“How did you qualify?” someone boldly asked in the comments and unleashed what would change in the first of a series of obscure touchpoints where my share of my vaccine opened me up to investigation and possible judgment.
Who did this if I had a windfall or special circumstances that enabled me to get the vaccine? What responsibility did I have to let others know that I did not cut the line without sharing personal details?
The more people I talked to, the more I realized that sharing my vaccine status was a harder issue than I had imagined. What else did I miss in my rush to share my status? Maybe I shouldn’t have shared so quickly.
Social pressure is real
Sharing your vaccination status with friends and family and on social media can be an outpouring of support – and it can also mean unwanted research, questions or even setbacks. This is what I experienced.
“We debated whether we should post selfies for vaccinations, because we were able to get them sooner than some friends who are also eager to get them. Since not everyone could get them right away, I got simultaneous relief. and feelings of guilt, because I knew so many others were waiting, ”said Courtney Finnerty, a homemaker in Rochester, New York.
Finnerty eventually shared her vaccine status to normalize the process for others.
Work and the decision to make public
While the Americans with Disabilities Act protects employees from the fact that their employers share their vaccine status with others, “your employer may be entitled to information about your vaccine status,” said Margaret Riley, a professor at the University of Virginia who teaches on food and drug legislation. , health law, bioethics and public health law. This is true, especially if the fact that you have not been vaccinated poses a specific threat to others – examples include restaurant workers, teachers who personally teach students and health workers at medical facilities.
Some worry that their employers may force them to return to the office before they feel safe to return if they share their vaccination status.
“I will admit that I’m pretty anxious that this means my job will get me back to the office sooner,” said one friend who works in the publication in New York City and who was afraid of being nominated because of the possible setback. the employer. , which does not particularly support employees during the pandemic.
Others are worried that part of their vaccine status could be politicized and cost them their lives.
“It’s tricky. Speaking from a monetary and business ownership perspective, getting vaccinated means I do not have to pass on the cost of my ongoing Covid-19 testing to my clients,” said Heather Gold Casto , a chef and caterer, said. Hudson Valley in New York, which was recently vaccinated and needs to test Covid-19 regularly.
“But it can also prevent potential clients from discussing me, based on a disagreement about the vaccine,” she said. “This is consistent with the fact that I do not speak politics. I would like to discuss clients based on my abilities, not my beliefs. More specifically, I do not want to be conveyed because of my beliefs.”
“Workplaces and businesses will treat people who have not been vaccinated yet, and people who refuse to declare whether they have been vaccinated, the same way – they will say they cannot participate in certain activities,” Kayte Spector-Bagdady said . , a lawyer and bioethicist who works as an associate director at the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine and as an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan’s medical school. This could include things like eating in restaurants, or attending movies or shows in theaters or other cultural events at indoor venues.
What if you are required to disclose your status?
“Should you share your vaccine status with someone? That all depends on the context of the situation,” Riley said.
Some employers may ask for your status to protect other employees or the patients, students or clients they want to visit.
What if you refuse to disclose your status?
“Theoretically, you can always refuse to reveal that you have been vaccinated, but it can cost dearly, such as not being able to go to the doctor’s office, work in person or travel,” Spector-Bagdady said.
“Since there are no official vaccine passports, there is no real way they can ensure someone is telling the truth,” Riley said.
We’ve been here before
Recent refusal to ‘share your status’ raises similar phrases with another virus that has been around for several decades and is associated with a major stigma – HIV / Aids.
“I think the reason why there is a setback in the share of vaccine status is similar to that of PrEP and U = U over the last ten years,” said Damon Jacobs, a marriage and family therapist in New York City, who worked with the LGBTQ said. and HIV-Aids community.
A positive way to consider sharing or not, Jacobs said, is to lean into the moment and consider sharing your status as a way to open yourself up and create a more inclusive and loving environment creating what helps others feel safe doing the same. .
The decision is personal
Until the general population of adults catches up, many people who have had an advantage may find themselves in this vaginal purgatory, where specific admissions have made it possible to access vaccines for reasons that are not always clear in public. This means that two people in the same age group or place may not have qualified at the same time. It can make those who have been vaccinated in front of the vast majority feel a paradox of relief and gratitude, but also feelings of guilt and worry.
“Whether you are vaccinated or not is your own medical information,” Spector-Bagdady said. “Places like hospitals or your doctor may not be able to share the information without your written permission. But there will probably be increasing circumstances where you want to share your vaccine status. For example, a small gathering of friends can share the status of vaccines with all the concerns people have. may have, to soften. ‘
Reality test
The truth is that Covid-19 does not magically disappear when you are vaccinated, and therefore we should not view this milestone as an all-and-all end, both in the way we think others in eligible for access to the vaccine and in how they decide to share the news.
“The vaccine was considered our ticket back to a ‘normal’ society. However, many people are anxious to return to a ‘normal’ society, probably because the idea is simply not possible,” said Alexandra Lo Re, clinically speaking. social worker in Oyster Bay, New York. “We will never return to a world where Covid-19 does not exist.”
The part of your vaccine status is more loaded than you would have considered, but the truth is, we’ll all find out right away. There is no playbook, there is no holy grail. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to how or not to share your vaccine status.
You know your circumstances better than anyone else and are better suited to decide what you feel comfortable sharing with whom and when. Comfort yourself with the fact that you can not only navigate the new field full of questions and uncertainty.
In addition, once you have received the vaccine, you have already made the most important decision.
Allison Hoop is a writer and native New Yorker who prefers humor over sadness, travel over television, and coffee over sleep.