[lern_too_spel]

I was talking about mandates in the comment your comment replied to. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29903853

Do you understand now? The entire point of this thread is that vaccine mandates will allow society to open up, which is not yet possible due to health system constraints, nor was it possible earlier. Your doctor quote is nonsensical in that it doesn't say anything about when society can open up. Today? When the pandemic first started? Obviously not — only when immunity is high enough or effective treatment is readily available.

From that same Dr. Pollard:

“When we do open, there will be a period with a bump in infections, which is why winter is probably not the best time. But that’s a decision for the policy makers, not the scientists.

“Our approach has to switch, to rely on the vaccines and the boosters. The greatest risk is still the unvaccinated.”

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/omicron-wave-pandemic-loc...

[logifail]

> The entire point of this thread is that vaccine mandates will allow society to open up [..]

I think that claim remains to be substantiated, to put it mildly.

[lern_too_spel]

The mechanism is straightforward.

1. Vaccine mandates increase vaccination rates.

2. Increased vaccination rates mean the health system won't be overwhelmed, allowing society to open up.

The doctor you yourself cited agrees with step 2, as do most of the governments in the world that are managing their countries' transitions to endemicity. There are multiple examples showing that step 1 is correct.