“Well, if you’re across the South, and you’re in the middle of this wave, what’s going to save you right now is Paxlovid,” he said. “But once we get through this wave, during that lull, you should get vaccinated and boosted because we do believe it will protect you, particularly if you’re over 70. I knew these vaccines were not going to protect against infection. And I think we overplayed the vaccines. And it made people then worry that it’s not going to protect against severe disease and hospitalization. It will, but let’s be very clear — 50% of the people who died from the Omicron surge were older, vaccinated.”