09-23-2020, 01:30 PM
A vaccine is a biological agent that stimulates the immune system to identify an infectious disease and generate an immune response. You are correct that influenza vaccines are not 100% efficacious. Neither are vaccines for Polio, Measles, or any other disease, and effectiveness can vary widely. Two doses of MMR are 97% effective against Measles.
I've never understood the argument of "well, it's not 100% effective so I'm not going to get it". You have something that reduces your chance of becoming sick by 50, 60, 70% or more, and your risk of becoming seriously ill by more than that, all for a vanishingly small risk of serious side effects assuming the vaccine has been tested properly. Humans are generally bad at assessing risk. As for the "I've never had the flu" argument, you have been riding on the level of herd immunity, such as it is, or been very lucky, or had good hand sanitation practices. Or some combination thereof.
I've never understood the argument of "well, it's not 100% effective so I'm not going to get it". You have something that reduces your chance of becoming sick by 50, 60, 70% or more, and your risk of becoming seriously ill by more than that, all for a vanishingly small risk of serious side effects assuming the vaccine has been tested properly. Humans are generally bad at assessing risk. As for the "I've never had the flu" argument, you have been riding on the level of herd immunity, such as it is, or been very lucky, or had good hand sanitation practices. Or some combination thereof.