Head prefects from four Perth schools banded together to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations with a message encouraging other young people to follow suit.
Eight pupils from Perth Grammar School, St John’s RC Academy, Perth High School and Perth Academy met at Dewars Centre on August 19 to get their Pfizer dose.
All over 16-years-old, they attended the drop-in clinic after school, with the seven receiving jabs “in and out within half an hour”.
In attendance were Perth Grammar head girl Eilidh Coutts and head boy Kevin Phan, Perth Academy head prefects Loren Wigley and William Gorton, St John’s head boy and girl Jack Liddell and Calista Donald, and Perth High head prefects Olivia Laing and Ryan Sands.
Eilidh Coutts of Perth Grammar said she had “a wee bit of a sore arm and headache” the next day, but it was “nothing a dose of paracetamol couldn’t fix”.
“I would strongly encourage any young people considering getting the vaccine to do so,” she said.
“We all received our first dose except Ryan who got his a few weeks ago.
“He couldn’t get his second dose yet but he came with us to help spread the message.
“We all know that young people are less likely to get severely affected from COVID-19 than older people, but this will protect our friends, family and the wider population as well as ourselves.
“I believe it’s important to remember that a much larger proportion of scientific resources were focused on creating a vaccine for COVID - much more than what is normal for other vaccines.
“It’s also important to remember that these vaccines wouldn’t be used if the risks outweighed the benefits.”
Olivia Laing of Perth High School added: “I felt completely fine for the rest of the day. The only side effect I had was a sore and tender arm the following day. I can’t urge people enough to get the vaccine.
“We have been dealing with this virus for almost two years of our lives and the pandemic has had such a huge impact on so many. So why would you not?”
Jack Liddell of St John’s RC Academy said: “Getting vaccinated was a decision I’m really happy I made. I only suffered from an achy arm for a day.
“I would say to anyone considering getting the vaccine not to worry and that it helps the whole world to get one step closer to normality again.”
Loren Wigley of Perth Academy said: “I would say to any young person considering getting the vaccine to go for it as it was an easy enough process and the nurses and staff in the centre were all lovely. If we all get a jag, it will help us young people be able to start living our normal lives again.”
William Gorton of Perth Academy said: “We should listen to advice from the scientists,” while Calista Donald of St John’s felt the young people of Scotland getting vaccinated can “open new opportunities and a safer future for us to continue in a COVID-safe environment”.
Kevin Phan of Perth Grammar “didn’t really feel any side effects” and thinks that everyone who is able to get the vaccine should get it as “there isn’t much of a reason not to”.
Ryan Sands of Perth High School concluded: “It’s incredibly important to get vaccinated, it protects the most vulnerable and if you do catch COVID-19 it will reduce the symptoms and the risk of long-term effects.”
