COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Over the past few months since the COVID-19 vaccines have been released, people of all demographics have been eager to get theirs. Three different ones are available to the majority of the general public who meet the age requirements.The three vaccines currently approved by the FDA include Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson. 

As of now in Florida, 31% of Floridians have been fully vaccinated. Nationwide, this percentage is 32.3. After only about 6 months of the vaccines being distributed, already about a third of our nation’s population have been fully vaccinated. If this trend continues, almost all of the population could be vaccinated in about a year and a half. This hopefully means that the world can return to normal, or what would now be a new normal.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require 2 doses in order to be fully vaccinated, however they lead to only slight illnesses and soreness after receiving the shots. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is only one dose, but it makes people much sicker after receiving it. As of now, the Pfizer vaccine is about 95% effective, while the Moderna has a 94.1% efficacy and the Johnson and Johnson has a efficacy of 86%. Another major difference between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and the J&J is the age of people who are allowed to receive it. The two dose vaccines allow people as young as 16 years of age to get their shots, while the Johnson and Johnson allows people 18 years and older.

The increase in the number of vaccines has also led to a decrease in the number of cases per day. This decrease has been substantial enough for several counties to lift their mask mandates when indoors and in other public places. If the data keeps heading in this direction, then COVID-19 will soon be a thing of the past. 

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