Curiosity or intrusion: is there such a thing as vaccine etiquette?

EDMONTON (CityNews) — Is it polite to ask about someone’s vaccination status?

That may not be something Canadians would have ever considered this time last year. But with millions of Canadians now vaccinated against the virus, is there such a thing as vaccine etiquette?

While personal health is generally a private matter, asking someone if they’ve been vaccinated seems like a common conversation starter these days.

“Have you booked yet? Can you book? I think there is just such a fixation around the COVID vaccine,” said Lorian Hardcastle, associate professor at the University of Calgary.

“Unless we are talking about a situation where they make it mandatory for travel or other services, then at that point it becomes a legally legitimate question to ask, but for the time being I think it’s the run of the mill curiosity or interest.”

So, when is it appropriate to ask others if they’ve been vaccinated, if at all?

Some Canadians asked by CityNews shared mixed opinions.

“It is appropriate for me, it should be okay because I want to know the experiences,” said one.

“I say no, and why? Because I think it’s a personal choice,” said another. “It’s your own body. We have our own body sovereignty, and at the end of the day it’s our decision what we put in our bodies.”

And another: “I believe it is appropriate because if it’s going to be a common thing, I think it’s important for everyone to be aware of others having it.”

So what makes the COVID vaccine such a hot topic?

“I think because of the huge societal focus on COVID and the fact that it has really occupied so many of our daily thoughts for the past year plus, and many see vaccines as the way out of this,” said Hardcastle.

And what if you’re the one being asked, but aren’t comfortable responding.

“I think for the most part, saying something along the lines of, ‘I’d rather not discuss my medical choices,’” said Hardcastle. “But in this day and age, probably, people need to be prepared that if they say something like that, the person they have said it to will probably assume they haven’t been vaccinated.”