National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that the highly contagious Omicron variant of coronavirus “is going to find you” if you are unvaccinated.
Fauci said, “We know now from studies that have already been done, with more to come, if you are vaccinated without a boost, you have a diminution in the protection to Omicron when you talk about the level of antibodies. But that’s very nicely reconstituted with a boost. You can feel reasonably comfortable, but all things being equal, you will not get seriously ill if you get infected.”
On the unvaccinated, Fauci said, “Well, they’re going to be very vulnerable. That’s why I worry about the people who refuse to get vaccinated. When you’re dealing with any COVID virus, when you’re dealing with one that spreads so rapidly, and you’re unvaccinated, the virus is going to find you. And I know there will be a lot of people that will get seriously ill if you are unvaccinated. That’s the reason why despite the recalcitrance on the part of so many people to get vaccinated, we continue to encourage them, particularly in the context of this new variant, to please get vaccinated. If you have vaccinated, make sure you get your booster in time.”
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