Students Receive Vaccines

By: Hannah Park, Safira Schiowitz, Catherine Wu

The Academy hosted a COVID vaccination clinic in the William Boyce Thompson Field House to provide students aged 16 and above with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on April 28. The Academy is offering to administer the second dose of the vaccine on May 19 .

In the days following the first dosage, students who felt unwell due to side effects from the vaccine were excused from required appointments. Students were excited to receive vaccines, while considering the privilege they have.

According to an all-parent and all-student email from Principal William Rawson sent on May 4, “more than 570 students received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.”

Assistant Principal Karen Lassey, Medical Director Katharina Lilly and the Academy’s health center staff worked with the Regional Public Health Network (PHN) to provide students with vaccinations.

Lilly expressed gratitude for the team who drove the vaccination effort. “Our health center staff worked tirelessly to collect all necessary consents from parents, our providers held a webinar before the vaccine, provided patient education to parents and students before the clinic, and our nurses did a fabulous job of helping students who experienced any side effects after vaccination,” Lilly said.

According to Lilly, “we will continue to follow CDC and state guidance on our protocols. The more of us that get vaccinated, the closer we can get to more normalcy at Exeter.”

Lilly celebrated that the vaccination process went smoothly and efficiently, with no unexpected incidents following the vaccinations. “We have been anticipating this for quite a while and were very excited to move quickly to make it happen. Many people on campus worked very hard and efficiently so that we could vaccinate over 560 students in one day,” Lilly said. “We are also happy to report that no one experienced any significant adverse reactions from the vaccine!”

Many students reported that the vaccination felt quick and painless. Upper Caitlin Burke appreciated the patience of the vaccine administrators. “The actual vaccine was completely fine—I usually dislike needles, but the man giving me the vaccine was very efficient and friendly,” Burke said.

Lower Rodrigo Spinola e Castro shared similar thoughts. “The person who gave it to me was really nice and he was really good at it. I barely felt it at all,” Spinola e Castro said. “My arm is still a little bit sore, but I could forget about it really easily so I feel just fine.”

Lower Lexi Pelzer’s only reaction to the vaccine was soreness in the arm. “That was really my only symptom. Now I feel completely fine!” Pelzer said.

However, other students experienced stronger side effects from the vaccine. “I felt weaker physically. No fever symptoms, really just feeling physically weak,” upper Summer Faliero said.

Lower Warren Lawrence felt similarly. “When I first got the vaccine I felt super tired for the rest of the day so I slept a lot. I had to miss a few track practices because of it,” Lawrence said.

The Academy worked to accommodate students who were experiencing strong side effects from the vaccine. Many students were allowed to take required meetings off to rest and recover, and some attended class synchronously via Zoom if they felt well enough to participate.

Upper Krisha Deora said, “I wasn’t able to go to most classes on Thursday, and the ones I did go to I took online. I was tired and I had a few tests on Friday, but overall I was able to sufficiently study for them.”

Upper Fawaz Omidiya worried that he would miss out on learning crucial information if he took time off from classes. “The day after getting vaccinated, I felt extremely tired and wished I could’ve taken more time off. However, many of my classes were covering information that I felt I couldn’t afford to miss out on the class, which I think was due to some poor planning of class work based around the vaccination,” Omidiya said. “I did have some teachers give options of asynchronous or remote classes, which I found to be extremely helpful.”

Many students hoped that vaccinations would allow for looser COVID prevention measures once off campus. “I’m hoping that especially during the summer when I’m back home, I’ll be able to interact with other people who are vaccinated more normally. I’ve missed hugging my grandparents for example and being able to see friends closer than ten feet away with a mask on,” Pelzer said. “Apart from seeing close friends and family, I’ll still feel cautious when going to concerts and other public spaces, and I might wait for more research to come out on how likely I might be to pass the virus on to others, because that’s what I’m most concerned about.”

Senior Yulian Ye felt that the vaccine provided him with a greater sense of assurance. “I think to a degree, I would feel less cautious. Not so much in a reckless way, but more like relaxed and comfortable to hang out with my friends knowing that we have a dramatically decreased risk of catching and transmitting COVID,” Ye said. “At least my personal hope is that the Academy agrees to open up a little more in terms of out-of-town or in-town visits and possibly even opening up a radius a little bit.”

Omidiya noted that receiving the vaccine meant feeling safer and more comfortable around other people. “Knowing that so many people are getting vaccinated has made me feel safer. Even though the vaccine doesn’t have a 100% efficacy rate, it does lift a little of the concern of my shoulders,” Omidiya said.

Although students were excited to receive the vaccine, many students considered the ethics of the Academy’s mass administration of vaccines to students.

Kennedy agreed with the Academy’s decision to administer the vaccines. “I don’t feel bad about it. I’ve read a lot about the ethics of this, and not taking a shot that’s offered to you doesn’t mean it will go to someone more deserving. Vaccines are starting to be in excess in some places in the U.S., so I feel strongly that this is not wrong. Especially because all faculty and staff got theirs before students,” Kennedy said.

Deora initially felt guilty about receiving the vaccine, especially while on a campus with COVID restrictions. “Personally, initially, I felt guilty especially given the fact that we’re in a bubble, but I decided that if I have access to the vaccine I should be getting it because it would ultimately help slow the spread of COVID,” Deora said.

Narapareddy shared similar thoughts, but pointed at the importance in receiving vaccines to achieve herd immunity. “I know there’s people who probably need it more than we do, but at the same time if we don’t take it I know for a fact that they won’t get it either, it’s just going to go to someone else who’s privileged like we are,” Narapareddy said. “At this point in time, it’s important that if you have access to the vaccine, you should get it, because it’s herd immunity.”

Senior Emilio Abelmann acknowledged the struggles that other countries are facing with COVID. “Selfishly, I’m really happy that Exeter brought the vaccine to campus. However, in relation to the larger world where, for example, India is going through a crisis, seeing them have troubles with COVID is just another reminder of the immense privileges that we have as students at Exeter,” Abelmann said.

Abelmann continued, emphasizing the importance of reflecting on this privilege. “We are, in one way another, amongst the top 1% of educated people, we have an impressive endowment, and it’s an incredible privilege to receive the vaccines. But with this privilege needs to come a great amount of reflection and understanding that we should be grateful for the opportunities that we are offered,” Abelmann said.

Faliero acknowledged that many schools are not offering opportunities for vaccination, and admired the Academy’s decision to make this round of vaccinations non-mandatory. “I'm from South Carolina. A lot of schools don't have the same opportunities,” she said. “I’m really glad we can get the opportunity to get the vaccination here, especially because it’s optional, it's not being forced on anyone.”

Many students were also grateful for the Academy’s free distribution of vaccines to students and faculty. Pelzer appreciated the Academy’s decision to hold a clinic, considering the varied accessibility of vaccines elsewhere. “I’m happy I was able to get the vaccine because I’m a student from Washington state and it’s very unlikely a parent could’ve taken me to get the vaccine before the school year ended. I feel a lot safer knowing that when I’m traveling for example, it will be unlikely for me to contract or pass on the virus,” Pelzer said. “Also, for some international students, being vaccinated means being quarantined for seven less days, so a lot of them can see their families sooner.”

Post-graduate Claire Wiest agreed and mentioned that vaccines may not be available in other countries. “I think it's really good, especially for international students like me who may not be able to get the vaccine in their home countries for a while,” Wiest said.

Spinola e Castro was grateful for the vaccines provided by the Academy, recalling the difficulties he would face at home in Brazil. “My father and mother still haven't been vaccinated, so [these vaccinations] would never have been able to happen in Brazil. I'm really grateful that I managed to get it here and I feel it's really nice that they're giving it off to everyone without paying,” he said.

Ye thanked the Academy for making the vaccines more accessible and timely compared to alternate options. “For a lot of students, they’re far from home and the vaccine wouldn't otherwise be readily available to them, and especially not available in a timely manner. I think bringing vaccinations to campus was a great decision,” Ye said. “Even for a New Hampshire resident like me, who can't easily get off campus, it helped a lot with just the peace of mind and I'm being a little more relaxed about the whole COVID situation.”