It's not that inconsistent from a UK perspective, I don't think. The government is still pushing vaccination hard because it protects the people being vaccinate

It's not that inconsistent from a UK perspective, I don't think. The government is still pushing vaccination hard because it protects the people being vaccinated from hospitalization and death and reduces the rate at which Covid spreads, both of which guard against hospitals being overwhelmed, but the idea of vaccinations stopping Covid altogether is pretty much dead here. Official policy is that we'll have to learn to live with the virus. I know the US media and medical establishment has still been pushing hard on the idea that they could have herd immunity and stop the virus spreading if it wasn't for the evil anti-vaxxers ruining it for everyone, but that seems to be founded more in partisan politics than actual evidence. There's also a lot of pressure on any US publication that runs articles about how ineffective the vaccines seem to be against people catching and spreading Delta not to do so.