To vax, or not to vax? The answer to this question is beyond the scope of this blog. Whether you are for or against vaccination, these two terms have entered the Covid lexicon.
Only the Urban Dictionary had an entry for vaxxed/vaxed: “When you have received a vaccination you are / have been vaxed.
– I better see you guys vaxed up so we can party soon.“
I had more luck finding unvaxxed in a dictionary. Merriam Webster’s definition is “not having received a vaccine : unvaccinated
– unvaxxed students
– New York City’s Covid vaccine mandate has barred the unvaxxed NBA superstar from entering Brooklyn’s home arena on game days.“
An article published on September 13, 2021 for CNBC news had both terms appearing together in the title: “As many return to the office, tensions flare between the ‘vaxxed and unvaxxed.’” Columnist Holly Ellyatt writes: “Now, as many employees return to their offices, tensions appear to be emerging along new lines: those who are vaccinated against Covid, and those who are not. In the U.S. in particular, companies have taken a rigorous approach toward employees’ Covid vaccination status, with many announcing that their staff must be fully vaccinated in order to return to the workplace.”
A news article entitled “The political divide between the vaxxed and unvaxxed is widening, according to new report” appeared in Fortune.com on September 28, 2021 and discussed the differing views of vaccines and boosters depending on whether you consider yourself a Democrat or a Republican (Alsever).
A YouTube video clip posted on May 18, 2021 discusses the Red Wings taking on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Seating is allocated at 50% for vaccinated individuals, who must show photo Id and proof of vaccination, and unvaccinated people get the other 50% (News 8 WROC).
Social Media Trends as of April 28, 2022
Facebook #vaxxed: 38,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #vaxed: 6,600 posts
TikTok #vaxxed: 96.7 million views
YouTube #vaxxed: 1,000 videos; 256 channels
Facebook #unvaxxed: 2,500 people are posting about this
Instagram #unvaxed: 1,160 posts
TikTok #unvaxxed: 102.5 million views
YouTube #unvaxxed: less than 100 videos and channels
Google Trends: vaxxed didn’t get much traction till the week of May 9, 2021 when Covid vaccines became widely available. The term peaked in popularity during Christmas 2021 and the first week of 2022.
unvaxxed did not register as a search term until the second week of May 2021 and slowly moved up in popularity as many businesses enforced vaccine mandates. The term peaked during the week of January 9, 2022.
Sources
Alsever, Jennifer. “The political divide between the vaxxed and unvaxxed is widening, according to new report.” Fortune.com. September 28, 2021. URL: https://fortune.com/2021/09/28/the-political-divide-between-the-vaxxed-and-unvaxxed-is-widening-according-to-new-report/.
Ellyatt, Holly. “As many return to the office, tensions flare between the ‘vaxxed and unvaxxed.’” CNBC.com. September 13, 2021. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/13/office-tensions-rise-between-the-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-.html.
Jflo2000. “Vaxed.” Urban Dictionary. March 16, 2021. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Vaxxed.
“Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders New PNC Field.” News 8 WROC. YouTube. May 18, 2021. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKdbKJV2eO0.
“Unvaxxed.” Merriam Webster Dictionary. URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unvaxxed.