UFC commentator Joe Rogan is under fire for his comments about the coronavirus vaccine and young people.
Rogan was slammed on social media for suggesting to young people to not get the coronavirus vaccine because they are “fit and healthy.”
Dr Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, clapped back at Rogan and called his comments “incorrect”.
“You’re talking about yourself in a vacuum,” Fauci said of the podcast host on NBC’s Today.
“You’re worried about yourself getting infected and the likelihood that you’re not going to get any symptoms. But you can get infected, and will get infected if you put yourself at risk.”
Fauci also said there are still cases of asymptomatic people infected with the coronavirus “inadvertently and innocently” spreading the virus.
“So if you want to only worry about yourself and not society, then that’s OK,” Fauci said.
“But if you’re saying to yourself, even if I get infected, I could do damage to somebody else even if I have no symptoms at all, and that’s the reason why you’ve got to be careful and get vaccinated.”
When asked directly if young, healthy people should get vaccinated, Fauci simply replied: “Absolutely.”
Rogan is under fire for telling millions of fans young people should not get the Covid jab because they are “fit and healthy.”
The 53-year-old $100m Spotify podcast star’s comments came as President Joe Biden pleaded with youngsters to “go get vaccinated now.”
Speaking on The Joe Rogan Experience, the podcaster said he recommended “vulnerable” people get the shot, adding his parents have had theirs and agreeing it was safe.
But he said: “If you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, Should I get vaccinated? I’ll go no.
“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’s comments fly in the face of guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that say vaccinations are safe for everyone over 16.
Rogan’s comments even got the attention of White House officials who blasted the podcaster asking when did “Joe Rogan become a medical doctor”.
“I guess my first question would be, did Joe Rogan become a medical doctor while we weren’t looking?” White House communications director Kate Bedingfield told CNN on April 28.
“I’m not sure that taking scientific and medical advice from Joe Rogan is perhaps the most productive way for people to get their information.”
