> No, it does not. It only prevents serious cases.

That's not true either. Double vaccination completely prevents infection (even asymptomatic infection) in 50-70% of cases. See e.g. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/227713/coronavirus-infection...

> If vaccinations encourage new variants is a total different question. It is very possible. Evolutionary pressure is a bitch.

Fewer infected people means fewer mutations. As to whether those fewer mutations spread better (thanks to selective pressure)? It's a legitimate question, but thankfully the answer appears to be the no, the opposite, thanks to the neutralising antibody response. See https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/142544990582960128...