The current vaccines have an impeccable safety record.
> that we had many years of long term experience with
We had many years surviving just fine with long term exposure to lead, cigarettes and asbestos. Time duration is not relevant, also because we have not had many years of long term experience with Covid itself - which is why the relative risk is what is important. You have an incredibly lower long-term risk when compared with catching Covid, and society has a multiplicatively lower risk when compared with unvaccinated people being allowed to so easily spread the disease.
> the ones that actually provided sterilizing immunity
The current vaccines provide significantly better immunity than the flu shot. This isn't a black and white exercise.