More than 59% of Pennsylvanians are fully vaccinated according to the PA Department of Health website. How is it that only half of Pennsylvanians are vaccinated seven months after the vaccine was made available to all adults on May first 2021. How is it that in the two months after Pfizer gained federal Food and Drug Administration approval, more than 40% of Pennsylvanians are still not fully vaccinated? 

This week, Shippensburg University is hosting a week-long initiative dedicated to getting students vaccinated. Vaccination week, organized by the COVID Office and campus partners will collect data on the number of vaccinated students and is offering four vaccination clinics this week. 

Getting vaccinated is an important personal choice. However, the consequences of getting vaccinated or remaining unvaccinated impact thousands. 

Aside from medical and religious exceptions, everyone should get vaccinated. When we were little kids sitting crisscross-applesauce in our elementary classrooms we were taught that working together means making compromises. We we’re taught that successful teamwork means we won’t get everything we want. 

From the time we learn our ABC’s, the lesson of teamwork is instilled in us. Take the nursery rhyme “Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share,” is sung by 3-year-olds. Unfortunately, these situations where we put these lessons to work are complicated in the outside world. 

The bigger the risk an issue presents, usually the bigger the compromises we have to make. We are seeing that all over the United State of America during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are millions of people who do not want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. However, the ones who are in good health and still refuse to get vaccinated after the Pfizer vaccine has been FDA approved and a plethora of current data is presented on the CDC website lead to deaths — their own and others. 

You may be healthy and unvaccinated, and you may get COVID-19 and you may get over it without winding up in a hospital. But you could also infect someone who is not as lucky. Before knowing you are positive for COVID-19 you could spread germs in all sorts of places to be picked up by those at greater risk of death from COVID-19. 

Or you may be healthy and unvaccinated and may get COVID-19 and may be severely affected by it. Is this a scare tactic? Yes. Because we should be scared. There is a pandemic that has been ravaging the world for almost two years and millions of Americans alone refuse to do their civic duty and protect their fellow citizens. 

The coddling of the unvaccinated needs to stop. For those who have no medical or religious exception, do your part and stop the spread. 

For those of you who waited for FDA approval but then found another excuse, go study the data from the FDA and CDC, you have no more excuses. 

Don’t take someone else’s word when it comes to COVID-19 facts and data. Look at the scientifically studied, peer-reviewed and proven science. 

There is more information and research into the COVID-19 vaccines right now than ever. As we near the two-year marker of the pandemic, the Pfizer vaccine will be close to turning one year old. The Center for Disease Control has pages of data and studies about different vaccinations and side effects and success rates.  

What this data is showing, is that the vaccine is safe and effective. Our unvaccinated fellows are 6.1 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19 and are at an 11.3 times risk of dying from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated individuals. 

This week is vaccination week, and there are multiple opportunities for any SU student, faculty or staff to go get their Pfizer vaccine free of charge. Protect your neighbors Protect yourself and protect your loved ones. 

It’s time for the excuses to end. 

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