Vaccine expert slammed for predicting ‘Barbenheimer’ will spark COVID surge

Not everyone is in love with “Barbenheimer.”

Vaccine researcher Dr. Peter Hotez has gone viral for warning that summer blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” could spark an explosion of COVID-19 cases – as critics slammed the doomsday doc for his dire prediction.

“Not to be a Debbie Downer…but anyone worried about a post-BarbieBoxOffice Covid bump? Or post-Oppie? We’ll probably never know since no one seems to be keeping track of such things anymore,” Hotez, 65, tweeted Sunday.

“Keep up with your boosters and find a pink N-95 or KN-95 if you can,” added the pediatrician and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Barbiemania is sweeping as the Greta Gerwig-directed comedy garnered $162 million at the box office — while Christopher Nolan’s three-hour epic about the life of nuclear physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer took in $82 million.

Meanwhile, a total of​ 7,109 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the US in the week of July 15, compared with 45,000 at this time last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hotez, who was a frequent presence on CNN at the height of the pandemic, was called out by critics for his health prediction.

“No. No normal, rational person is worried about this. It must be really sad to constantly live in such a warped state of fear,” Republican Texas Rep. Jeff Leach tweeted in response to the virologist.

“I am not worried about that, no, because it’s not 2020,” Washington Post contributing columnist Sonny Bunch wrote.

“They’re still at it. There’s no limiting principle to their fear-peddling anti-social dogma,” added Washington Examiner columnist Tim Carney.

In June, podcast host Joe Rogan challenged Hotez to debate presidential candidate and anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after he criticized the Democratic hopeful for doubling down on his controversial stance.

Rogan pledged to donate $100,000 to a charity of the doc’s choosing if he agreed to appear with Kennedy, who has launched a longshot bid to unseat  President Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary.

The host criticized Hotez for previously saying he did not take basic measures to help boost his immune system.