@vandyman , as for taking your chances, just consider that we've had a quarter million dead more or less from this thing in just 8 or 9 months, despite massive lockdowns, masking, and so on. If we hadn't done those things, we would have a much higher death toll. Now that it's surging again, we have to redouble our efforts. Consider that besides the deaths, millions have had horrible illnesses that go on for weeks (frequently) or months (in some cases). So many people I talk to don't recognize how precarious the situation was back in the spring and how close to an even worse situation we got. Let's not slack off now that we're a few months away from mass vaccinations. Fortunes can be rebuilt; lives can't be recreated.
@David L I'm not sure I'm following you, but a few things to consider: vaccinations aren't perfect (measeles vaccine is very good though: ~97% effective with the full two dose regimen). Measles vaccines work when most people are vaccinated and thus even given imperfect function of the vaccine, the likelihood of someone infectious spreading it to others is low. Because measles is SO VERY infectious, in that it remains infectious suspended in air for hours (such as air in an elevator), it's important that nearly everyone be immunized. I believe the "threshold" of the population being vaccinated for the vaccine to be effective is up around 93%... any less and there are enough people to spread it, statistically. This is why most school districts require kids be up on their shots to go to public school. Some communities, both very conservative and very liberal (at both extremes) seem to foster folks that think they know better and become anti-vaxxers. This is why measles is on the upswing, in the last couple years, as laws have gotten more permissive with more exceptions.
Anyone who wants a good review of vaccinations and how they work and the herd immunity aspect should watch this episode of Nova called "Calling the Shots"
Examine the science behind vaccinations, the return of preventable diseases, and the risks of opting out.
www.pbs.org
As far as COVID-19, once the vaccines are determined safe (as well as the already reported initial take on effectiveness), I'll get myself and my family in line, given that it's likely the roll-out will be to high risk folks like doctors and the elderly first.