Vaccines:
When will high school students be eligible to get the vaccine?
High school students will likely be eligible to get the vaccine this fall (2021). This is according to the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, who stated on CBS’s “face the nation,” “One of the vaccines, the Pfizer vaccine [..] is already approved down at 16. [...] so I think we'll be in a position to be ready to vaccinate a high school age population sometime this fall.”
When can our teachers be eligible to get the vaccine?
Now! Starting Thursday, March 11, teachers and staff members at schools across Massachusetts are allowed to get a vaccine at any of the state's 170 vaccination sites. In order for a staff member to get a vaccine, they must either sign up for a time slot on the state's “COVID-19 vaccine finder” website or use the state’s 211 call system.
Will we need to get a COVID vaccine every year, similar to the flu vaccine?
The simple answer is: we do not know. Besides knowing that these vaccines are safe and effective, experts are unsure about many things related to the vaccine. Factors such as how long the vaccine will provide immunity for and whether new variants will impact the vaccine immunity’s longevity are still relatively unknown. That being said, the important thing right now is to get immunized as soon as you are eligible.
Variants:
Should we be concerned about the different variants?
Yes, to an extent. According to Bollinger, MD, a professor at John Hopkins, “mutations may enable the coronavirus to spread faster from person to person, and more infections can result in more people getting very sick or dying. In addition, there is preliminary evidence from Britain that some variants could be associated with more severe disease.” That being said, it is never a good idea to panic, and precautions, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, still drastically decrease your risk of getting COVID-19 and transmitting it to other people.
Should I still get the vaccine, even with the new variants?
Definitely! When you are eligible, it is critical that you get the vaccine in order to save lives and get back to a sense of normalcy. According to the University of Maryland, “The effectiveness of the currently authorized vaccines is quite high, even if it is somewhat lower against new strains. The nearly 95 percent effectiveness of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is much higher than is typical for vaccines. As a reminder, the annual flu vaccine has an effectiveness rate of around 40-60 percent from year to year.”
Note: The same holds for the newly approved Johnson and Johnson vaccine, which is 66 percent effective, and is therefore still extremely effective.
A Sense of Normalcy:
When will we go back to high school full time?
At this point, no one knows for certain when we will go back to school. On March 8th, Dr. Gutekanst had an open forum to see students' opinions regarding when we should go back to full-time in-person school. According to the email invite, the school administration and school committee are currently discussing going back to in-person school either later this spring or at the beginning of the next school year.
Will I be able to go to camp this summer?
Likely. The consensus among experts and the American Camp Association alike seems to be that most summer camps will be open this year, with the obvious caveat that there will be different COVID restrictions, such as smaller groups, mask-wearing, and other critical precautions. That being said, as we have all learned, plans and conditions can change rapidly.
Masks:
Do we still need to wear a mask and follow CDC guidelines?
Most definitely! Experts such as Dr. Fauci maintain that it is still critical to wear a mask and to follow the CDC’s life-saving guidance.
For a full explanation of things you can do to protect yourself and others: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
Do we need to wear a mask even if we are vaccinated?
Yes. The most simple explanation is that the vaccines do not provide 100 percent protection. What this means is that you can still be a carrier of the virus and therefore still transmit it to other people, causing them to get sick. This means that getting the vaccine is not like flipping a light switch to an instant return to normalcy.
When will we stop needing to wear masks?
The uncomfortable and unfortunate truth is that we may be wearing masks into 2022. As expert Dr. Anthony Fauci stated on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked if we will be wearing masks into 2022, “I think that it is possible that is the case.” The reason behind this is because, in order for people not to need masks, we need to achieve herd immunity, which is when a significant portion of the population is immune from getting infected. For COVID-19 the exact number of people who must be immune to reach herd immunity remains unknown, but if you compare different estimates it seems to be likely that it is somewhere between 65 and 85 percent of the American population will need to be immune from COVID in order to achieve herd immunity.
Looking to The Future:
How will life be different post-COVID compared to pre-COVID?
At this point, it is mostly a guess. But, it is likely that we will be more of a health-conscious society, with better hygiene practices, such as more people consistently washing their hands. Moreover, it is possible that we will even do things unthinkable before, such as wearing masks during the winter, to prevent the flu. Currently, the post-COVID social norms are mostly an unknown factor.
Do we have to worry about another pandemic?
Yes. According to the BBC, “Our effect on the climate, encroachment on wildlife habitats and global travel have helped circulate animal-borne diseases. Combined with urbanization, overpopulation, and global trade, we’ve set up an ideal scenario for more pandemics to come.” Essentially, our treatment of the environment has resulted in an increased chance for another pandemic. This risk can be mitigated with efforts such as conservation of natural land, insulation of green energy, and being conscious of where our products originate.