Much of the world celebrated when vaccines came out last December, but with the vaccine came a new set of problems that hindered the goal of herd immunity. All three of the major U.S. vaccines–Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson–were only FDA approved under the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Questions arose regarding the possible negative side effects and long-term consequences of the vaccines, which are still relatively new. 

In our own YULA community, there have been mixed responses to the vaccine. While some jumped at the opportunity to get the shot, others were hesitant, preferring to wait for further research and experimental results. Different opinions from rabbis and doctors in our community both encouraged or hindered the vaccine rollout. 

On August 23rd, 2021, the world reached another important milestone: the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine received full FDA approval, the first COVID-19 vaccine to do so. For those in our community who were waiting for this approval, they may now feel more comfortable receiving the vaccine. However, there are still many unvaccinated people in our YULA community who are not completely reassured by the FDA approval and are waiting for further research.

We surveyed over 100 members of YULA faculty and students, asking about their vaccination status and whether the full FDA approval of the vaccine influenced their decision, and 69.2% of participants responded that they are vaccinated. That leaves 30.8% still unvaccinated. Moreover, of the vaccinated individuals, nearly 40% received their vaccine after full FDA approval, with half of these respondents maintaining that it was, in fact, the full FDA approval that pushed them to receive the vaccine. YULA senior Eitan Klein (‘22) explained that he “felt safer and more secure with the [full FDA] approval.” Similarly, Ava Kohanteb (‘23) was increasingly motivated to get the vaccine after full FDA approval because “it was evident that [the vaccine] was safe.” 

One can see that the full FDA approval has impacted many opinions. However, there are still many members of our YULA community who do not feel comfortable receiving the shot no matter what the approval status. Menachem Nissim (‘22) explained his decision to remain unvaccinated, stating that “I am a healthy kid with no underlying health problems… no one knows the long term effects [of the vaccine].” Many feel that because they have natural antibodies from recovering from COVID-19, it is not necessary for them to take the vaccine. Yosef Harkham (‘24) remarked that, “I got COVID in the summer, so I already have antibodies.” Additionally, YULA freshman Menucha Halevy (‘25) explained that to her, the vaccine seems “very experimental and unnecessary because I am healthy and have already experienced COVID-19.”

Overall, the full FDA approval has had an immense impact, despite not completely convincing those unvaccinated in the YULA community to receive the shot. Though many students still want to wait for long-term research or do not feel any pressing necessity, full FDA approval has proven reassuring for those who were on the fence about the vaccine.