I do get the thing about vaccines. When you haven't seen some diseases in a couple of generations, you wonder why you're getting the shots to address something that isn't there. I think it shouldn't take a genius to realize that you're not seeing those diseases precisely because of the vaccines, but I can get how people may think.

But a pandemic? Like the last one isn't still fresh in our minds? And we're setting ourselves up for another one without any safeguards?

I'll bet most people know at least one person who died during COVID. I do. Coworker, younger than me. My supervisor's boss (head of our department) almost died (he was on a ventilator for a week). I heard about a few other deaths (I think two) within my company (but didn't know them). And that's just within my company.

People should be clamoring to beef-up CDC and NIH. It's simple self-preservation.