Like flu shots, pneumonia shots, shingles shots and such, the COVID vaccines do not prevent the illness but make it less likely that you will get it. Unlike the polio, measles, mumps vaccines that do mostly prevent the illness, with a COVID vaccine you may still get the virus but you are far more likely to have a much milder and less long term damaging case than you would without it.
Yes as with all vaccines, the Covid shots come with risks for unwanted, even dangerous side effects and Covid may have a somewhat higher risk of that than some. But the risk remains very small. I do believe people should be fully informed of the risks and have full autonomy and choice in whether they wish to assume those risks. There should be no mandates requiring people to take the shots.
But I know a lot of medical professionals and without exception they ALL say they have observed much better outcomes with COVID among the vaccinated than among the unvaccinated. Many of my family and friends have had COVID. Of the three family members and one good friend we lost to COVID only one, my sister, was vaccinated and she was already seriously declining due to congestive heart failure. Among the others, the vaccinated recovered more quickly and mostly without any long term consequences much more so than have most of those who were not vaccinated. The very young invariably fare much better than middle aged or older people.
Until we have an honest conversation about all of this using actual data and not emotional rhetoric/propaganda, there will continue to be disinformation put out there from all sides.
