I don't understand why your saying it wasn't a vaccine? True, people who were vaccinated did in some cases develop Covid, but for the most part had milder symptoms, and for the elderly that is important. If their health was compromised, getting a full blown case of Covid could be a killer. I know two people who were older, and had underlying medical conditions and developed the disease and died. Had they had the vaccine, perhaps that would not have been the case.