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Most of my extended family is not vaccinated and has become very opinionated about it. They also are very opinionated about the government role in all of this. I have never discussed politics with my family until now. My dad owns a restaurant and said he will refuse to check vaccination status for his customers. People are getting counterfeit vax cards. There are protests and even just arguments outside restaurants where people are taking their anger out on the doorman. It has become a hot topic in every conversation and honestly I’m tired of it. It gives us one more thing to judge each other on; one more thing to separate us; one more thing to cause stress in our lives. I don’t want to take sides. I want to be able to enjoy my family as I did before the pandemic. I can’t as easily because of our differences of opinion about the vaccine. You would think they would look to me for information since I am the only medical person in the family but no, they don’t. And now they talk about unsubstantiated studies and what’s going on in the hospital when they seriously have no idea. When I told a family member that 72 of the 76 patients in the ICU were unvaccinated, he said they must have other co-morbidities or be elderly. I said no, many were otherwise healthy and there were several in the 20-40 age range. He said well they are probably overweight (because that is what a news report said). I told him about the 2 pregnant women who DIED on the very unit I worked at for years and where all the grandchildren were born! They were otherwise healthy but UNVACCINATED. The conversation continued with him basically refusing to believe that the numbers had anything to do with them not being vaccinated. I had to leave. Ask any medical professional- if you are not vaccinated your chance of being extremely ill and /or dying of COVID are exponentially higher. So the pandemic has caused a rift in my family dynamics for sure. I avoid any topic that can lead to vaccination or political discussion. I have become an expert at changing the subject. I am thankful that my kids and I are on the same page and are all vaccinated. But I worry most about the future of my relationship with extended family. I am trying everything I can to preserve my family relationships, but I know others who have completely cut off communication with family members who will not get vaccinated. The pandemic has separated us. This to me is the scariest part.
September 30, 2021