Getting a vaccine is a personal choice, especially the COVID-19 vaccine. But something else that’s a personal choice is choosing who you spend time with. Do you want to spend time with people who received the vaccine, or people who didn’t who may sabotage your health?
Actress Jennifer Anniston couldn’t bear to be around people who may be potentially carrying the virus. That’s why she decided to stop seeing certain people who refuse to get vaccinated.
To the 52-year-old, it seemed rather silly that people didn’t want to believe scientists who are very close to the vaccine and have been studying it for a long time. “There’s still a large group of people who are anti-vaxxers or just don’t listen to the facts. It’s a real shame,” she told InStyle Magazine.
Anniston says she understands that people are free to make their own choices, but she just can’t wrap her head around people who don’t choose the vaccination route.
“It’s tricky because everyone is entitled to their own opinion — but a lot of opinions don’t feel based in anything except fear or propaganda,” she said.
In turn, to help herself feel more safe, she said that she had “lost a few people in my weekly routine who have refused or did not disclose [whether or not they had been vaccinated].”
It’s not something she’s thrilled about. “It was unfortunate,” she said. “I feel it’s your moral and professional obligation to inform, since we’re not all podded up and being tested every single day.”
The COVID-19 vaccine is currently available for anyone ages 12 and older, and is extremely effective in eliminating or reducing harsh symptoms of the virus. In fact, many people who refused the vaccine at first eventually regret not getting their vaccine, and wish to get it only when it’s too late.
The vaccine can also help reduce anxieties related to the pandemic, which are common. Even Anniston experienced woes, but the vaccine has helped her ease them.
“My level of anxiety has gone down by eliminating the unnecessary sort of fat in life that I had thought was necessary. Also realizing that you can’t please everybody,” she said.
Do you choose your friends based on whether they’ve been vaccinated or not? What do you think of Jennifer Anniston cutting out people from her life because of their vaccine choice?