But why are we concerned with transmission? We should be concerned with mortality rates - which are almost null.
That's an oversimplification and if you're in healthcare you should realize that. Transmission rates are variable and so are mortality rates. When transmission rates were high, mortality rates spiked, not just because more people were sick, but because there were fewer resources available for each individual case. You need trained medical personnel to control mortality rates. Everyone can help control transmission rates.
The incidence of the flu was down last year because even the most basic protocols like handwashing and social distancing also limit transmission of the flu. If you want to claim that flu deaths were counted as covid deaths we'll need more proof that "that's the only explanation for why there was so little flu". It's equally probable that early covid cases were counted as flu.
But to get back to your original statement, are mortality rates from covid null in India? Or are they just good enough that we can ignore transmission here unless the mortality rate matches India's? Vaccinated people can still catch the disease. Twelve vaccinated people died in California, along with lots of unvaccinated ones. But people want to be able to leave their homes, go to concerts and ball games, and reassure themselves this is all over. Tell me, as a healthcare worker, what do you think the result of that is going to be?
Because I think transmission rates will go up and so will the mortality rate. We have a vaccine that's not perfect and no widely available, effective protocols for treatment. We don't have enough people vaccinated for herd immunity and without incentives, education, and coersion we won't get there. And once it starts spiking again people will blame the government rather than themselves and even more of them will be resistant to quarantine- because it obviously isn't working.
We have to worry about transmission rates because they're the only things we're sure we can control about covid and its variants. Capisce?