No. I don't know if the winky face is to denote sarcasm, but it seems like it should still be noted that because so many people who could be vaccinated are refusing to get vaccinated, vaccinated people and people who can't get the vaccine still have to worry about a greater chance of catching a variant strain and also hospitals not being able to care for them (for any reason) because they're being bogged down treating preventable disease.

Variant strains are going to happen regardless of what we do, just like with the flu. This is an invalid argument that people keep using in ignorance. It's like people honestly believe the world was going to achieve 100% vaccination rate.

Likelihood of variant strains depends on the infection rate. Reduce the number of infections and you reduce the variants.

Talk to me about how near total vaccination rates are impossible the next time you contract smallpox or polio.

Those vaccines you mentioned actually worked to decrease infection rates though.

If the covid vaccine stopped the spread of the virus I would be agreeing with you.

Can you imagine if the Polio vaccine "wore off" like the Covid vaccine seems to?

You are making an extraordinary claim when you state that the vaccine does not prevent spread. Additionally, the flu vaccine becomes ineffective year after year expressly because of variant strains arising from unvaccinated people failing to take precautions like wearing masks, socially distancing during epidemics, and avoiding school and work while infectious.

The vaccines don't reliably prevent spread. That is hardly an extraordinary claim, it's an established scientific fact. Fortunately the vaccines are still very effective at preventing deaths.

https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-variant-made-herd-immu...

Are you looking for 100% effectiveness? That's not how anything in the world works. If I can reduce the probability of spreading infection, that is a clear benefit to society. If enough people reduce the probability of spread enough, we can reach a point where for all practical purposes, the virus is gone.

No one is realistically looking for 100% effectiveness. However the vaccines don't reduce spread enough to eliminate the virus. Eventually we'll all be exposed. The main benefit of the vaccines is preventing deaths.

https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-variant-made-herd-immu...

You're right, comparing Covid to the flu is a much more apt comparison than Polio or Smallpox, which was pretty disingenuous.

Not necessarily. The number of COVID infection cases related to new variants among the vaccinated population is increasing. That's why I'm back to wearing a mask again.

If everyone had been vaccinated as soon as the vaccine was available to them, and were using good mask and hand-washing hygiene, it might not have come to this.