On Monday, October 11, the pharmaceutical company Merck asked for emergency FDA approval of their new pill, called Molnupiravir. When the pill enters one’s bloodstream, it ceases the replication of the COVID virus. Because Molnupiravir is such a recent creation, many people do not yet know about it. Even so, some Westminster students and faculty members have already formed their own opinions.
What was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? I know a lot of companies, they have medication that might prevent or might work short-term, but long-term, it doesn’t really help. I think it’s a really great opportunity and it’s a really great thing if it works. What are your predictions for the future if the Merck pill is to be authorized by the FDA? If it works, I think it’ll be a great thing, but if it doesn’t, it might end horribly. How would this pill impact Westminster? I think it’ll affect Westminster so that if a student gets sick, after a couple of days, they can get the medication if they need it. – Sallie Dotson, 8th gradeWhat was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? I feel like to have an informed opinion on it, I need to read up a little bit more on it, but I think it sounds promising. I hope that it’s something that works out. What are your predictions for the future if the Merck pill is to be authorized? I think that on the one hand, it would be a good thing because people wouldn’t get as sick from COVID. I think the thing that would make me nervous about it is people letting down their guard so much because they know that it’s available. How do you think this pill would impact Westminster as a whole? I actually have no idea! – Ms. Hogan, 7th Grade History TeacherWhat was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? I think it sounds amazing––I think everything that helps us to fight COVID, either keep it from spreading or to inoculate people entirely, are important. What are your predictions for the future if the Merck pill is to be authorized? I have more questions than answers; I don’t know all of the details yet. How do you think the pill would impact Westminster as a whole? One of the things that I wonder about is, what’s the impact of the pill on different age groups? Is it something that might be more recommended for adults and the elderly versus young children? – Mrs. Morton, Dean of Westminster Middle SchoolWhat was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? I’m confused about why they would create a medicine like that because we already have vaccines, and they seem to be helping all of us. What are your predictions for the future if the pill is to be authorized? I think it could go two ways: it turns out to be good, where people end up using it and it helps COVID take a turn. The other side of it is that people may not like the COVID pill, it may not be working, and then you have to take back the pill you’ve already put out into the world. How would this impact Westminster as a whole? It’s possible that when people take it they could get sick, and COVID could be passed on to other people. It could go airborne, so Westminster could be shut down as a school. Or maybe it helps Westminster, and maybe we could stop wearing masks. – Siri Parikh, 6th GradeWhat was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? That’s good. People should take it so we can get back to our normal lives, and I think that it can help. What are your predictions for the future if this pill is to be authorized? I think there could be some turmoil over it––some people won’t take it, some people have their doubts. I think that it’ll take a while, but I hope that everyone will take it. What are your predictions for the future if this pill is to be authorized? I think it’ll affect us in a positive way. I think that people will just be able to go to middle school normally. – Rohan Anand, 7th Grade
What was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? I think it could be good. I think it’s like the vaccine. If you didn’t want to get the vaccine, then you could take a pill and that might be easier. It could be an easier option to prevent COVID, I guess. What are your predictions for the future if this pill is to be authorized? I think people who aren’t vaccinated might think this is a better option than getting the vaccine, especially if it’s approved for younger kids. You could give them a pill instead of a shot. How would this impact Westminster as a whole? People who have doubts about getting the vaccine might be like, “Oh, I’m not getting the vaccine, so I’m getting the pill.” We’d have more people vaccinated, and we might be able to go maskless. – Sydney Wszolek, 8th GradeWhat was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? I think it’d be really good because the world has changed so much because of COVID, like school has changed and everything. What are your predictions for the future if this pill is to be authorized? I’m guessing it’s gonna be in high demand, so we will probably have a shortage. It’s gonna be rationed off, but if it works, hopefully everything can start going back to normal. How would this impact Westminster as a whole? It would make everything a bit easier because you wouldn’t have to worry about having to wear a mask and worry about all of the rules. – Sophie Hart, 7th GradeWhat was your initial reaction to this anti-COVID pill? I don’t know how to think because we do already have multiple COVID vaccines that are already out there . . . What are your predictions for the future if this pill is to be authorized? I think it would help because a lot of people I know don’t like to get shots, so it’d help them get something to protect them without having to get shots. How would this impact Westminster as a whole? There might not be the whole Middle School having to wear a ton of masks all the time because everyone would be able to get it. – Will Cooper, 6th Grade
