Students Get COVID Vax

Students Get COVID Vax

Students scared of needles choose to just take their chances with COVID

Students in health professionals doing their placements are starting to get the COVID vaccine.

The Health Sciences Pro Vice Chancellor (PVC) reached out to students over email. The email was a call for anyone about to start work in a frontline medical placement to book an appointment for their jab as a part of a priority group of people. 

Brianne*, a physio student, said that all of her physio friends “have either received the vaccine this week or are awaiting a confirmation text on when they are getting theirs.” You can emphasize that a certain day is best for you, but not everyone gets their first choice. 

“The vaccine itself was very easy, not a very painful one,” she said. “I’ve had no symptoms post getting it just the sore arm you expect.”

The PVC said that the Uni “strongly encourages all its students” to get vaccinated if they can, citing the obligation of healthcare professionals to protect their patients. But according to Amy*, another physio, not everybody in the medical building is eligible for the jab at this point in time.

Apparently receptionists, who come into close contact with everyone in the building, are not eligible for this round of vaccines. Critic could not confirm if this is a universal policy or specific to a certain healthcare building.

The vaccine “was very easy, not painful”, and is followed by a 20-minute debrief period in which you are monitored for symptoms of an allergic reaction or other unexpected consequence, like the sudden compulsion to buy Microsoft products.

Students who got their jab are “happy to be keeping our people safe”, especially considering that many of them work closely with high-risk individuals. 

Jamie Lee Ross offered us $500 in Peri Peri points to spin this as an article for health supplements, but we said “No! Critic’s journalistic ethics aren’t for sale (unless you’ve got a good K hookup)”.

This article first appeared in Issue 7, 2021.
Posted 9:19pm Sunday 18th April 2021 by Fox Meyer.