The previous numbers we were seeing during the pandemic were mostly focused on severe infection, hospitalization etc - those that stated we were north of 90% less likely to be hospitalized with a severe infection - and that also included the elderly where this caps off at 49.

If we are in a 'healthy' age range, this booster will effectively halve your chances of getting a symptomatic case if COVID. I'd be interested to see how this compares to the flu shot, and it's effectiveness within that age group for the same conditions.

If I'm reading this all right, this is more or less what people would expect from a vaccine - asymptomatic infection at worst. I think we were in a unique situation in that we had broad testing during this pandemic and vaccine roll out, and previous vaccines (ie polio) were not matched with this type of broad testing. To the regular person, symptoms=sick, and it could just be a matter of perception.

Do we get asymptomatic cases of measles, mumps, polio etc that we are just unaware and our bodies just know how to handle the disease/virus from the vaccine?

I'm thinking we are seeing that these vaccines don't prevent the viruses from entering your body, but train up your immune system to recognize and take it out/contain it - and educating people on that will be good. With COVID, you can still spread it - but you reduce it's replication in your body and eliminate symptoms and therefore reduce your ability to spread it by SOME degree.

The distinction is important because people are leaning on "still getting infected and can spread it, what's the point of the vaccine" and it's usually a politically flamed reaction around those concerns. The question is reasonable if someone doesn't understand. But diving into it and explaining, if my understanding above is accurate, can be an important precursor to someone getting vaccinated and can have the same if not greater impact on society as you getting vaccinated yourself.

I did research the vaccines as I'm a primary-source-of-information kind of person prior to getting vaccinated and I think most people have a desire to understand that gets hijacked when there is a void of information/understanding by those who "just ask the questions" and conveniently avoid the answers. They prey on the idea of "you aren't getting the truth from anywhere else but here" by injecting unhealthy skepticism based in fear.

My whole point in writing this: take time to explain it if you do understand. Don't worry if it will fall on deaf ears, just do your part where you can.