By: Perla Patricio
COVID-19 has been one of the worst things to have occurred in the United States, and the globe, vaccines can stop that.
Many lives were lost, people still in hospitals, and so many also lost their jobs or homes.
In Los Angeles, businesses ask customers for proof of their COVID vaccination in order to enter a facility. This makes it safer for those going into their shops or restaurants.
There are mixed opinions about this mandate. Some people say that it is a good idea to make it safer for themselves and anyone around them, and some think that it is a violation of their privacy.
From the start of COVID, many people started to get depressed due to the number of deaths announced in the news on a daily basis.
People lost family members, friends, and important people in their lives due to COVID-19.
This mandate and proof of vaccination to enter places creates a safer feeling to go out.
Having had COVID myself due to work and it spread among my family was the worst experience that I could’ve had. I had to deal with the pain of COVID, having the worst fever, and feeling so weak that I could not even get out of bed.
My mother got the worst of it, getting pneumonia with COVID. Pneumonia is easy to catch along with COVID for those with higher risks.
A student named Melissa told me about her concerns with the mandates check to see if someone is vaccinated or not.
“I do feel like it’s a violation of my privacy and my rights,” Melissa said.
She said people can be forgetful and forget their proof of being vaccinated everywhere. She said even if people are vaccinated they are still able to catch the virus.
Other students feel the exact opposite, like Jennifer Valenzuela and Gustavo Villarreal.
Valenzuela said how much safer she feels going out knowing that the risk of getting COVID is lower due to everyone being vaccinated.
“I don’t think it’s a violation of privacy. I feel like it is necessary to have proof. If we need vaccination to go to school, I don’t see it any different than the vaccine for chickenpox,” Valenzuela said.
She does not see the difference between vaccines. She said why do people who have taken the vaccine for chickenpox feel hesitant on the one for COVID-19.
Villarreal, like Valenzuela, about the mandate and how he feels safer going out in public due to this mandate.
“Yes, I believe it’s a pretty good idea. It should encourage others to get vaccinated and show just how serious this pandemic is,” Villarreal said
There are still people who think that COVID is a hoax and do not want to take the vaccine, thinking that it is a violation of their bodies.
The deaths from COVID continue to rise and we together as a community can come together to stop the spread.