With the December 11 Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Pfzier’s Coronavirus vaccine, the race to mass produce and distribute an antidote to the pandemic has heated up. Moderna, another major pharmaceutical company, has recently applied for approval from the FDA as well. The speedy approval process for the vaccines has left many Americans wondering: is this the key to returning to a normal pre-Corona world?

“I think producing a vaccine is too soon,” stated 21-year-old Jaiden Anthony, a Lumberton resident. “I believe companies are rushing the creation of the vaccine to generate a profit for them, since [COVID-19] is ruining a lot of businesses. I think scientists should do more research on the side effects. Death, infertility and organ failure could be a cause from the vaccination; and I definitely do not want that.”

Many states, including New Jersey, have already received doses of the vaccine for emergency personnel, such as doctors and nurses working with COVID-positive patients.

“I would receive the vaccine,” said 34-year-old Jilyan Lane, a citizen from Mount Holly. “However, I will get the vaccine several months after it is administered to the public. I want to thoroughly do my research and make sure that the vaccine does not cause deadly side effects.”

The Coronavirus vaccine will give its recipients similar side effects to the Influenza vaccine. Therefore, patients can experience the following symptoms after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine: a fever, fatigue, headaches, joint pains, muscle aches and soreness at the injection site. From the study trials in November, Moderna and Pfizer released that their patients encountered fatigue as the most common cause of the vaccine. 

“I just hope around this time next year, we can return back to normal,” Lane said. “I miss spending time with friends and family. It is also depressing seeing small business buildings boarded up everywhere I go.” 

As of December 2020, 380,826 New Jersey residents contracted the fatal virus, which then resulted in 17,471 deaths. In addition, the numbers continue to rise for the country’s total. The United States has skyrocketed to a sum of 15,336,665 cases and 290,289 deaths.  

“2020 has been a very stressful year; the deaths of some relatives and financial struggles,” Lane said. “However, if the pharmaceutical companies release the vaccine soon, I believe it will soothe a lot of people’s pain. It will finally bring optimism into the country–it will be a light at the end of the tunnel.”