The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has been out since December of 2020. However, it was just now FDA approved on August 23, 2021, a year and a half since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
So, what is COVID-19 (also known as SARS-CoV-2)?  COVID-19 is a contagious disease caused by a severe acute respiratory illness. It emerged in December of 2019 in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is a part of the Coronavirus family that is known to cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). You can contract COVID-19 by breathing in the air of an infected person who is exhaling small droplets and particles that contain the virus. Those droplets could then land in your mouth, nose, or eyes. To prevent this from happening, you should wear masks in all indoor spaces, and wash your hands thoroughly. These are the symptoms you ought to look out for: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. However, anyone can get COVID-19 and spread it, even if your symptoms are dormant.

If you want to protect yourself even further, the COVID-19 vaccine is at your service. The COVID-19 vaccine is an mRNA vaccine that may prevent you from getting COVID-19. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 95% effective at preventing the COVID-19 virus in people aged 16 and older. It is a two-dose vaccine that requires them 21 days (about 3 weeks) apart; however, some immunocompromised people may need to receive a third shot. There are some mild side effects like fatigue, headache, and muscle pain. I got the chance to interview Anetra Witherspoon (10), a recently vaccinated student, who said,” It didn’t really hurt it just made my arm very sore. I couldn’t even move it because of how stiff my arm felt.” According to the CDC, only 2% of covid cases are from vaccinated people.

Following FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine, many big corporations are mandating getting the vaccine. This has caused controversy because not everyone would like to receive the vaccine for various reasons like religion. Many others may be scared to get the vaccine because of the misinformation surrounding it. For instance, people believe there is a microchip in the vaccine. The CDC debunked this by saying the vaccine was developed to fight against diseases; it’s not administered to track your movement. Another myth is that the covid vaccine will alter your DNA; this has also been debunked by the CDC. If you have a concern about the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

Whether or not you choose to receive the vaccine, COVID-19 is always going to be around. Global pandemics will never 100% disappear, so knowing how to protect yourself can go a very long way.