The recent introduction of effective vaccines against COVID-19 has brought hope to a world weary from disaster and uncertainty. As Americans move into 2021, millions of vaccines are being manufactured and shipped out to treat people across the world. However their introduction has raised a new set of questions. Are they safe to take? Can we return to our pre-COVID lifestyle? I decided to ask some of our fellow students and faculty via a survey I distributed via several teachers on their google classrooms.

I talked to around 18 students and faculty in total, the majority of whom were willing to take any of the COVID vaccines if they could get a chance. Three of the participants said they would be willing to take a COVID vaccine, but only after more testing had been done to ensure that it would not cause severe medical problems.

“I would be willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine,” senior Drake Weber said, “ideally as soon as possible.”

Despite the leap forward the vaccines represent in eliminating the threat posed by COVID-19, many of the participants, like junior Kaitlyn Wilson, still felt that social distancing should be kept in place, at least for now.

“If people could social distance for a bit more until more people could be vaccinated then this period would be over a lot quicker,” Wilson said.

In addition, many Americans do not know that the Russian Federation was the first to reach a working COVID vaccine, called Sputnik V. Despite some suspecting that the development was rushed, many countries such as Mexico and Argentina are looking into acquiring the vaccine. Despite the tension between America and Russia, many of the respondents, such as sophomore Jacob Li, were quick to announce their support for Sputnik V’s distribution.

“Even if it’s success rate isn’t as high, I personally would still take it, as it is better than nothing,” Li said.

5 of the respondents however, were still suspicious of Sputnik V since the Russian Federation’s legal precursor, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, had poor standards when it came to the safety of it’s scientific products such as the radiological disasters of Chernobyl, Kyshtym and K-19.  Many worry if Sputnik V might cause severe health defects

“I think they should release more information about it before it is deemed safe,” sophomore Sahir Ahmed said.

Despite the difference of opinions, all admitted that the COVID-19 crises had wreaked havoc on everyone’s lives. While the world still sees one another over video, junior Joy King and many others miss being able to actually see their friends in person.

“I miss all the things I can’t do anymore,” King said. “It’s really lonely being in school, but not being there.”

Some of the other respondents were also unhappy about the significant life moments that were ripped from them thanks to the lockdowns.

“Covid took my senior year man,” senior Emil Millet said.

Despite the hardships everyone continues to suffer, the introduction of vaccines has given the world a ray of hope, that one day the shackles of COVID-19 will be thrown off and people will be reunited with friends and family again, bringing an end to the nightmare that has engulfed every waking hour of people’s lives.