> The vaccines' ability to reduce transmission was never demonstrated in any rigorous controlled trial at all. Ok, so you’re presumably referring to this[1]? _

> The vaccines' ability to reduce transmission was never demonstrated in any rigorous controlled trial at all. Ok, so you’re presumably referring to this[1]? _Because manufacturers weren’t required to prove a reduction in transmissibility_, only safety and _efficacy_, and conflating transmissibility with effectiveness is misleading. An honest and more important question would be why did governments more or less call the crisis a wrap despite shitty immunization rates (at least in the US) and data that despite a significant and desirable impact on hospitalizations and mortality, transmissibility was still a problem[2] particularly with omicron? Or whether the vaccine technology or policy can keep up with variants today or tomorrow[3]? But a blanket statement like “no public health benefit whatsoever” is absurd. > Almost no one except those in very high risk groups takes them anymore. I don’t know what you’re getting at, here. > People lost valuable careers And people lost valuable lives. Including my mother in law who was not completely vaccinated when her husband brought it home. And my great uncle who was exposed in nursing care at a place that refused mandates. And my coworker’s brother who was forced to work despite his coworkers all being sick on the job. And so on, if we’re gonna start trading anecdotes. > poured his heart and soul into caring for old folks in an assisted living facility I’m sorry, am I to infer that he lost his job because he wouldn’t/couldn’t vaccinate while working with high risk people? Because, based on what I just said about my uncle, barking up the wrong tree for sympathy. [1] https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-pfizer-vaccine-transmission-idUSL1N31F20E https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-pfizer-vaccine-tra... [2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00768-4/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3... [3] https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/01/23/1150032238/fda-considers-major-shift-in-covid-vaccine-strategy https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/01/23/1150032...