Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined "America Reports" Wednesday to react to a new study from Johns Hopkins University that concluded COVID lockdowns did more harm than good because they failed to reduce mortality and were "devastating" to the economy.

RAND PAUL: Let’s hope we learn from our mistakes. In the 14th century, the pope surrounded himself with candles because they thought the infection could be burned out of the air to save people. It was a wrong-handed notion. It took a few centuries – really to the 19th century – to understand the germ theory. Now we have lockdowns which are not based in science, and really we know that by and large masks did not work, Plexiglas did not work, and six feet of distance did not work.

The one thing we do know that did work is vaccines and natural immunity. Those worked to protect people from hospitalization and death and also slow some of the spread. So, we should emphasize what works. It was a real disservice for Dr. Fauci to say cloth masks do work because then you have an 80-year-old taking care of their spouse with COVID and wearing a cloth mask that has no value whatsoever, and that’s a mistake. He caused people to engage in activities they wouldn’t have normally by telling them it was safe when it wasn’t. I hope we learn from this. The study is an extensive analysis looking at dozens and dozens of studies, bringing them together, and said lockdowns did not reduce mortality but were devastating to the economy.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

Rand Paul: COVID edicts that make no scientific sense deserve a 'massive boycott'

Kentucky senator told 'America Reports' we know vaccines and natural immunity worked -- and that should be emphasized