I'll take the shot. Odds are it will be next summer before it's available to the general public. Like many, I have my concerns about a rapid to market vaccine that hasn't gone through the full spectrum of 'normal' testing and observation trials. Perhaps by the time I can actually get vaccinated, there will be more data to make an informed decision with.
Re: Trump. Holy cow people, do you really think the President of the United States is going to receive the same level of care YOU get? He got tested a lot, and the instant they thought he had it, they threw the entire assault line of things that might work at him. Very few regular citizens, if any, would get that level of testing and follow up or treatment.
Some things to consider. The immune system can only deal with things it's seen before. The bubble kids that never had pets or ate dirt, now suffer from all kinds of 'intolerance' issues, imho, because they never got exposed to the natural crap out there that others experienced, but that didn't make us "sick", from dog kisses to tick bites and who knows what all else. The same is true of the 90-100 year old folks that grew up with more 'wild' viruses and lived a more active, more outdoors/farm life. Over their lifetime, many, if not most, were exposed to a lot more things that those of us in our 50's and 60's. Hell, I grew up with fluoride in the water, chicken pox parties and every vaccine poked into me at school. I still wasn't exposed to half the crap my grandparents were growing up.
Recovery is a funny word. A lot of what I've been reading is saying that people that suffer thru serious cases of Covid will have a life long impact from it. The scaring in the lung tissue doesn't fully recover/go away, heart damage causes lingering issues that may crop up again as those people get older or if other complications arise. They may be more susceptible to suffering from other issues as well. This isn't the flu. Several people I know that got severe cases of this and have come out the other side are taking a loooooong time to regain pre-Covid levels of strength, activity and for lack of a better term, normalcy in their lives.
I get that people want a choice. But there is a lot of stupidity going on in the world. Far too many people are running around w/o masks because they have convinced each other that it's no big deal if they get it or not. And frankly, not giving a damn if they spread it to other people. That's why we have 2000+ new cases a day in MS and the hospitals are maxed out in the ICUs in the larger cities. Jackson, MS had zero ICU beds available a couple of weeks ago and probably still doesn't have any now. One dies, another bed gets filled. Hardly anyone getting to the ICU stage of Covid recovers. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's statistically rare.
Don't let your ego over ride your common sense. For those of you that don't want to be told what to do. Grow the F*** up. You do what you're told ever day of your life, this is no different. You're a member of this society. You stop for red lights, you drive on the correct side of the road, you pay taxes, get your driver's license renewed and park between the lines. You likely hold a job, which is all about doing what you're told to do in exchange for getting paid for your end result efforts. Part of society is about following the rules society has generated. You don't always agree with them, and yes, sometimes you can choose to ignore some to a degree. Speeding is a good example. You drive 10 over, mostly no one cares. You drive 10 over thru a school zone, more people care because your choice impacted more people that are at a higher risk. You refuse to take a chicken pox vaccine, you don't get to go to public school in some states. At some point, those that refuse to take a Covid vaccine may also find themselves losing opportunities and options. Like crossing a border for an obvious one. But what if you couldn't stay in a hotel or go to church? Or what if you don't get hired for a job because you haven't been vaccinated? I already know of companies that deny medical insurance to employees that smoke. The smokers were given an opportunity and access to free stop smoking programs, but if they refused, or continued to smoke afterwards, they lost those benefits for themselves and their families. (and they were told up front this would be the result of continuing to smoke.) To what extent will you be willing to limit yourself and your activities just because you don't want to take a vaccine?
And what are you really concerned about in the first place? Some of the people here, (Mississippi), that refuse to wear masks are also the same people that are saying they won't take a vaccine. WTF? You're not afraid of getting Covid because you don't think it's a big deal, but you're also refusing to take the vaccine because what? You're afraid of getting Covid? Pick one. Are you afraid of getting it or not?
Bottom line, we still have far too little information about Covid-19 and it's mutations. Far too little information about the vaccines for it and the long term impact, if any, of getting vaccinated. And that's not likely to change for years to come. Simple truth though, if enough people were wearing masks and following some simple guidelines, we wouldn't be where we are today. Another simple truth is that if enough people get vaccinated, this shit will virtually go away. It will still be out there, but far fewer people will get it and fewer of the people they contact will get it so it won't spread as fast and it will be easier to isolate those that have it before they spread it to large groups.
I would not be surprised if the Covid vaccine ends up being an annual thing like flu shots. And like flu shots, it will be a crap shoot if they pick the right strains that year for the vaccine. But it will still help most people fight it off, even if they have symptoms and more severe cases. Cumulative impact on our immune systems, if you will.