Whether it was low or not, the fact that we've been able to effectively cure a certain kind of cancer with a vaccine is a pretty big deal

As mentioned already several times in the comments, there is also a long tail of people who survive but after a grueling and costly treatment that disrupt their lives.

The vaccine presumably also protects those getting it when they are older, but the data doesn't show that yet. Still, if it does (as seems reasonable) then the benefit is even larger.

> except it is still a sensationalist headline

If you take it in terms of absolute risk rather than relative risk, even though it's very clearly the latter as always, sure.

Sometimes it's not on the writer, but the reader. Important context, sure, but it was plenty clear what was being meant.