In recent months, several COVID-19 vaccines have been produced for worldwide use, and with them came a whirlwind of opinion, controversy, and conspiracy. People of all ages are divided on these issues. Many believe the vaccines are safe and necessary, where others believe they are rushed, or part of a bigger conspiracy.

This topic comes up often in student discussion.  It’s not an uncommon thing to argue about and discuss with peers at school and beyond. I believe a lot of misinformation is spread about the vaccines and their side effects between students.

But to me, the responsibility is not on the students. The responsibility is on the parents. 

I got vaccinated the moment I was able to, and I trust vaccines. I have many other vaccines for various diseases that were required for me to step foot in kindergarten, and to me, COVID-19 was no different. The CDC website has information about the three largest vaccine options: Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna. They also have entire pages dedicated to how to get your vaccine, what to do afterward, the types available, effectiveness, and myths vs. facts. All the information to trust them is at our fingertips. 

Parents play a large role in the vaccination status of their children, and are partly, if not mostly, to blame for a lot of misinformation and scare tactics that are spread in our communities. I believe parents that do not believe the vaccine is real, do not trust it, and believe in larger conspiracies need to grow up. In the age of the internet, everything they would ever want to know about vaccines is available in a moment’s notice. If they wanted to learn and get the facts, they could. But they don’t. Their ignorance puts not only their child at risk, but everyone their child interacts with, and the parent themselves. These parents need to be shown hard facts and the truth. Unfortunately, many of these people are incredibly deep in conspiracy rabbit holes, and may be difficult to teach. But even if one child or family gets their vaccine, it could mean hundreds of lives saved. Beyond teaching their children misinformation, many children are unvaccinated against their will, and have caught or will catch COVID-19 and pass it on to others. The distrust of science goes deeper than a simple choice.

In short, many people who believe they are a wolf among sheep by not vaccinating are simply putting others in danger because they do not want to do a simple medical procedure. COVID-19 cases are skyrocketing while people are continually being sucked into conspiracies about the vaccine, all while the truth is at our fingertips. Education can be the key to getting life back to normal.

http://www.cdc.gov