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Dating during the pandemic: Swipe right if you've been vaccinated against Covid-19

caption: Bethany Morrow, left, shares a kiss with partner Jeremy Lightsmith, right, after dancing along to the music as the Seattle Quarantine Parade drove through their neighborhood on Friday, May 8, 2020, in Seattle.
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Bethany Morrow, left, shares a kiss with partner Jeremy Lightsmith, right, after dancing along to the music as the Seattle Quarantine Parade drove through their neighborhood on Friday, May 8, 2020, in Seattle.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

In addition to advertising their professions, hobbies, and most attractive photos, some people on dating apps are also sharing whether they’ve been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Or rather, they're claiming as much. There’s really no way to know for sure. Unless you, say, meet in the line to actually get vaccinated and see the jab go into their arm.

But still, it never hurts to date with a healthy dose of skepticism.

caption: Seattle dating and relationship expert Cora Boyd
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Seattle dating and relationship expert Cora Boyd

Cora Boyd is a dating and relationship expert in Seattle.

"It used to be cars and holding large fish. Now, the (dating) flex is vaccination status," she said.

For those who aren't on the dating scene and maybe haven't been for a time, so-called dating flexes are just ways singles try to get the attention of potential suiters. Online dating platforms, like Bumble and Tinder, are loaded with photos of people abroad at picturesque destinations and, yes, people holding up large fish.

Boyd said the pandemic has made people be more communicative and intentional when dating now. You have to navigate a partner's comfort level with in-person dating and even minimal physical contact right up front.

That means even the best fisherman might not be the catch he wants you to think he is, not if he can't navigate these choppy waters with care.

Boyd offered reassuring advice for anyone who feels like they're floundering: "No one else knows how to date in a pandemic either," she said. "Just remember that everyone else is figuring it out, too, and everyone is having a very personal experience with this."

The best way to make it work for you, she said, is to get clear with yourself about what you want.

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