[tshaddox]

Not to argue with you too hard, but I’m also in my 30s and you definitely downplay the “self-interest” angle more than I do. Indeed, I got my shots because I want to “do my part,” and I’m also not particularly worried about personally getting severely sick or dying.

But I also just don’t want to get sick at all because getting sick sucks.

That’s the same reason I’ve been getting yearly flu shots every year since college. Before COVID I never even really considered the personal risk of long-term side effects or death from flu (although I’m sure there’s some measurable risk) or the fact that flu kills tons of people every year. I just hate getting sick and from the evidence I’ve seen the flu vaccine is very safe and usually fairly effective at preventing the flu. Same goes for the COVID shots. I’d take common cold vaccines if they were similarly safe and effective and readily available.

[rajup]

Mostly agree, but have you considered that perhaps falling sick once in a while allows your immune system to adapt and become more stronger? I mean vaccines have been around for all of 100-200 years...

[tshaddox]

The only reason to want your immune system to be stronger is to not get sick, right? I certainly wouldn’t choose to get sick once a month in order to have a super mega strong immune system, for example. The desired end goal is to get sick less often!

In certain cases it may be that getting a mild infection does help prevent later more serious infections, but AFAIK those cases are generally getting infected as an infant or child. I’m not aware of evidence showing that current widespread vaccines for adults have this effect of trading mild illness now for more serious illness later.

[karlicoss]

afaiu, in theory, immunity acquired through infection can be stronger than the one from vaccination. E.g. vaccination might prime your body for just one protein, whereas an infection would prime for several.

But it's not universally true, varies for different viruses, and also isn't fully understood whether it's the case for covid. So far seems like a safer and less miserable opinion to get vaccinated rather than get sick with covid.

[tshaddox]

That may be the case, but the immunity you got through infection also involved you getting sick once.

[himinlomax]

Vaccines do exactly that, without the discomfort of getting sick. That's the whole damn point of a vaccine: to stimulate the immune system. That's how they work. I just can't understand how people fail to grasp this simple fact.

[supernovae]

You do realize that that vaccines are what teaches your immune system to combat diseases, right?

Your only "sick" because you didn't pro-actively teach your immune system to handle that flu.

[rajup]

Sure, for diseases we know and are actively fighting (how long was it before we got vaccines for COVID?). My point was that for unknown diseases you might be exposed to in the future you are probably (I say probably, because hey let's not kid ourselves we're all mostly speaking out of our a**s here :)) better off if you had been exposed to milder diseases beforehand.

[himinlomax]

Getting exposed to one disease does not help you fight another, or at least not any more than getting a vaccine not targeted at the second.

[rajup]

The number of studies suggesting people exposed to other coronaviruses (common cold etc) having possibly more immunity to COVID disagree with you. You seem to be absolutely sure it makes no difference. Care to back that up?

[himinlomax]

Care to back THAT up? I'm aware of that hypothesis, but it hasn't been conclusively demonstrated afaik.

[supernovae]

Care to back up your claim with citations? Looking at the comment history its clear you don't understand immunology so i'm not sure you get a free pass on virology.

[Frondo]

> allows your immune system to adapt and become more stronger

This is precisely what vaccines do, without the "falling sick" part first.

[rajup]

Fully agreed, requires having a vaccine first though. I just didn't fully agree with GP's goal of never ever falling sick ever.