>>Your assumption is that the vaccine will only protect you for 6-9 months. There's no reason to assume that. We know so far that these vaccines protect for that long because that's how long the tests have been going on. But each time there's been new reporting, they've extended that window. As far as I know, there is no evidence so far that immunity drops off.
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>A few months ago, the words "6-9 months" were being used by Pfizer, by different government agencies, etc.
>Stands to reason they were being conservative, as they simply didn't know for a fact how long the vaccine would last.
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>Given that it's been a good six months or so since vaccines started, the latest information I've heard on those whose antibodies are being tested is that it "could" last for roughly a year, which (I suppose) is in line with the flu vaccines.
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>I do not put much weight on the specific discussions of 6 months, 8 months, 9 months. I pretty much expect that at some point (maybe later this year) there will start to be some more specific values on how long.
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>I agree, everyone who is able to get vaccinated, absolutely should get vaccinated. I was a bit skeptical a month ago that the numbers were not dropping sharply enough - we are finally starting to see some good decline. Let us all hope it continues - I am f****** sick of all this.
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>I had an argument with a young woman (mid-20's) who is taking a, "I'm still not sure" approach to the vaccine. The woman is healthy, and has enough tattoos to start an art museum. So yes, I went there, I asked how she was so confident about getting artwork on her arms and legs, and less confident in this.
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>But I'm going to go somewhere else as well - and this won't be popular.
>Four years ago, my doctor read me the riot act - too much weight, glucose too high, blood pressure too high. I was a dead man walking.
>And it was NOBODY'S goddamn fault but mine. I was a star athlete in high school and over the years had seriously let myself go to hell.
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>Dropped the weight and started taking better care of myself. Does that mean I was immune to serious illness from COVID? Of course not. But the numbers do not lie. My odds were better.
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>And yes, some with pre-existing conditions can't just address their problems with 100% will-power (i.e. people with history of type 1 or other illnesses in their family).
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>But still, I'm going to "go there" with an inconvenient truth - many people between 20's and 60's could take much better care of themselves. If we were a healthier nation (which we are not), would that have prevented COVID deaths? Certainly not all of them - but you (the royal "you") will have a hard time convincing me that it wouldn't have made a difference.


Certainly it would. I don't think that's the point. At the healthiest point in my life, immigrants from China came to my high school and infected me with Chickenpox. It was terrible. It eventually was cured. Yet shingles came from that many years later. Immunity is not perfect by a long shot. Nor is intelligence. We use technology to supplement our weaknesses. Yet anti-vaxxers and flat earthers abound.