Doses for each of the four COVID-19 vaccines currently in circulation are coveted around the world. Getting shot in the arm is a cause for celebration – it is the most effective tool humanity has to finally avert the pandemic that killed 525,000 Americans over the course of a year.
Understandably, people publicize their vaccinations with joyful selfies and broadcast their triumphs to friends, family, and the wider public. But with vaccine selfies, the question arises, how were you eligible to receive your injection?
Even if vaccination jealousy is rampant, this isn’t a question you should be asking. The requirements for receiving a vaccine in the United States are well known at the moment: To get a shot in your state, you must meet a certain age requirement or live with at least one of a number of comorbidities. Not everyone wants to disclose whether or not they have a disease that makes them eligible for a vaccine. And you shouldn’t.
Not everyone wants to make their illness public
Someone you know may not have detectable signs of illness, but they may have had an illness throughout their life. Disclosing a difficult diagnosis, such as cancer is difficult enough when it is limited to friends and family. Explaining to an acquaintance that they have had a disease for a long time can put an unnecessary emotional burden on the person receiving a vaccination.
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Prior to COVID-19, people with chronic illness were already anticipating stigmas and were excluded from wider society. A 2011 study conducted by Yale researchers and published by the National Institutes of Health examined the relationship between social stigma and chronic illness.
The researchers noted how chronic illnesses can permeate the lives of those affected, often in ways beyond their control.
People diagnosed with chronic illness report experiencing social rejection, job termination and poor health care because of their chronic illness. It is important that people with chronic diseases can anticipate stigma. The expected stigma is the belief that prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping will be directed at the self by others in the future.
The person who received a vaccine may not be keen on disclosing how they qualified for fear of being perceived differently or perceived as weak.
There is also the issue of Body Mass Index and the stigmatization of obesity. People with a BMI over 30 are eligible for vaccines. It is a qualification that is not anyone who qualifies via BMI is enthusiastic about it, and it is certainly in everyone’s right to keep this information private.
You are curious when you ask
If someone is not close to your family or a close friend, their health is not really your concern. Plus, you run the risk of them feeling guilty. While each dose is undeniably essential, it remains true that people receiving those doses may feel like they are eligible by luck, and that there is someone else who needs it more.
You may be alienating someone who is already struggling with the complicated feelings that come with getting a vaccination shot. There is only a finite number of doses, although the United States is expected to have enough to vaccinate anyone who wants an injection in May. Given the slow, cumbersome process of vaccine distribution, it is possible that someone who gets an injection will be in for a case of vaccination blame, even if they have a comorbidity that legitimately qualifies them for a shot while supplies are limited.
The point is, don’t ask unless you already have an agreement with the person where you can both express candor and vulnerability to each other. If you don’t adhere to these conditions, congratulate the person on their vaccination. Not all diseases are visible. It’s possible that someone you know has diabetes, or an autoimmune disease that makes them eligible. And if they don’t want you to know anything about their health, it’s their right not to tell you.