The COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out worldwide, qualifying Norwin students have begun to receive their first dose. 

     Pennsylvania is currently in phase 1A of the vaccine roll-out that includes healthcare workers, certain medical conditions that were previously considered to be at high risk, and people 65 and older. Pennsylvania’s Department of Health is expecting the first phase to take several months before moving onto phase 1B. 

     One of the Norwin students who have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine is senior Sydney Willig. She received her first dose on Jan. 21 and is scheduled to get her second dose on Feb. 8. 

     “It was just like getting the flu shot,” said Willig. “The only difference was that I had to register for it beforehand.”

     Senior Mia Teslevich is another student who has received their first dose of the vaccine. She received her first dose on  Jan. 24, and plans to get her second on Feb. 14 . 

     “The whole process was pretty simple.” said Teslevich.  “I scheduled my appointment ahead of time because they were not accepting walk-ins. After I received it, I had to wait fifteen minutes. After that, I was good to go.”

     Now having received the vaccine, both seniors say that they feel safer with it. They hope that this will allow things to return to some semblance of normalcy in the near future. 

     “I feel much safer than I did before I got the vaccine,” said Willig. “Even though I haven’t gotten my second shot yet, I feel like I have one more layer of protection against COVID.” 

     Now that certain citizens have received the vaccine, the hope is that those who may have had doubts about the vaccine before will be willing to get it now. 

     “My hope is that the majority of people will choose to receive the vaccine. I understand why some people are skeptical,” said Teslevich. “It can be hard to change your views and how you feel but the main focus should be fighting this virus and getting back to normal.” 

     Hope and excitement seems to be the general consensus for the new vaccines. Many people in the Norwin area seem to have high hopes for this to be the beginning of the end for COVID-19. 

     Hopefully within the coming months, Pennsylvania will complete their vaccine roll out, and people will resume their lives just as they have in years past.

     PA Health Department Vaccine Info https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/Vaccine.aspx