Cardiff students and the Covid vaccine: Would they get it?

On Tuesday 2nd December, the news broke that the UK were the first country in the world to approve the Pfitzer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine. The Welsh Government confirmed their plans to roll out this vaccine as soon as next week.

Since this announcement, there has been much controversy on social media as to whether people would get the vaccine or not. We asked Cardiff students what they thought, and whether they would get the vaccine or not. Here’s what they had to say:

84 per cent of students said they would get the vaccine

The Cardiff Tab took to Instagram to ask students if they would get the vaccine, and of the 716 people that answered, 84 per cent (602) said yes, they would. That leaves 114 students (16 per cent) who said they would decline getting the vaccine.

‘I’ll only get the vaccine when rich people get it’

Several of the students we spoke to were somewhat sceptical about the vaccine, with one student commenting: “I’ll only get the vaccine when rich people get it, because then you know it works”.

Another student expressed their concerns over the length of its testing, saying: “Hasn’t been tested enough, don’t know if there’s any long term side effects”.

Lucky for you, many celebs have volunteered to take the vaccine live on television to encourage others to follow suit. On Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain, Piers Morgan volunteered to take it on-air on Monday morning if he could. Piers took to Instagram to share this information, captioning the video: “I have a vaccine date with the Health Secretary”.

Former US Presidents, Barack Obama, George Bush, and Bill Clinton, also volunteered to take the vaccine publicly to give the public more confidence in its safety.

Credit: Instagram @piersmorgan

‘Shoot me up, the worst has already happened’

Many of the students we spoke to were desperate to get the vaccine, saying: “I just want life to go back to normal ASAP”.

Another student pleaded: “Give everyone it ASAP, I don’t want it to be a whole year since I last went livey”, and honestly we feel you.

‘If that vaccine is effective and safe why didn’t the rest of the world approve it?’

There were some students who were wary that the UK was the only country to approve the vaccine so far, commenting: “If that vaccine is effective and safe why didn’t the rest of the world approve it?”

Another Cardiff student said: “No chance I’m getting it”.

Other students wanted to see how the vaccine worked first, telling The Cardiff Tab: “I just don’t want to be the first one to get it. Just in case”.

The NHS tweeted that “the vaccine has met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).”

‘So excited that we can finally protect the most vulnerable’

Throughout this pandemic, the measures that have been put into place were largely to protect the most vulnerable among us.

Several students were delighted with the news of the vaccine, stating: “It’s amazing news! So excited that we can finally protect the most vulnerable”.

Another student commented: “It’ll save lives and prevent people from potentially getting long-term effects”.

‘They won’t vaccinate anyone below 30 yet’

The Welsh Government released the priority list for the vaccine, including those most vulnerable over 80 years old, as well as care home staff.

The remainder of the population will get the vaccine based upon age group, with the highest to lowest risk.

The Cardiff Tab spoke to several Cardiff students who said they’d be keen to get the vaccine, but have their doubts over whether they’ll ever be offered the chance to get it. One student said: “I’d be happy to get one if offered, but I feel like our age group probs wouldn’t be offered”.

Another student told The Cardiff Tab: “Once the vaccine goes to more than 60 per cent of the pop, they’ll stop I reckon”.

One student also expressed doubts, saying: “Unless people under 40 are at risk, we won’t be getting it for some time”.

So, it seems Cardiff’s students are conflicted about the virus, just as the rest of the population are. However, we found that 84 per cent of students are keen to get the virus over 16 per cent who are not.

Although it is likely that students will not get the vaccine for some time, Cardiff University is offering asymptomatic tests to all students before they return home for Christmas, as are other Cardiff universities. Stay safe and well this Christmas.

Related articles recommended by this writer:

• Here’s everything you need to know about the vaccine roll out in Wales

• Welsh universities say it may be impossible to test every student before they return home

• Cardiff University has discovered that mouthwash can eradicate coronavirus in 30 seconds