1. We don't (and didn't) know how long antibodies would offer protection. Some viral infections can recur very quickly. Also, all of the data I've seen is that

1. We don't (and didn't) know how long antibodies would offer protection. Some viral infections can recur very quickly. Also, all of the data I've seen is that the immunity conferred by the COVID vaccine is more durable than that from an infection. 2. It's not a given that a vaccine prevents transmission. Being an asymptomatic carrier is a real thing. 3. This statement shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how vaccination works. The vaccine is only 90% effective. If vaccinated people are swimming in a sea of COVID, then roughly 10% of them will go on to get COVID. You're also ignoring the fact that as of today children under 16 can't get vaccinated AT ALL, and so beyond whether they die or get critically ill from it, they are contributing to the sea of COVID that can infect vaccinated senior citizens. 3. Studies take time. Knowing how variants perform vs. vaccines is not a matter of people flying on a plane. It's a matter of running a study long enough to see who gets infected and who doesn't. You seem to be completely unaware of the classic project management warning that it takes 9 months to have a baby, 9 mothers can't have one in one month. On masking in public, you also need to understand that we have to have rules that are manageable. You can't say "oh vaccinated people, you can stop wearing masks in public", because then every storekeeper needs to query every non-masker to ask whether they are vaccinated - and of course they are all going to say yes, and they are even going to carry fake vaccination cards to prove their point. It's just an untenable situation, and additionally as long as COVID is in open spread with tens of thousands of cases per day, vaccinated people are still vulnerable.