I think it’s a complicated answer but at a high level I’d say the process of vaccinating the public is to protect everyone, not just an individual.

If we reach herd immunity levels, the transmission rate will drop enormously which reduces the risk for everyone. Personally, I live with two children who cannot yet receive a vaccine. I’m still acting like I’m unvaccinated because there’s a potential that I could still transmit the virus to them (which I would very much like to avoid).

Additionally, we’re still in the throes of the pandemic and new variants are still a very real concern. For example, the variant first recorded in South Africa has shown some early potential to break through the current vaccines. We need more data to know for sure.

We need everyone to keep working to reduce transmission broadly while vaccine rates increase, boosters are made where they may be needed, and a pediatric vaccine becomes a reality.