Menlo Community Reacts to COVID-19 Boosters

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Izzy Klugman

A Stanford vaccine technician approaches a car to administer a booster shot. Vaccination clinics, like this one at Stanford Hospital in Redwood City, are now open for boosters for anyone over the age of 12. Staff photo: Izzy Klugman.

Izzy Klugman, Staff Writer

After Menlo’s return back to campus after virtual learning the week of Jan. 3, many students are wondering when school will return to its normal activities again. Now, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) approval on Jan. 5, COVID-19 booster shots for 12-15-year-olds hold promise to return students to regular school activities soon, according to Head of School Than Healy.

Amid the increase in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant, Menlo is committed to remaining open for live instruction. “There are a bunch of things that we’re gonna need to do a little bit differently just to respond to this omicron challenge that we’re facing right now,” Healy said in a video about the return to campus after winter break. One of those “things” is getting its students booster shots.

In the same video, Healy stressed that COVID-19 boosters would be instrumental in this return to normal. “Get boosted. As we have come to learn, vaccination and booster shots provide the best protection against serious illness from COVID-19,” Healy said. 

The omicron variant is known to be extremely contagious, which is why in-person school was shut down in the first place, even though it’s less deadly than previous variants. “We have been monitoring the omicron wave as it has reached our area, and unfortunately, omicron is exactly what has been described: a highly contagious variant of COVID-19 that has a short but intense impact on the communities it moves through,” Healy said in an email released just before returning from winter break.

Freshmen are also among the students that qualify for the vaccine booster now. “I think that it’s definitely a step in the right direction for slowing down the spread of COVID,” freshman Joshua Marks said. According to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness decreases over time due to the changes in the variants. Getting boosted will increase immunity to these variants. Marks also hopes that restrictions will loosen as a result of widely available booster shots. 

Despite these omicron concerns, students are excited about the booster’s approval. In an interview earlier this week, seventh-grader Rosalyn Zhou said that she hopes the booster will allow for indoor assemblies and group gatherings that wouldn’t previously have been possible.

Boosters also offer a faster return to campus if students are exposed to someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Quarantining after exposure is not required if it has been two weeks since a student received their booster, according to the California Department of Public Health.

The booster’s side effects include tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea, which are factors to be aware of before getting the booster. 

Despite these side effects, many students have still gotten boosted. “I feel kind of terrible right now. But it’ll probably go away […] and it’s good because we can all be safer,” Freshman Ruby Satusky said. She got her booster the day before. 

Lower school students are also optimistic about what the booster holds for the future. In an interview earlier this week, eighth-grader Grant Hinshaw says that he hopes the booster will offer increased immunity so everyone can integrate back into normal activities again. “I know my booster appointment is coming up soon, ” Hinshaw said.

The school recognized the frustrations of continued pandemic restrictions in the same video released on Jan. 5. “We will continue to monitor the omicron surge and, as quickly as we are able, we’ll work towards returning to a more fully ‘normal’ school experience. I recognize that some of the safety mitigations may be considered an inconvenience, but if they allow for an in-person learning experience, then I believe these are inconveniences that we can endure,” Healy said.