Photo Credit: CDC (via Unsplash)
Most university students are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador website, you can now make an appointment to get your vaccine if you are age 12 or older. People aged 18 or older will be receiving the Moderna vaccine as approved by the government of Canada.
You can book an appointment online with your MCP card through the Government of NL website. For those who are not front-line workers and are not currently self-isolating, vaccinations in the Eastern Health region will take place at the Village Shopping Centre. There are currently two locations within the mall where you can receive your vaccination: Village Mall Yellow (1st Location) and Village Mall Blue (2nd Location). The closest available appointment dates begin mid-June. After you receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, you will be given an appointment to receive the second dose. You will receive the second dose no later than four months after the first dose.
A restriction that you should keep in mind is that you cannot receive the COVID-19 vaccine if you are currently experiencing symptoms of the virus. You also shouldn’t receive the vaccine if you are allergic to either polyethylene glycol or tromethamine. If you recently received another vaccination, you must wait 14 days before receiving the COVID-19 vaccination. In addition, once you receive the COVID-19 vaccination, you must wait 28 days before getting another vaccine. Please read the COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet provided by the government and carefully consider the restrictions before booking your appointment.
Two doses of the Moderna vaccine are estimated to be 86-94% effective at protecting you from becoming symptomatically ill. The side effects of receiving the vaccine include muscle and joint pain, headaches, nausea, fever or dizziness (for a complete list of side effects consult the COVID-19 Vaccine Information Sheet).
The release of permissions to administer the vaccine to a younger population is exciting news, as it means that we are that much closer to returning to campus in the fall. Do your part in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by booking your appointment to get the vaccine when you are eligible.
With the development of these vaccines and the efforts to vaccinate our population, we are demonstrating as a community that we are capable of working together to overcome widespread illnesses. We have gotten closer as a community over the past year. We have worked to protect both ourselves and others from illness. These efforts have gotten us where we are today – with effective vaccines widely available and the promise of a soon returning to a relatively normal way of living. There can be no doubt that our society has changed after the experiences we have gathered during this pandemic. I hope to see you all well upon our return to campus in the fall semester.
