Joliet native Brandon Harris said he was adamant he would never get vaccinated for COVID-19.

He said he participated in several protests against Gov. JB Pritzker’s measures restricting economic activity to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus last year. As another way to air his displeasure at the governor, he also made signs disparaging Pritzker’s policies and their effects on small businesses.

As for getting vaccinated, Harris said he was “the biggest anti-vaxxer” — until recently.

“I just (saw) the stories on Facebook ... that conservatives were pushing the message of how negative it was, and me being a conservative leader, I just automatically went with the crowd,” Harris, 31, said.

He said after seeing all sorts of “random stuff” on social media and conservative news sites decrying the vaccines with baseless claims, he started to believe it.

“I guess my head was kind of mixed up in the wrong direction,” Harris said.

But then he started losing friends to the disease.

The first was a man in his early 30s, said Harris, telling how they went to high school together and that the man was fit and healthy when he died.

Shortly after that he noticed a friend from Texas, whom he met over social media, stopped commenting on his posts. Harris said he learned from his friend’s family that he had died in his late 20s of COVID-19.

Then this month after learning of a third friend dying, Harris said it shook him.

“It starts hitting closer to home and you’re like, ‘Holy crap, this is real,’” he said.

Harris was also concerned because he smokes and has a preexisting condition. He also has a young daughter.

Harris announced his decision to get vaccinated on his Facebook page, which elicited dozens of comments from followers, some of whom said he was “making a mistake.” Others said he should “do what’s best for you.”

Still, Harris said he went to his appointment at a Joliet Walgreens, albeit a bit nervously. He said the process went smoothly and he experienced only some soreness in his arm afterward.

“I’ve been perfectly fine,” he said a few days after getting the dose of the Moderna vaccine. “I haven’t fallen over. I’m not dead yet and I actually feel safer getting it done.”

Harris said most of his friends and followers on his social media platforms have reacted negatively toward his decision and his arguments about why they should get their shot. He said after former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, many conservatives felt they needed “something to hold on to” and cast COVID-19 vaccines as “the evil thing,” especially after Democrats pushed them.

But even as he prepares to move out of state, Harris said he still plans to visit his hometown frequently and maintain his relationships while also trying to convince others to protect themselves from COVID-19.

“I really think this is something that needs to be done,” he said. “We’re not going to hit herd immunity if we all aren’t taking it and doing the right thing.”