[imagesource:pexels]

Just when we thought that the COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t make anything weirder, recent research has shown that ‘vaccine-free’ dating is now a big thing.

We can all agree that we’ve seen all kinds of shenanigans surrounding the injection, including Dis-Chem staff selling fake vaccine certificates under the counter. We thought we’d seen it all, until now.

While everyone has a right to make personal decisions surrounding their bodies, the problem with the new advent of ‘unvaxxed singles’ brings with it some concerns regarding misinformation.

Timothy Caulfield, a professor at the University of Alberta in Canada, is one of the specialists looking into this phenomenon. Caulfield explains that the new dating trend is less about engaging in conversations about science, disease and health, but rather allows people to group themselves into narrow categories that purposefully align with more conservative beliefs.

“It shows how high the walls of their echo chambers are. Being anti-vaccine has become an ideological flag — a way to demonstrate which team you belong to,” Caulfield explained.

Adding to this important sociological research is the Pew Research Center, which conducted research on dating app preferences and peculiarities in the US.

What they found in the research results shows just how different people’s lives are after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 50% of US adults who are using dating apps or websites declared that it was a deal-breaker for them if they could not glean their match’s vaccination status on their profile. Makes sense to me if you’re immunocompromised, but the mind-boggling thing is that these app users are specifically looking for UN-vaccinated dates.

“She’s curvy, funny, intelligent, unvaccinated,” stated one dating site user when asked about what they’re looking for in a partner.

As darkly funny as that sentiment may sound, those who are unvaxxed and ready to mingle need to be wary of spreading misinformation.

An app called ‘Unjected’ was removed from the web in 2021 after it encouraged those who snubbed the jab to swipe right. The “Tinder for anti-vaxxers” was charged with spreading Covid-19 misinformation.

What are you waiting for?
Your Unjected love is just a match away. 💍

Verified Unjected is booking out. ❌💉
Go get your spot in line at https://t.co/dzScT3ka6y pic.twitter.com/tDml1feWk6

— Unjected Official (@unjected) July 9, 2023

We may be out of the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the monumental global event certainly continues its impact to this day, even in peoples’ love lives.

[source:thecitizen]