Trevor Noah Ignites Controversy On New Vaccine Skepticism
Trevor Noah had some pointed takes about the Covid-19 vaccine, specifically calling into question some people's motives for wanting it used
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The vaccine debate rages on in America and that doesn’t look like it is going to stop anytime soon. It’s become a central talking point on late-night shows as well, often with hosts taking jabs (get it?) at those unwilling to vax up. But Trevor Noah of The Daily Show is drawing some side-eye from folks with his recent comments about the Covid-19 vaccine and who might be pushing it a little harder than need be. Noah spoke about the CEO of Moderna and how he might not be the first and foremost person of trust when it came to whether folks should continue getting shot after shot.
Posted on Twitter (via Deadline), Trevor Noah spoke out about Stephane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna who had talked recently about how new vaccines might need to be created in light Omicron variant taking hold and spreading worldwide. Noah gives a succinct, but accurate, assessment that the source might not be the most trustworthy person in whether or not vaccines were critical in this case. It’s something of a moral hazard when the person and company who stands the most to gain from continued vaccine implementation tells you that the thing is also necessary. Check out what Trevor Noah had to say about it:
Trevor Noah mentions first how the Omicron cases have been “mild” so far and then launches into how it might not be a singular source of trust to just listen to the Moderna CEO on the matter. Noah isn’t wrong here. While he is not patently against vaccines as a way to protect against Covid-19, he is simply saying that it would be better to wait for neutral parties to weigh in on the matter. You know, ones that don’t have billions on the line when it comes to continued vaccine rollouts. Having neutral parties and independent arbiters make decisions about these things might not even always be the best case, but it is almost certainly more honest and accurate than the CEO of the pharmaceutical company that wants to sell these things.
As with all things Covid-19 and vaccine-related, the internet mob quickly got to work on Trevor Noah, with some seeing his stance as anti-vaccine. But there were plenty of others who jumped in saying that this was a sign that some folks were coming around the idea that there could be other powers at play with this situation. That latter take was much more prevalent on Twitter. Check out some of the responses.
It will be interesting to see how Comedy Central views this take from Trevor Noah. While some will likely claim that it is anti-vaccine, it clearly isn’t. He’s simply asking the question about motives from different sources and wanting to make sure those align with actual correct public policy. They aren’t mutually exclusive ideas, motives can be both virtuosic and financially viable. It just seems like Noah is saying that to make a good, rational decision about anything, but in this case vaccines, it’s best to take a measured approach that brings in all kinds of voices and information. Relying on the CEO of one drug company shouldn’t be the be-all, end-all.
Whether Comedy Central clarifies the point from Trevor Noah or asks him to do it himself remains to be seen. There might not be as much backlash around this as would have previously been expected. And there could be a response to Noah’s claim that Omicron doesn’t appear to be all that bad, some are sure to have opinions here. And they could gain steam over the weekend especially with Noah recently announcing that he’ll be hosting the Grammys.
