With Covid-19 cases on the rise getting vaccines is high on some peoples to-do lists.

As of February 3, the CDC noted about 20.7 million people have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and that about 3.8 million people have been fully vaccinated.

New Jersey itself has given out 137,829 vaccine doses within the last 3 weeks.

There are two different types of the vaccine: Moderna and Pfizer. The Pfizer vaccine is used for children sixteen and older and Moderna is only for eighteen and older.

“I personally am scared of the vaccine just because it is so new,” stated senior McKenna Stoudt. She said she is very nervous about the long-term effects because there haven’t been any long-term studies about it.

It’s too soon to answer if any unknown risks may exist.

Dr. H. Dirk Sostman, president of the Academic Institute at Houston Methodist, sheds some important light on what we do know about vaccine safety.

“There’s certainly nothing in the technology or the clinical experience to-date that suggests any risk or reason for long-term side effects,” explains Dr. Sostman.

In the meantime, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines — which are both more than 90% effective — are a welcome milestone during a pandemic that’s taken more than 360,000 American lives in just 11 months.

Ten students at Hammonton High School were polled on their overall opinions about the vaccine.

The overall opinion of many students said they are mostly scared of the long term side effects, they stated that they were unsure if they would receive the vaccine once of age.