We simply don't know what we don't know. For me, the risk was worth it. I can't speak for others.
The tribalism and moralizing around the vaccines is really troubling. You're either a saint or moron; hero or traitor. Depending on left/right and vax status.
The polarization doesn't surprise me at all (having lived through the last ~5 years in the US) but it is disappointing.
OTOH, I'm fat, asthmatic, over 40, and live in a pretty congested part of the world. My risk calculation is different than theirs. So, I got the shots as soon as I could. It is indeed sad we are so split on this issue.
Current policies on other vaccines are very analogous to many many requirements we take for granted and that people largely don't whine about: seatbelts, license for driving, building permits, etc, etc. Reasonably administered there is wide consensus these things aren't worth fighting over and produce far more good than harm.
Why covid vaccines (and gun laws for that matter) are being received differently (with hysteria IMO) by a certain subset of the US population is a whole other conversation...
I'd wager plenty of people can wait another 6 months before going to a bar or restaurant - they've done it for 1.5 years already... meaning compulsory vaccination isn't going to work.
This debate has been had over the past few days over and over - but I'll reiterate.
No child has received a vaccine to date, and statistically experience a near zero infection and mortality rate. Nobody seems to be suggesting we start mandatory vaccines for children (yet).
The adults that aren't vaccinated are on their own. Leave them alone - stop trying to exert your will over them and go about your own business. If they get sick and die, it's entirely their own fault at this point - the vaccine has been freely available, free of cost for months. If they haven't got the vaccine yet, nothing you say or do will change that.
We should not start weird "show vaccine to enter" cards or develop secret citizen police to rat on people... nor should we burden the rest of society with protecting people that refuse protection.
It's time to get back to normal life folks.