I got my two shots as soon as I was eligible.
It wasn't a no-brainer by any means. After hours of research, an educational course on vaccination and endless discussions over the phone and email with a few friends and people I trust who are the doctors, I agreed that by all means, in my case, getting vaccinated is the best option.
Once the decision was made, it turned into an easy topic for me. I happily shared the decision and progress with people around me. I've never asked anyone if they made the same decision or not, but even without asking very soon, it became obvious that it turned into one of the prickliest topics of the day.
Most people in Saskatchewan were celebrating when the government lifted the remaining restrictions last Sunday. The matter of masks finally gave up the top spot in the chart of contentious topics.
While wearing masks could have been an obvious small-talk starter, vaccination issues broke the community into several different groups. Not only did it split us into those who want to take a shot and those who don't, but another split is happening along the lines of communication about vaccination, as some people view inquiries about their vaccination status as an intrusion into personal health issues, while others believe that mass immunization is about everyone and, in their opinion, a harmless "have you rolled up your sleeve yet?" is just a part of COVID entourage.
The etiquette around this matter is evolving, however, more and more often I hear that what seemed to be a friendly small talk in line turns into an awkward moment or heated dispute regardless of the vaccination status of the participants. While most of us traditionally treat medical privacy with respect, the COVID story, to a point, is different.
Now that masks and all the barriers are down, many people may feel less protected and assume that it's almost their right to question strangers about their situation, as it may affect others. Global News quotes experts in saying that a delicate approach to the matter of vaccination would be in the best interests of public health and social harmony, and recommends inviting people into the conversation rather than calling them out.
By July 11, and to be honest, way before that, we all were sick of the different normal we had to live in for over a year, and eager to get back to a more traditional lifestyle. However, I noticed that some of our communication habits got reshaped in that fast-changing environment.
With new information incoming almost every day, some people started jumping into heated disputes faster and more often, defending their newly acquired views with passion but not always with arguments. So a lot of topics, which could have been just a nice talk before, turned into something either very touchy or hot.
Hopefully, soon this part of our social life will become past as many other pandemic-related things and we'll find a way to talk about vaccination. But in the meantime, experts suggest that before inquiring about someone's vaccination status we should first ask ourselves why we need to know it and what we are going to do with the knowledge.
A lot of information, misinformation and disinformation around vaccines, topped up with the variety of options, didn't help to create a good base for public tranquillity. I'm still learning something new about immunization efforts every day, as more research comes in affirming or deflating the previous hypothesis or discovering new facts about the still not-that-well-known virus.
Vaccines that are currently being used in Canada have been shown to stop severe illness and death. But scientists are very careful when comes to the spread of the virus. The scientific evidence is not there yet to prove if the vaccination efforts will keep the virus at the bay or will just give us personal shields, protecting us from severe acute COVID disease.
At this time, the World Health Organization states that even those who had both shots, can still get infected and spread the virus to others.
So knowing someone else's vaccination status doesn't solve all the problems. However, that knowledge might be needed to create a safer situation for oneself and others around. People can better mitigate them by bringing lifted restrictions back for a particular situation if they have an understanding of the risks.
Many people, like myself, are pretty open about their situation. I know a few that chose not to vaccinate or can't do so and also feel comfortable sharing their status. But if someone is not deliberate about made decisions, attacking barely-known people with direct questions won't bring any good.
After all, even though it's a question that matters to everyone, it's still personal medical information. And if someone isn't open about their immunization, it's a good idea to keep questions to yourself and if there is a health concern, treat the situation as if they are not vaccinated.
