NEW YORK >> Before Aditi Juneja posted a selfie with her COVID-19 vaccination card on Twitter, she wondered if she wanted to include an explanation as to why she was eligible for a shot.
“The first draft of the tweet had an explanation,” said Juneja, a 30-year-old New York lawyer.
After some thought, she decided to hold out that her body mass index was considered obese, which puts her at a higher risk for serious illness if she is infected. A friend who posted the same reason on social media was greeted with hateful comments, and Juneja wanted to avoid it.
The deployment of COVID-19 vaccines in the US offers hope that the pandemic that is increasing life around the world will finally end. But as the spread in the US grows, there is also guilt, envy and judgment among those who have had their doses – especially the seemingly young and healthy ones – and the millions who are still anxiously waiting their turn. .
To add to the second guess about who should get shots is the exuberant feeling of rolling out and the feeling that some may be playing the system. Faced with a patchwork quilt of confusing scheduling systems, many who are not so technically proficient or socially connected have been left to wait, even as new groups of people become eligible.
The envy and moral judgments about whether others deserve to be at the forefront are understandable and may reflect concern about the vaccination for ourselves or our loved ones, says Nancy Berlinger, a bio-ethicist at the Hastings Center.
“There is the fear of missing out, or of missing out on behalf of your parents,” she says.
Stereotypes about what illness looks like are also doubts about people’s suitability, although the reason why someone shot may not always be obvious. In other cases, Berlinger says, statements may reflect entrenched prejudices about smoking and obesity compared to conditions that society may consider more “virtuous,” such as cancer.
Although a mass vaccination campaign is likely to have imperfections, Berlinger noted that the goal is to prioritize people based on medical evidence about who is most at risk if they become infected.
Nevertheless, local officials have made decisions about the unequal implementation and different rules across the country.
In New Jersey, 58-year-old software developer Mike Lyncheski was surprised to learn in January that smokers of any age were eligible, as he knew older people at the time who were still waiting for shots.
“There did not appear to be any medical reasons for this,” said Lyncheski, who is not yet eligible for the vaccines. He also noted that there is no way to confirm that people are smokers and leave the door open for fraud.
The suspicion is fueled by reports of line talkers or those who expand the definitions for suitability. In New York, a Soul Cycle instructor was vaccinated after teachers were eligible in January, the Daily Beast reported and later apologized for her ‘terrible mistake’ in the judgment. In Florida, two women wore hoods and goggles to disguise themselves as elderly people in hopes of making shots. Board members, trustees and donors in the hospital also received early shots and raised complaints of unfair access.
This is why some feel compelled to explain why they were able to get the vaccine. In an Instagram post, Jeff Klein kept his vaccination card and noted that as a volunteer he got a chance at a mass vaccination center.
“I definitely called it intentional because I did not want people to get the wrong idea,” says Klein, a 44-year-old musician in Austin, Texas.
While waiting in Jacksonville, Florida, for a shot, 33-year-old Amanda Billy said it can be frustrating to see people her age in other states being vaccinated. She realized that the rollout was different from the state, but felt anxious because she had a medical condition that made COVID-19 ‘very real and scary’.
“I’m just glad they got it. But also, I want it, ‘she said in an interview before getting her first shot.
Others find that they open criticism when they tell news that they have been given a chance. Especially public figures can become targets for strangers through second guesses.
In New York, Jamie Stelter, co-host of TV News, posted a photo of herself after getting her first recording earlier this month. Many responses were positive, but others noted that she did not look old enough or that she needed to have ‘connections’.
After that, Stelter’s co – presenter, Pat Kiernan, weighed in and tweeted that the comment you received, “you do not look so sick to me” was proof of the hell in which COVID put us. “
For Juneja, the decision to take a chance after she was eligible was not easy, given the struggle she knew others had appointments due to technology, language or other barriers. But she realizes that it will not help her not to be vaccinated.
“It’s not like other kinds of things where I can give my place to someone else I need more,” she says. “We’re all in this situation where we can only really decide for ourselves.”