That said, the flu vaccine I avoid, particularly after the pushback on the reported "death rate" from the flu that was published during Covid.

The refrigerated trucks being used as morgues in New York didn’t convince you?

I lost 7 people that I knew (in real life) including three “in-law” relatives who decided to vacation together over the Memorial Day weekend on the Cape in Massachusetts during that first spring (they all contracted it, were hospitalized, and died within 10 days), and four others who I knew either from high school or from various workplaces, all announced on Facebook by their spouses or others, all of whom described the agony of watching them die in an isolated room where their relatives could not go even to hold their hand for fear of contamination.

Seven. Once the vaccine became available two things happened: we ran for it and got it, and we suffered no more losses.

Anecdotal? Sure. Also real world and personal.

I have not had Covid yet, and I get the “new strain” vaccine every time it comes out. Mrs. Goofy skipped one, went to a jewelry making retreat at a well known arts school, contracted it, and stayed the week isolated in her cabin while the hosts brought meals to her door. Yeah she stays up to date now too.