There are a number of studies both identifying a mechanism for covid to have reduced spread due to vaccine and verifying that this occurs empirically. The difference is decreased with newer variants but:

1. Hybrid immunity is even stronger at reducing spread and only possible with prior vaccination

2. There is still non-negligible reduced spread which can be impactful.

In this case, they don't.

You're right that there's no definite answer to this, but the general consensus among doctors is that it doesn't prevent the virus from spreading.

“ In a November press conference, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, said that the vaccines were 60 percent protective against spreading the virus prior to the arrival of the delta variant. That number has dropped to 40 percent post-Delta. Omicron may worsen the problem, if, as suspected, it is more transmissible and leads to many more breakthrough infections.”

OTOH, the measures that are being implemented for vaccinated vs. unvaccinated are out of proportion based on the evidence we have.

At some point, there is no realistic difference between R=10 and R=7. Everyone is getting this. Some of us have known that since March 2020.

If your theory includes "avoid being infected with coronavirus" and you live in a democratic country it is a flawed theory. Only full home isolation or hazmat suit rituals will suffice.

If you attempt to spread it out and succeed, you're at 100% capacity basically all of the time, plus 99% of people get to deal with the fact that coronavirus restrictions are utterly miserable.

Omicron has probably made all of this irrelevant anyway, it's so contagious that effectively everyone who goes outside is getting it this month. 1 in 15 in London right now and that's only the confirmed cases I believe.

"Everyone" is a significant stretch. Yeah its seriously contagious but you, an engineer, should know better than deal with such absolutes. Viruses burn out long before they infect everyone, even without vaccines and even if they're extremely contagious.

We're not far off 1 in 5 _confirmed_ in the UK and most of that was pre Omicron.

Based on the experience of my friendship group I believe that huge numbers of people have probably had it and not even noticed. I finally had a positive test and it was indistinguishable from the other 30 times I've woken up a bit tired in the morning over the past two years.

You have to remember that a lot of people aren't tuned in to the "omg test every time you move" stuff.

Unmitigated spread accelerates evolution. Mitigating the spread slows it down.