COVID-19 vaccinations are being delivered to many hospitals and other public health departments in the Omaha area as many locals are choosing whether this is an option for them or if they are going to refrain.

The CDC has reported that this vaccination will protect those who are getting the vaccine from spreading COVID-19, but masks are still required to wear.

Due to the limitation of the COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC has created a recommendation of who should be able to get the vaccine in certain phases; Phase 1a: Healthcare personnel and residents of long-term healthcare facilities, Phase 1b: Frontline workers and people aged 75 and older, and Phase 1c: People aged 65-74, people aged 16-64 with underlying health conditions that could put them at risk and other essential workers.

Many family members and friends of Burke students are planning on getting the COVID-19 due to their profession, an underlying health condition or for personal request.

Emma Petersen, an Omaha native and graduate from Millard North High School got the vaccine along with her family members.

“My family and I decided to get vaccinated because my mom, brother and sister are high-risk. I think getting vaccinated will help decrease the spread because it has helped so much with the amount of hospitalizations and deaths,” Petersen said.

According to the CDC, it is statistically proven that the vaccine has an efficiency rate of 95%. Due to this high rate, many people across the nation have decided that this is the right choice for them.

It is required that after getting the vaccine you must get a second dose, besides the Johnson & Johnson, which is just one shot. Depending on which vaccine you get, you have to wait a certain amount of days to get a second dose. If you get the Moderna you have to wait 28 days and if you get the Pfizer you have to wait 21 days.

The Pfizer is approved for those 16 and older and the Moderna is approved for those 18 and older. According to the CDC, the Pfizer is proven to be 95% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection while the Moderna is 94.1% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

“I think it is a good idea to get the vaccine because it will help get life back to normal. It will also help the numbers go down,” Petersen said.

Burke students and staff have also seen the COVID-19 vaccine enter their life, as many of them along with family members and friends have received the vaccine.

Math teacher, Loretta Ohnemus just recently received her second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Signing up to get the vaccine may vary depending on where you register. Most places have online questionnaires that you fill out and provide an email to confirm registration so that you can select the phase you are eligible for.

“It was easy. It was all online. You just went to the website they gave you, fill out some information. They said ‘yes, you’re a candidate’ and they sent you a link for a form to fill out,” Ohnemus said.

As the vaccine is opening up to more and more people, distribution is becoming a longer process.

“I had the Pfizer. It was downtown at Creighton. There were police officers, people in the streets. The streets were marked off. You couldn’t turn corners. It was all one way direction. When you got in the building, it was long, roped-off lines that you wiggled through and you went to your three stations. My second shot, there was a block-long line of people just waiting to get into the building,” Ohnemus said.

Not only is the vaccine helpful for preventing spreading COVID-19, it also keeps our bodies from getting seriously ill if you do happen to get COVID.

“I had measles, and having suffered a disease like that, that was preventable with lasting effects, there was no question I was getting the vaccine. I also got the vaccine because there will be people who won’t be able to get the vaccine because of their health, so we all vaccinate so they’re safe,” Ohnemus said.

Ohnemus, along with many others, believes that getting the vaccine is important to decrease the spread of the virus, and she encourages all who are able to get the vaccine to register and become a part of the change.