When the news of a COVID-19 vaccine was announced to the public, people debated about who should be the first to receive the vaccine. Some people believe that the medical field should be the first priority, while others say that the elderly, children, and essential workers (other than the medical field) should be the first people to be vaccinated. Out of all these options, the answer is clear: the medical workers should be first in line for the vaccine. Whether they are working in a hospital, a medical clinic, their own medical businesses, or any other type of healthcare facility, these workers are essential for people’s health, relationships, and day-to-day lives. 

If society did not have these professionals, the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths would be much higher. Junior Ilayda Tinney agrees that healthcare workers should be the first group as well, “This group is required to come in close contact with people that have coronavirus. They should not have the threat of getting this virus every time they go to work.” These people, such as doctors and nurses, have to help multiple patients who have the virus in order to help their community. Because they are putting their lives at risk everyday for society, they should receive the vaccine first.

Additionally, doctors could have the virus but not yet know it, putting those who are healthy and COVID-19-free at risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if doctors have the virus but do not know it yet because of a lack of symptoms, they can give a non-COVID-19 patient the virus, which puts both the healthcare worker and the patient’s life in jeopardy. 

However, if they have this vaccine, they can continue to work and save lives without putting their own and their patients’ lives at risk. On the other hand, junior Ebony Crandle says, “I think that people who are hospitalized and in critical condition should be given access to the COVID-19 vaccine first because they are in a potentially life-threatening position, and the vaccine could mean life or death for them.” This is because when a patient’s health is already compromised from other ailments, catching COVID-19 could be a death sentence for him or her. Regardless, in order to get the number of cases of COVID-19 and deaths down and keep the healthcare workers safe, the healthcare workers need to receive the vaccine first in order to protect both themselves and the patients they treat because this will end up saving more lives in the long run.