Originally Posted by
morno
The vaccine won’t entirely stop you getting covid from my understanding, it’ll just reduce the effects of getting it. I guess while it’s still so prevalent worldwide, the chance is still there that you can be carrying it.
Maybe when numbers have come right down worldwide, the risk of an inbound traveller carrying it will be greatly reduced, then the need for pre-flight testing will become unnecessary.
And here you have ladies and gentlemen the reason why foreign traveller quarantines will continue seemingly indefinitely and exactly what I predicted would happen. The purpose of the vaccine is to protect against severe disease, not necessarily mild infection. If this policy comes in, the world will never reopen. We are only finding the Kent variant for example, because the UK has half of the world's genomic testing. Seemingly a Nigerian variant was found around Christmas, but you never hear about it because no one is looking for it.
Hypothetical situation - I have a booking from LHR-DXB-BNE from 6 Dec 2021 (FWIW I have) - I have had two doses of the vaccine, as have all Australians who want one. I then present with asymptomatic Covid-19 which the vaccine is protecting me from getting mildly ill. I have to shell out £150 for a test too, which I can afford, but clearly don't want to pay out. Who am I endangering?
Viruses mutate - that is what they do. All vaccines, albeit some less so, protect against disease, but all protect against severe disease. I don't mind getting a little bit sick as long as I don't end up in hospital clearly.