How to deal with friends who will not be vaccinated

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As of July 4, 2021, nearly 70% of U.S. adults had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. This is the good news.

However, while the rapid dispersion of the vaccine was slowing new cases of COVID-19 for a while, there is now the new threat of the Delta variant, which Yale Medicine says is more contagious and dangerous than any other strain. Unvaccinated individuals are at greater risk of contraction than vaccinated individuals. Of course, you can tell that to people all day long who won’t get the vaccine, and you probably won’t change your mind. Their reasoning tends to be rooted in emotions rather than science. If you can’t get your loved ones vaccinated, how do you interact with them? And how do you talk to them about your concerns? Here are some tips for talking to friends who will not get the vaccine.

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Your social boundaries must be respected

It’s easy to be so concerned about not offending anyone that you’re putting your health and safety at risk. Just as you won’t force your friends to do something that puts them at risk (get the vaccine), they can’t make you do something that puts you at risk. Maybe you don’t want to have unvaccinated people inside your house and prefer to meet them only for outdoor activities with them. If they are trying to shame you or make you feel guilty for leaving them out of your indoor party because they are not vaccinated, you can ask them to respect your limits, just like you respect theirs by. not requiring them to be vaccinated.