With the number of coronavirus cases on a constant rise in North Carolina, many people are anxious to know when they can get their vaccines. As many people return to work, their chances of getting exposed are constantly rising, and their odds don’t look good. Not only do people find themselves worried about their safety but the safety of those around them. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently released a quiz to help people locate their vaccine group. What a lot of students at Apex High School may not realize is that they are eligible for the next group to get vaccinated, group 3. This group is for the essential workers and is a chance for many working students to get vaccinated. If enough students and teachers get vaccinated, we have a better chance of preventing a COVID outbreak within the school.

So, you may be wondering what qualifies you as an essential worker or not. First off, you must be sixteen years of age or older to get the covid vaccine as there is not a vaccine for children yet. Then, you must have a job that classifies you as an essential worker. If you work at a grocery store, the post office, or if you have a job at a summer camp over the summer, you could classify for group 3.

You may be asking yourself, why should I get the vaccine? If you are able to get vaccinated, you would help build herd immunity around the world and throughout our school if you plan on attending school during Plan B. Our teachers are risking their lives to be able to teach us, and building immunity throughout our school can help keep them and yourself safe.

For more information, go to findmygroup.nc.gov to find out what group you qualify for and see if you can help build up immunity in our community to keep everyone, including yourself, safer.