As COVID-19 vaccinations are becoming more accessible in Ohio, nursing students on campus are starting to receive the vaccine.
The current rollout plan of the vaccine in Ohio includes multiple phases. According to the Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program, a few of the main people who can currently receive the vaccine are those 65 years of age and older, healthcare workers and those working in assisted living homes. The upcoming phases, starting Feb. 15, include those with high-risk health conditions, as well as K-12 employees who plan on teaching hybrid or fully in person.
Recently, sophomore nursing major Anna Donner was able to get both doses of the vaccination. She qualified to receive the vaccine because she worked in a hospital over winter break. So far, she knows at least ten other nursing students that have also received the vaccine.
Donner stated she got the vaccine because although she may be fine if she were to contract the virus, she wanted to avoid the long-term serious effects it is having on other people.
In early January, a new COVID-19 poll from Pew Research Center showed that around 60% of adults would get the vaccine if it were available to them now. On the other hand, the same article said that around 39% of adults stated that they will probably not get the vaccine.
These numbers are a lot different from September, when Pew Research Center showed that only 51% of adults were planning on receiving the vaccine if and when it became available to them.
As confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine continues to grow, the idea of whether or not the vaccine should be mandatory will eventually come into question, especially with hesitancy revolving around the effectiveness and long-term effects of the vaccine.
“I do think it should be mandatory,” said Donner, “However, I feel like it shouldn’t be mandatory for a few years, just because of the side effects. No one knows what the lasting effects of the vaccine are. So, I think it needs to be researched a little more. But yes, I do think it should be mandatory someday.”
