Doses of any of the four COVID-19 vaccines currently in circulation are coveted worldwide. Being shot in the arm is a cause for celebration – it is the most effective means available to mankind to finally prevent the pandemic that killed 525,000 Americans over the course of a year.
Understandably, people are spreading their vaccines with cheerful selfies, passing on their triumphs to friends, family and the general public. But with the vaccine selfies, the question arises: How did you qualify to receive the injection?
Even with the envy of the vaccine on the rise, this is not a question you should ask. The requirements for receiving a vaccine in the United States are well known at this point: To receive an injection in your state, you need to meet a certain age requirement or live with at least one of several comorbidities. Not everyone wants to reveal whether or not they have a disease that qualifies them for the vaccine. And they shouldn’t have to do it.
Not everyone wants their public illness
Someone you know may not have any obvious signs of illness, but they may have dealt with illness a lifetime. Reveal a difficult diagnosis, such as cancer it is quite difficult when confined to friends and family. When someone has to explain to an acquaintance that they have long fought an illness, it can be an undue emotional burden on the person being vaccinated.
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Before COVID-19, people with chronic diseases already predicted stigma and ostracism in society in general. ONE 2011 study conducted by Yale researchers and published by the National Institutes of Health investigated the relationship between social stigma and chronic diseases.
The researchers looked at how chronic diseases can invade the lives of affected people, often in ways beyond their control.
People diagnosed with chronic illnesses report social rejection, termination of the workplace and poor health care due to chronic illness. It is important to note that people living with chronic diseases may come to anticipate stigma. Anticipated stigma is the belief that prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes will be directed at yourself by others in the future.
It is possible that the person who received the vaccine will not be enthusiastic about revealing how he qualified, for fear of being considered different or weak.
There is also the issue of the Body Mass Index and the stigmatization of obesity. People with a BMI above 30 qualify for vaccines. It is a qualification that does not everyone who qualifies through the BMI is enthusiastic about, and it is certainly within everyone’s right to keep that information private.
Are you eavesdropping if you ask
If someone is not your family or close friend, their health is none of your business. In addition, you risk making them feel guilty. While each dose is undeniably essential, it remains true that people who receive the doses may feel that they have qualified by luck, and that there is someone out there who needs it most.
It is possible that you will drive away someone who is already struggling with the complicated feelings that arise when getting a vaccine. There are only a finite number of doses, although the United States is expected to have enough to vaccinate everyone who wants an injection by May. Given the slow and cumbersome process of delivering the vaccine, it is possible that someone who receives an injection will suffer from a blame for the vaccine, even if they have a comorbidity that legitimately qualifies them for an injection while supplies are limited.
The point is: don’t ask, unless you are already in agreement with the person in which both can express openness and vulnerability to each other. If you are not in these terms, just congratulate the person for having received the vaccination. Not all diseases are visible. It is possible that someone you know has diabetes or an autoimmune disease that qualifies. And if they don’t want you to know about your health, they have a right not to tell you.