After his podcast last week, Joe Rogan was blasted by many on social media when he discussed the COVID-19 vaccine, and whether young and “healthy” people should get immunized against the virus.
“But if you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, ‘Should I get vaccinated?’ I’ll go, ‘No.’ Are you healthy? Are you a healthy person? Like, look, don’t do anything stupid, but you should take care of yourself,” Rogen said. “You should — if you’re a healthy person, and you’re exercising all the time, and you’re young, and you’re eating well, like, I don’t think you need to worry about this.”
Rogan clarified his comments later in the week “after a string of sharp rebukes on Twitter and from Dr. Anthony Fauci himself.”
“I am not an anti-vax person,” Rogan said. “In fact, I said I believe they are safe and I encourage many people to take them. I just said if you’re a young, healthy person, you don’t need it. Their argument was you need it for other people. But that’s a different conversation. And yes, that makes sense.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rogan also said, “I am not a doctor. I am a f***ing moron. I am a cage-fighting commentator … I am not a respected source of information, even for me. But I at least try to be honest about what I am saying.”
Rogan’s clarification — and self-definition as a “f***ing moron” — did nothing to quell the woke outrage to his comments. John Oliver, host of “Last Week Tonight” on HBO, condemned those who are deciding not to get vaccinated.
“Our best way out of this mess long-term is clearly vaccines,” argued Oliver. “These vaccines can save not just your life but the lives of people around you, and it’s genuinely dispiriting that just a few months into the vaccine rollout we are already at this point. And the problem is, for the coronavirus, the herd immunity threshold is thought to be between 70 and 90% of the population, but a survey found that while 60% of American adults have got — or want to get — the vaccine, and about 18% say ‘maybe,’ and 22% say ‘no.’”
Like other liberal media figures and outlets, Oliver then focused on the impact “right-wing” media is having on the issue.
“If you’re thinking, Yeah, I’m not sure I’ll need it. Joe Rogan says I’m probably fine. It is true: You might not get seriously sick from COVID — or indeed sick at all — but you could still inadvertently pass it to someone who could then die,” said Oliver. “And before you say, ‘Well, vulnerable people should just get vaccinated then,’ the vaccines are only 95% effective… so they’ll probably be OK, but maybe not. Also, the more the virus circulates, the likelier we’ll see mutations that make it more dangerous, possibly helping it to evade the vaccine completely, putting us all the way back to square one, so get the f***ing vaccine!”
“It is genuinely weird to see someone hosting a show on a supposed news network and ending every sentence with a question mark—especially when answers to most of those questions are out there for anyone who cares to know,” continued Oliver, adding, “That the CDC still recommends wearing masks indoors around vulnerable, unvaccinated people does not mean the vaccine doesn’t work. Clinical trials found that the vaccines are spectacularly successful at preventing people from getting serious disease. As for whether they protect you from spreading the virus, the trials weren’t designed to assess that, but evidence has so far indicated that they drastically reduce transmission. The reason we still see mask and distancing recommendations is that the CDC is being cautious and wants to be sure that it is not spreading bullshit around during a global pandemic like a frozen dinner duke with a TV show.”
“Stop listening to what Joe Rogan tells you, he’s a ‘f***ing moron’—and those are his words, not mine,” Oliver concluded.
According to the CDC:
CDC recommends you get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as you are eligible.
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Over 230 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the United States from December 14, 2020, through April 26, 2021.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated in tens of thousands of participants in clinical trials. The vaccines met FDA’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization (EUA).