Haha, he probably meant that "their individualism saves them from altruism". Many Western people, even geniuses, are convinced that socialist/communist altruism is only a fraud and a slogan. With covid, as soon as people were told that they are surrounded by "asymptomatic carriers" and everyone can be biohazard, it was precisely their individualism that radicalized them into wild totalitarianism, ego-centrism (falsely claiming to "care for others", in fact caring only for themselves), and unspeakable cowardice and vindictiveness. They were ready to kill you if you don't wear a mask or have a vaccine, because they were terrified for their own skin.