Let's say I'm a cleric with the 5th level spell Contagion and I am successful on the melee attack. From the wording of the spell it seems that the effect kicks in immediately, but Jeremy Crawford said that it "activate[s] after three failed saving throws."
Josh @SirJosh94 · 27 May 2015
@JeremyECrawford Do contagion effects kick in immediately or do they kick in when the target fails 3 saving throws?
Jeremy Crawford @JeremyECrawford · 29 May 2015
The effects of the contagion spell's disease are meant to activate after three failed saving throws.
I agree with him on that part, that the disease chosen would continue or not based on the success or failure of three saving throws.
But I think that the wording is pretty clear:
Your touch inflicts disease. Make a melee spell attack against a creature within your reach. On a hit, you afflict the creature with a disease of your choice from any of the ones described below.
So which is true?
Does Contagion inflict the disease immediately, and the saves are just for determining whether the disease will become permanent for 7 days?