.....mutating Coronaviruses like influenza....
1. Influenza is NOT a coronavirus!!! The issue with influenza is not only that it mutates, but that different strains may become prevalent in a given year (i.e., by moving in from another part of the world ). Taking the flue vaccine is a good idea because even when those who determine a given year’s flu vaccine composition “guess” wrong, vaccinated people usually have a milder case. And elderly people tend not to get pneumonia, which is the real killer.
2. Although the mortality rate from covid for those under 65 is low, there is also morbidity to consider. For example:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-it-means-to-be-a-coronavirus-long-hauler/
There is no way to predict who will develop these “long haul” symptoms. The receptor for the covid virus is present in most tissues of the body, so there may be long-lasting effects of the disease on the heart, kidneys, intestines, and other organs. And there is no way to predict these effects, either.
Finally, governments will not allow us to get back to normal until we have a vaccine or vaccines, and enough people take them to achieve herd immunity. I for one would like to ditch masking, social distancing, and other restrictions. So we need population-wide vaccination, once we have safe and effective FDA-approved vaccines. From that posit of view, it is irrational to refuse vaccination!!!!
2. There is no way to predict who will develop these “long haul” symptoms.
The compliment to that argument, is that there is also no way to predict who will NOT develop these “long haul” symptoms. Thus, a full payoff function needs to be assembled.
Finally, governments will not allow us to get back to normal until we have a vaccine or vaccines, and enough people take them to achieve herd immunity.
I disagree...indeed, first we went into lockdown to "flatten the curve." After we did that, they moved the goalposts to "squash the curve" - wtf? - so we kept things in a rolling lockdown.
Then many states "let" restaurants etc open up but with "science-based" rules like 'keep masks on when moving, i.e., being seated or leaving the table, but you can take them off when stationary/seated at our table" and "keep tables at least 6' apart" in order to get our freedom of commerce back...
...but if you are rioting and looting it was ok to be maskless because "they they were moving and not stationary like at Trump's acceptance speech", and they didn't have to be 6' apart because "ya know, they were against hate and stuff."
Thus, I totally believe (and have case history on my side) that if I dutifully let them inject me with who knows what, that the blue state govs will NOT let us ditch masking, social distancing, and other restrictions. In fact, the next frontier will likely be forced vaxxing.
Count me out.