This is a great example of only looking at short term impacts over long term advancement. It's like chasing quarterly profits even if investing in longer term projects that reduce quarterly profits would generate larger long term profits. Never realizing the larger long term gains because only the next quarter matters.
- As soon as we get community spread reduced enough, all mitigations will go away.
- Once enough people are vaccinated, community spread will dramatically decrease.
- People getting vaccinated faster will accelerate number 2 which will lead to number 1.
It's that simple. That's the reason to get vaccinated.
Let's pretend that we vaccinate people as fast as possible and everyone gets the vaccine, in this simulation, assume we reach enough people that by July 1, community spread plummets and all mitigations can be removed. Someone who finished the vaccine in April had to wait through May and June still using mitigation efforts. While someone who didn't complete vaccination until the end of June only had to wait through two weeks still using mitigation efforts. Was the person who waited really better off?
Now, let's change the scenario. Because those people in April were not able to immediately stop mitigation efforts, they didn't bother with the vaccine. The roll out slowed. Come July 1, not enough people are vaccinated and community spread is still to high to eliminate mitigations. A massive marketing push is done to get more people vaccinated but it takes until September 1 before enough are vaccinated, community spread plummets and all mitigations can be removed. Those people that couldn't be bothered to get vaccinated earlier had to go an extra two months of mitigation restrictions. Were they better off now by waiting? Do they just like extending the time while mitigations are required?
Let's change it again. Even after the marketing push, people still don't bother because they see no immediate point. Community spread never plummets, mitigations continue being required into 2022. Are they better off yet?