COVID Vaccine- Should It Be Mandated?

April Gonzalez, Features Editor

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19. COVID-19 illness tends to place older adults and people with severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes at a higher risk of experiencing more serious complications. There have been 119 million cases, 67.4 million recoveries, and 2.64 million deaths worldwide.

The Covid Vaccines contain material from the virus that causes COVID-19, which instructs our cells on how to produce a harmless virus-specific protein. After making copies of the protein, our cells degrade the vaccine’s genetic material. The Covid 19 vaccine has been released world wide. In some areas/cities it has been made mandatory to get this vaccine in other areas/cities it has been optional depending on where you’re located.

Loren Merez is a Senior at Ridgeview High School and works at Burger King. Merez has not gotten this Covid vaccine, what’s stopping her? She says, “ I just don’t think it’s effective”.  At her job it is not mandatory to get the vaccine however, if you do decide to get it you will get paid for getting it. Most people think the Covid vaccine is necessary, but Merez thinks differently she says, “it is not necessary because the flu shot is not necessary so why should the Covid one be?”

 Many families have influenced each other to get the vaccine, but Merez has stated  both my brother and dad have gotten it but I still am leaning towards not getting it” she sees the vaccine as,  “ I am not against it or with it, I genuinely do not even care for it”. 

The latest coronavirus will infect people of all ages (2019-nCoV). People over the age of 65, as well as those with pre-existing medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), tend to be more susceptible to becoming seriously ill from the virus. Who recommends people of all ages to take precautions against the virus, such as practicing proper hand hygiene and maintaining good respiratory hygiene.