At this point, many students at Yorba Linda High School likely know many people who have been fully vaccinated. Whether it is their parents, teachers, peers, or even themselves, students have likely noticed that an increasing number of people around them have already received both of their shots. This positive progression in vaccine distribution has given many students hope that, in the near future, their lives will slowly return to the way it was before the pandemic.

According to NBC News, approximately twenty-five percent of adults in the United States are completely vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also shows that approximately forty percent of adults and seventy-five percent of seniors in the United States are fully vaccinated. Since a relatively large percentage of the adult population in the United States has been vaccinated, states such as California that have created reopening plans based on vaccine distribution can continue their reopening efforts. According to the Los Angeles Times, thirty-eight percent of Californians have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and over twenty-two percent of California residents are fully vaccinated. These percentages continue to rise each day, and now that more people have become eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines it is likely that these percentages will only continue to increase.

Starting on April 15, anyone in California over the age of sixteen will become eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. For those under the age of eighteen, only the Pfizer vaccine will be available; still, this will give many high school students an opportunity to receive their vaccine. The new eligibility requirements are especially important now that schools including Yorba Linda High School are increasing the number of students on campus each day. If in-person students are vaccinated, the potential spread of COVID-19 on campus can be reduced.

According to Megan Chou (10), “It is great to hear that a lot of progress has been made when it comes to vaccine distribution. Hopefully, we will be able to see even more progress when it comes to slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the near future.” Since cases are decreasing, more places are reopening with less restrictive safety guidelines and many people are hopefully optimistic due to all of the progress that has been made recently in slowing the spread. If vaccine distribution continues to occur at a steady rate, progress will be made in slowing the spread of COVID-19.