On April 19th, the Official Site of New Jersey stated, “Everyone 16 or older who lives, works, or studies in New Jersey is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.” Because of this, multiple NPHS students are able to begin the vaccination process, and some have already started.

At the moment, the three vaccines being distributed, are Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson. However, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one that has been approved for minors (16 years or older), as one must be an adult in order to receive the other two vaccines. 

Because of the New Jersey eligibility, students in grades 10-12 who have turned sixteen can be vaccinated. The majority of NPHS students have just begun their vaccination process in the past couple weeks, either by receiving leftover vaccines or scheduling appointments. For example, Tanvi Silvester, a sophomore at NPHS, was vaccinated with Pfizer on April 16th.

“I was able to be vaccinated because at NJIT (New Jersey Institute of Technology). They had leftover vaccines. I didn’t have a reserved appointment, so I was able to walk in and get it,” Tanvi said. 

Other students, like sophomore Van Lawler, were just recently vaccinated through scheduling an appointment at a local pharmacy. When asked how the process went, Van said, “I had a pretty good experience getting the Pfizer vaccine. It was fast and easy.” 

Students who have been half vaccinated have to wait three weeks before their second shot. Although it’s suggested that the second shot produces worse side effects, students are still looking forward to becoming fully vaccinated.

“My second dose is coming up next week, and I’m excited to get it. I’m a little nervous because apparently you get sick after it, but overall it’ll be great to be fully vaccinated,” Tanvi said. 

Additionally, Matthew Melhuish, a senior at NPHS, has already been fully vaccinated. 

“I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, so I’m fully vaccinated, which is really comforting,” Matthew said. 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single dose, so Matthew’s process has been fully completed. However, this vaccine has been delayed until further notice, due to serious side effects arising in a few patients.

When asked if he had any symptoms, Matthew said, “I only had nausea and a headache after getting the vaccine, so nothing was too bad for me.” 

Out of all of the students interviewed, none of them had serious side effects. The worse reported was a sore arm or headache. Also, when asked about the process for receiving the vaccine, students found it easy and simple. 

“We got there, went right in, and they asked a few questions at the table. We had to make sure we had the right appointment, then we went right in. Getting the shot took a couple seconds, but we had to wait for fifteen minutes after to see if we had any symptoms right away,” Matthew said. 

Being vaccinated is completely optional for students. However, it’s an encouraged way to provide comfort in the pandemic. Also, the CDC released on April 27th that a fully vaccinated person can gather outdoors without wearing a mask, among other new guidelines. 

If you’re eligible to be vaccinated, and want more information, check the NJ COVID-19 Information Hub.

Personally, I recently received my first Pfizer dose, on April 27th, and I’m excited to be fully vaccinated!