It has been nearly a year since the COVID-19 pandemic swept the planet, and now a vaccine is available. The Centers for Disease Control developed the plan Operation Warp Speed to distribute the vaccines by the millions. Manufacturers aim to distribute the vaccine quickly as possible as cases in the United States continue to surge, especially in hotspots such as Florida.

Being as this is a new vaccine, limitations are set on who will be able to immediately receive it. There is not yet a large enough supply for all citizens, so the vaccine will not be available to the general public until around May or June. However, prioritized groups will be the first to have the vaccine available.

“Having a COVID-19 vaccine is imperative to bringing daily life back to any sort of normal. Besides obvious reasons of its importance like increased immunity to the virus, I think that by having a vaccine accessible, the quality of life for at-risk populations could only be bettered. I can not help but be skeptical of how well the current vaccine will work, or if it will eventually show side effects that counter its purpose. However, I think that in hearing that there is a vaccine it gives at-risk populations hope that they may be able to gain a sense of control over their lives again,” senior Chloe Grant said.

The first priority group is health officials — especially those dealing with the virus directly — along with those who are living in long-term facilities, meaning a place of residency which provides constant nursing services. These people receive first priority as they are the ones most at risk of getting the virus. The next priority group consists of essential workers since they are also at high-risk of contracting COVID-19. After these groups have received the vaccine and there is a large enough supply, the vaccine will become publicly available to everyday citizens.

Many have wondered how the vaccine will be administered since it is the first COVID-19 vaccine that will be distributed. According to the CDC, most of the vaccines developed require two shots, except for one which only requires one shot. So, depending on the vaccine someone receives, the administration will differ. Some worry that the vaccine will give recipients COVID-19, however, this is not true. Although some may experience mild symptoms, they will not test positive for the virus. The purpose of a vaccine is to teach the immune system how to fight off a specific virus or disease, therefore experiencing symptoms is not unusual.

Getting vaccinated will still not put an end to social distancing or wearing a mask. Even after getting the vaccine, the CDC still recommends that people maintain social distancing and continue wearing masks. This is because it is not yet known how effective the vaccine will be. Although trials have proven that it should work, they cannot be certain that this will be the case. Therefore, they have chosen to err on the side of caution and continue promoting the same guidelines as before.

Having this new vaccine could help prevent the spread of the virus and possibly put an end to this pandemic. Even though no one can be 100% certain it will work, at least it is a start. The distribution of this vaccine is a step towards recovering from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.