This is incorrect. The vaccine also provides protection from contracting the disease. This has been known to be true for at least the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines since this Spring, when the first big population studies came in. The efficacy varies based on the variant and the length of time since last vaccine/booster.

And the reason people have stopped talking so much about herd immunity is because Covid is becoming endemic. However, in such a situation, vaccines are just as important, even if herd immunity can’t be achieved anymore. That’s for protection of the individual, the immunocompromised in the community, the population as a whole, and to keep the healthcare system functioning.