By Alyssa DeKeyser, Indiana Schilz, & Mackenzie Ullmer
Vaccines are now being readily available for everyone over the age of 16 in Wisconsin. Whether it is the Pfizer, Moderna, or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, students at Green Bay have mixed reactions about getting vaccinated. While the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is being halted in the United States because of some cases of blood clots, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being offered at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus. Prevea is the hospital offering COVID-19 vaccines for free at the Kress Events Center, and all you must do is book an appointment.
The Entrance Where for the COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic.
Several students have gotten their first and/or second dose of the shot, including UWGB Madison Heun. Heun received her first shot at the end of March and most recently got her second vaccine in mid-April. “I decided to get the vaccine because I want to be able to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as much as possible. I have never gotten the coronavirus, and I thought getting the vaccine can’t be worse than actually getting it,” says Heun. There have been many different side effects, including headaches, chills, and fevers that range from person to person when getting the vaccine, and Heun had her share of other things as well. “Both times, my body was very tired and sore. After the second shot, I was nauseous,” says Heun.
While many students are excited to get the vaccine, some are not so much. We interviewed a student who wishes not to be named about not getting the vaccine, and they have some different opinions about it. “I don’t want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. I already had COVID-19 once before, and I have the antibodies to fight it again. I don’t think I need it at all,” says the student. While a COVID-19 vaccination is recommended, they are not required. “If I am required to take one, then eventually I will get it, but for as long as it is my opinion, I will not be getting vaccinated. This student has received vaccinations for other things like HPV before but does not believe that COVID-19 is a threat to their health. “I am not worried about the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel my body is strong enough to fight it, considering I already had it once. I had a cough and a fever for two days, but that was all,” says the student.
The Kress Events Center Where Vaccines are Being Distributed.
While the vaccine has mixed opinions, any student at the UW-Green Bay campus can set up an appointment to get the vaccine if they choose to. Students who want to get a vaccine can do so through the MyPrevea Health App on their smartphone to book an appointment. “You only have to schedule the first shot, and then they schedule the second one for you there. It was a straightforward process to go through,” says Heun.