Y'know I did something similar on Facebook recently but I will also do it here: have a thread about why I will be getting whatever COVID-19 vaccine becomes available in my country when it becomes available for my risk group. #GetVaccinated 1/?

Couple things this thread is and isn't about first: this thread is about explaining why my vaccine decision is already made and my reasoning behind it.

It's not about shaming or pressuring. I have my opinion, but I'm not qualified to weigh in on another's situation. 2/?

My reasoning can largely be split into 2 main categories: selfish and social. I'll start with the selfish as a lot of good stuff has been said elsewhere about the social. Selfish reason #1: I am at high risk for complications from covid. Vaccine would likely let me avoid it. 3/

Selfish reason #2: the sooner the pandemic ends, the sooner I can get back to activities I love. Experts way more knowledgeable than me are in almost total agreement that a vaccine is the fastest way to get the pandemic over without millions dying. 4/

Selfish reason #3: I am related to people at very high risk of death from covid, and I love them very much. I haven't seen any of them since before the pandemic. I want to see them again, and I don't want to kill them by carrying a deadly illness to a holiday party.... 5/

If I am vaccinated and they get vaccinated, it will be a lot safer for us to have a visit. My family's plan is we don't have gatherings until our entire network has been vaccinated and the vaccines have had enough time to take effect. 6/

Selfish reason #4: I know myself well enough to know if I found out I killed someone by being too careless, that would break me. Worse if that someone was someone I love. I don't want that guilt hanging over the rest of my life. 7/

Selfish reason #5: This one is frivolous, but it's in the mix. This vaccine is the single largest public health R&D effort globally in a really long time. By getting it, I can contribute to the effort and to a bit of history in a very small way - that's very cool! 8/

Now time for the social reasons:

Social reason #1: by getting the vaccine, I protect the most vulnerable in our society & help save all the knowledge, potential, & spirit of every person who is saved by hospitals having enough resources to treat them & prevented infections. 9/

Social reason #2: The sooner the vaccine is rolled out, the sooner the pandemic is over. The sooner it's over, the sooner people can go back to being the social creatures we all are and the lower the toll on our society's collective mental health. 10/

Social reason #3: The more lives saved, the better our economy will be poised to recover, & the fewer people will have to deal with the negative effects of chronic unemployment & it's associated poverty.

(Economic systems are beyond the scope of this thread). 11/