COVID-19 Vaccine Shaming

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Last month for the first time in almost three years, I did not write my monthly ramblings on the healthcare industry. My excuse was that I had COVID-19. I am one of the almost 30,000,000 people in the United States to contract this virus. With the daily trend dropping significantly from its peak in January, one of the contributing factors is the availability of the vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccines have been a source of relief and hope to most people. To others, it has been a source of caution and speculation. But with more and more people receiving the vaccination, there is a new topic of conversation evolving, "vaccination shaming."

I first noticed what I call "vaccination shaming" during a conversation with a friend when I mentioned that I had made my first appointment for the injection. His initial reaction was to bleat at me like a sheep. (Yeah, my friends can be pretty brutal, but that is how we express our friendship.) He could not understand why I would subject myself to a vaccination that had been developed so quickly, with the minimum amount of human testing, and that would only be 95% effective. After going around and around about politics, the medical industry, and the pandemic, we ultimately said goodbye and ended our phone call. Within thirty minutes, I had three text messages from other friends, each featuring either an image or a gif of a sheep; and a phone call from another friend bleating like a sheep and hanging up. (I did say my friends are brutal, right?) These same friends are on both sides of the political spectrum, and their beliefs have nothing to do with Democrats nor Republicans. A month and a half later, and the jokes keep coming, and the disbelief is still real.

Last week, I was texting with a different friend from the same group, and we were discussing getting a few people together for dinner. After exchanging ideas of where to eat, my friend did the most shocking thing in our times as friends, he called me! He actually used my phone number to place a telephone call and not just for texting. He called because he did not want a written record of our conversation. He told me that his wife would not be part of any social activities with anyone that had not received the vaccinations. This rule included both his and her families, so it would also affect our proposed get-together. After a few choice words, for he was one of the 'gentlemen' I mentioned above that sent me a sheep text, I had to inquire into the why of this further. He explained that his wife was fearful of COVID-19 and did not any social activity during the pandemic's first year. She is hyperaware of the daily numbers, media news conferences, and published reports from the CDC and the WHO. Further, he said one of her friends, who has been vaccinated, wanted to get together for lunch, and his wife asked for a picture of her vaccination card. His wife is one of a new breed of 'vaccine shamers' that exclude family and friends from their lives because they either won't get the vaccine or can't get it as of yet.

Across the news media, I hear and see where sports and entertainment venues, airlines, universities, and other places of business will soon ask for people to prove they are vaccinated. The idea of a 'vaccination passport' may have been laughable two years ago, but it may be a reality soon. When I received my vaccinations, the nurse told me to take a picture of the then-completed card to prove that I had been vaccinated. Since then, I have only been asked once about my vaccinations. An organization that I am part of is trying to arrange an in-person meeting. The business will not allow my organization to secure the reservation unless they can prove that all participants are vaccinated.

To my knowledge, the legality of turning away customers based on vaccination status has yet to be determined. But will the next level of shaming or denial of service be based on the brand name of the shot you receive? I've already heard quite a few people state they do not want the Johnson & Johnson vaccination because it is only one shot, and two shots (Pfizer and Moderna) must be better than one. Additionally, with AstraZeneca's recent announcement of a 76% efficacy, I have family members asking why they would get that vaccine if the others are available?