and see somebody like me a pulmonologist in the hospital and this is why this is something unfortunately we need to be talking about and this is why it is so dangerous. fortunately, as well, though, if you were boosted, especially in, within the first four to six months of receiving that booster shot, what we know is that the existing vaccines are still very protective against ending up in the hospital. we know masking works, of course, and especially in communities that have stressed hospital systems, so the tools that we still have will keep you out of the hospital but this is a concerning variant, especially for those who are not protected. >> it is pretty clear, doctor, that a lot of people maybe thinking what is the point in getting a booster shot if we keep getting the variants and we're only seeing from the cdc data that 15% of americans eligible for the booster have gotten it. how concerning is that to you? and how confident are you that this booster does protect against the new sub variant? >> well, we are confident that there is protection from the vaccines against ending up in the hospital, and lindsey, you bring up a really important