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Vaccine Development: The Line Between Public Opinion and Conspiracy Theories

Many have seen and heard the new plan allowing students in the San Juan Unified School District to return to school (in a hybrid model), but I think most of us were left with an equal amount of questions and hopes.


In all seriousness, this is something I believe we should be happy about. Despite this, some students don’t want to go back. They’re worried not only about their health, but their grades. This is a valid argument; none of us are, or should be expecting an easy transition, but that’s still not entirely what students are worried about.

We’ve gone a year without academic rigor, we’ve gone a year where cheating is something teachers have to ask us nicely to not do, we’ve gone a year without any academic success on the line. Now we’re our own soft underbellies and to many, returning back to school is a sharp object that would pierce us, our grades slipping out of our control like our guts.

But that’s not the school’s fault, that’s not the state’s fault or the district’s fault or even COVID’s fault; taking the easy way out for a semester was a choice.


So, why should any of us be happy that we might go back? Well, it’s a return to normalcy. A sign of the times. A sign of better times - better numbers, better times. And although we seem to have a lot planned, there’s also a lot to be desired. It’s all about when, and if, Sacramento County makes it into the red tier anytime soon. It looks like we will. We could be back in school on the 22nd of March. But let me remind you first off that we have been in this position before. We were in the same boat last November and into December - cases were lowering, we made plans to cancel school on Wednesdays just like we are this month, we were assigned our cohorts and designed the hybrid model, and then cases went up again. Releasing this model is not a confirmation that we’re going back, merely an acknowledgement of our capability to do so.


One thing that’s been not only on the minds of Bella Vista students, but of anyone involved in education is the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, there are three vaccines approved by the US and seven worldwide. The US recently approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which unlike the others, is a one shot vaccine. The other two, Pfizer and Moderna, are double shots, taken 21 and 28 days apart respectively.


I went into writing this with only loosely formed opinions. I wanted to know what my peers believed, and I wanted to hear their voices. Of 43 votes, all 43 said they would take a vaccine if able or offered. I then asked whether or not schools should require vaccinations before returning to school. 76% of the responses were “yes." A mere 9 out of the 38 voters said "no." 9 people would take the shot if able, but they don’t believe it should be required. They had to be the same voters, with only 5 less votes on the second poll, 9 don’t want it enforced. Now, it’s no longer a question of public health and safety, it’s about ideology.


Should you take the vaccine? Should it have been acknowledged by the district one way or another? Even if it’s safe, should we worry about it being required?


In my mind, the answer to all of those is a resounding yes. Let’s take them apart individually. There is no microchip. There is no reason to be afraid of it. Yes, I see how one might be worried that they were completed so quickly, but I would raise the point that this is not the first time in human history we have made vaccines. We know how to make vaccines - the question was how to make one for this virus.


The President and Vice President are sporting the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines respectively. Some people are genuinely afraid of Bill Gates putting microchips in you if you get the shot. It's a good thing the vaccine is completely safe, but it’s concerning that conspiracy theorists have so much sway over public discourse.


In my opinion, the school or district should make some mention of the vaccine. I’m not expecting them to have their mind made up about it, it would be frightening if they already had, but a simple “we are looking into it” would be acceptable. Here’s why. At the earliest, we could be in school on the 22nd of this month. Is there enough time to vaccinate all the students in cohorts A and B, even beyond Bella Vista? I could go on a spiel about our civil liberties and bodily independence from the government, but when it comes down to it the government already has the right to mandate vaccines. Educators are already vaccinated, or are able to get vaccinated. 2 of the 3 shots taken 20+ days between the two doses, there’s not enough time before the 22nd of March at the earliest. They could push that back, but here’s the thing. I’m fairly calm. I think they don’t plan on making it mandatory for that simple reason- we don’t have enough time to vaccinate the student population unless we change the schedule the district released just last week. Not to mention, for a large family, vaccinating all the children may be a financial burden during the pandemic in a short time frame because they weren’t told they had to when cohorts were being decided months ago.


This is not an easy issue to address. Many may change their minds in the future, and I hope that if that day comes new ideas are welcomed with open arms. I may not change my mind, and in that case I hope my opinion, explicitly stated in the minority of my peers, can be respected. Required or optional, I await the school’s plan, and the county's numbers, just as I expect you to do so.


Stay safe everyone, I hope to see you soon.


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