With the COVID-19 vaccine being released, some students are skeptical of the quick creation and approval of the vaccine, while others rejoice that there is a glimmer of hope in the journey to returning to normalcy.
We talked to 19 students from three of the five University of North Georgia campuses, 10 students said they would take the vaccine right now, four said they would not take the vaccine, four said they might take it later, and one shared her experience and thoughts after taking the vaccine.
Question: Would you take the COVID-19 vaccine if it was made available to you tomorrow? Why or why not?
Ahn Tran
Major: Marketing
Year: Junior
Campus: Gainesville
“Yes. I don’t mind getting the COVID-19 vaccine during the second round of distribution. If I could survive 13 years of eating school food with a bunch of harmful chemicals in them, the vaccine will be nothing to me. I also trust our scientists and government’s intentions on reducing the spread of COVID-19.”
Cole Tarleton
Major: Middle Grades Education
Year: Junior
Campus: Gainesville / Dahlonega
“Yes. I’m for the vaccine mainly because I know it will allow everyone to rejoin the economy and get back out into the world.”
Major: Accounting
Year: Freshman
Campus: Dahlonega
“Not right now. I would be interested, in the long term, to take the COVID-19 vaccine. But as of today, I would like to see more research done in the biology aspect of it concerning that the COVID-19 vaccine affects your mRNA. I think it would be good to take the COVID-19 vaccine just like how we take the flu vaccine.”
Major: Biology Pre-med
Year: Freshman
Campus: Dahlonega
“Yes, I would get the COVID-19 vaccine for the protection and safety of the elderly and people at high-risk.”
Sam Harwood
Major: Political Science
Year: Freshman
Campus: Dahlonega
“Yes. I believe that we all should get the vaccine because, in the end, we will all be helping each other.”
Major: Physical Education
Year: Senior
Campus: Dahlonega
“I probably am not going to get the vaccine, unless it is mandated, because there is evidence that it affects fertility and I am getting married soon.”
Josh Parks
Major: English Education
Year: Junior
Campus: Dahlonega
“Yes. I would like to take the vaccine because I don’t want to die and I want to protect my parents.”
Kellee Davis
Major: Marketing
Year: Junior
Campus: Dahlonega
“I probably wouldn’t take it because it just came out and hasn’t gone through enough testing. I would like a little bit more time and results before I would be willing to take it.”
Davis Branyon
Major: Kinesiology
Year: Junior
Campus: Dahlonega
“No. There’s a lot of unknown side-effects to the COVID-19 vaccine and we don’t know what the long-term effects of it could be. I feel like because my age group isn’t as highly affected by the virus, I don’t need to get the vaccine.”
Davis Lynn
Major: Business
Year: Sophomore
Campus: Dahlonega
“Yes. With the amount of ramen I’ve eaten in my lifetime and the buckets of MSG that went along with it, I’m not about to be a hypocrite and suddenly act like I treat my body like a palace and therefore can’t risk this vaccine.”
Eden Williams
Major: Film and Digital Media
Year: Junior
Campus: Gainesville
“Yes. I think it’s amazing how fast the COVID-19 vaccine was able to be made. Although, I do understand why some people are afraid to take it right away. If I had the chance to take it, I think I definitely would so that I could play my part in helping protect the people around me.”
Alex McRae
Major: Criminal Justice
Year: Sophomore
Campus: Dahlonega
“Yes. I would definitely take the COVID-19 vaccine because it would be the safest option to do. Even though it was made super quickly, a lot of people have taken it and none of the side effects have been too bad.”
Delaney Goodman
Major: Early Childhood and Special Education
Year: Junior
Campus: Dahlonega
“No. The flu has been around for a long time and they still don’t have a 100% effective vaccine so I don’t trust that COVID-19 has been around long enough for them to know much about it. They can’t produce a good vaccine that quickly.”
Sydney Bullard
Major: Biology Pre-Med
Year: Sophomore
Campus: Dahlonega
“Yes, I would get the COVID-19 vaccine because I think the possible side effects of the vaccine would be lesser than the side effects of getting COVID-19.”
Morgan Mauldin
Major: Early Childhood and Special Education
Year: Sophomore
Campus: Dahlonega
“No. A bunch of people I work with have gotten the vaccine and have still gotten COVID-19. If it’s anything like the flu shot, I don’t want it because I always get the flu when I get a flu shot. I don’t trust it.”
Ryan Beavers
Major: Biology
Year: Junior
Campus: Dahlonega
“I’m choosing to wait to get the vaccine until science evolves a little bit more regarding it, but I would be willing to take it in the future.”
Liam Crittenden
Major: Music and Audio Production
Year: Junior
Campus: Dahlonega
“I would take the vaccine because I feel like if I could make other people safer, it would be a good thing to do.”
Genna Oisher
Major: Biology – Physical Therapy
Year: Freshman
Campus: Dahlonega
“I’m interested in taking the vaccine in the long run, but not until there is more evidence. My grandfather recently got the vaccine and had a bad reaction to it. I would be willing to get the vaccine after they figure out why some people are having reactions to it.”
Kelsey Tipton
Major: Clinical Health Science
Year: Junior
Campus: Blue Ridge
“I decided to get the vaccine to not only protect myself but others from this virus. My only associated symptom was soreness around the injection site on my arm for a few days. I really encourage everyone to do their own credible research about the vaccine because I know there is a lot of skepticism since it was produced quickly. The decision is always up to you.”
