy Jang, 12, had a similar response and said that “people think it’s safe now since people are getting vaccinated”, which shows how people are getting too cozy with the pandemic. 

Many people that were interviewed still take the same precautions as they did during the peak of the pandemic, however, many are not as cautious as before. As more and more people get vaccinated, many people believe that the COVID-19 isn’t as big of a problem anymore, which is not good. None of these vaccines are 100% effective, and although a vaccinated person might not contract the virus, they can still pass it to another person. People still need to be aware that just because there is now medicine to fight against the coronavirus, it does not mean that there is not a pandemic anymore.