For one thing, I can reassure them that their shots weren’t wasted: They were far less likely to get very sick with COVID after receiving the vaccine and even less so with a recent booster.

I can and do also tell them that though I wish they hadn’t gotten Omicron, they are now protected not only against another bout of Omicron but also against the more dangerous Delta. I can tell them what the Biden administration isn’t: All immunity, no matter how you get it, matters.

Experts have wondered if Omicron’s much-milder symptoms are the result of a naturally milder virus, patients with immunity through infection or vaccination or a combination of all three. Of course, there are person-to-person variations, depending on underlying disease and immune status, but most scientists agree: The more immunity of any kind to COVID, the better.