The good news is that the vaccine is here! The bad news is that it may take a while for you to receive a vaccine but do not let that discourage you from trying. As of January 19th, 2021, at least 11.2 million people have received one or both doses of the vaccine in the United States. The CDC set guidelines that prioritizes health care workers and nursing home residents and staff to receive the vaccine first. Next up for the vaccine are frontline essential workers which include first responders, teachers, day-care staff, grocery store workers, prison guards, and adults over the age of 75. Third in line are these with pre-existing conditions and the fourth round open is open to all who want the vaccine. Now that you know it may take a while to get the vaccine we can gain an understanding of what exactly are some possible side effects and what new strains mean for the vaccine effectiveness. The Pfzier vaccine and the moderna vaccine now available to be used are both over 90% effective and require two shots about a month apart from when you take the first shot of the vaccine. Side effects have been known to include chills, headaches, and tiredness for the whole body, also aspects of pain, swelling, and redness in the arm. The new strains of the coronavirus are the United Kingdom strain, the South African strain and the Brazilian strain. This type of genetic mutation of the virus is a natural process of the virus evolving. The new strains are more transmissible (you can catch it more) than the original one at the start of the pandemic however these new strains do not necessarily mean a more aggressive bodily response than the original strain (it will not make you sicker if you catch covid). It has also been stated by the CDC that the vaccine is still effective against the new strain of the virus. Alongside this new information of the vaccine and the new strain popping up around the world, the vaccine couldn’t have come soon enough.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hampton U chapter.