There is not any data on the prevalence of vaccine guilt, but Dr. Matthew Wynia surmises that many people who have already received the COVID-19 vaccine probably feel like their doses could have gone to someone more deserving. 

 “If you could take your vaccine dose and walk across the street and give it to your elderly neighbor, then I would say you should do that,” says Wynia. “But you can’t. That’s not an option.” Instead, vaccine doses are distributed in bulk to health systems that are charged with getting shots into arms according to the state’s prioritization categories, which lump hundreds of thousands (and in some cases, millions) of Coloradans into the same group - people over 70, Coloradans aged 65 to 69, frontline essential workers, etc., which contain inherent unfairness. 

Daniel Goldberg, JD, PhD points out that getting a vaccine isn’t a solely selfish act. Yes, you will aggregate most of the benefits yourself, but you will also contribute to herd immunity, he says, which is ultimately what is needed to end the pandemic. 

“There are things that we can all do” to alleviate the underlying inequities in the health system, says Wynia. Just remember: No matter how guilty you feel, giving up your spot in the vaccine line isn’t one of them.  Read article>>