The A lister who likes to pretend he isn’t vaccinated for ratings, had to show his vaccine card to use the gym and restaurants at the hotel where he stayed over the holidays.

Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan’s Covid claims: what does the science actually say?

Spotify has said it will add “content advisories” to episodes of Joe Rogan’s podcast discussing Covid after the singers Neil Young and Joni Mitchell accused the streaming service of helping to spread Covid misinformation.

The musicians are critical of Rogan, who has recently sparked controversy over comments made by himself and some of his guests about the pandemic.

So, what does the science say about some of Rogan’s most controversial claims?
’Healthy young people don’t need a Covid vaccine’

Rogan has claimed he isn’t anti-vaccine, but during a 23 April 2021 episode of his podcast he said: “If you’re like 21 years old, and you say to me, should I get vaccinated? I’ll go, no.”

Although it’s true that older people are at greater risk of severe disease and death, younger people can and do die from Covid-19. According to the latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) figures, there have been 39 deaths in 20- to 29-year-olds with laboratory-confirmed Covid in England since January 2021.

‘The myocarditis risk is higher from vaccines than from Covid’

In his 12 January 2022 episode, Rogan claimed the risk of myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation) among vaccinated 12- to 17-year-olds was higher than the risk associated with catching Covid.

But his guest, the Australian broadcaster Josh Szeps, argued that, in fact, young males infected with the virus were up six times more likely to develop myocarditis as those who had received the vaccine. Szeps cited data from the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, suggesting a rate of about 450 myocarditis cases in every million Covid-19 infections among boys aged 12-17, compared with 77 cases a million after vaccination.

Ivermectin can drive this pathogen to extinction’

During his 18 June 2021 podcast, Rogan’s guest, the evolutionary biologist Bret Weinstein, claimed that “ivermectin alone, if properly utilised, is capable of driving this pathogen to extinction”. On 2 September, Rogan announced that he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was also taking the anti-parasitic drug. Although he recovered, ivermectin is unlikely to explain why: according to a recent Cochrane Review, which analysed data from multiple studies, there is no evidence to support the use of ivermectin either for preventing or treating Covid.

‘mRNA vaccines are gene therapy’

In his 20 August 2021, podcast, Rogan claimed the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines were not really vaccines, but gene therapy. “A vaccine is where they take a dead virus, and they turn it into a vaccine, and they inject it into your body so that your body fights off [the infection],” he said. “This is really gene therapy. It’s a different thing. It’s tricking your body into producing spike protein and making these antibodies for Covid.”

It’s true that mRNA vaccines persuade our own cells to manufacture the viral spike protein, which in turn prompts the production of antibodies. However, whereas gene therapy is designed to permanently alter an individual’s genes, mRNA vaccines issue instructions to protein-making machinery located in the cytoplasm, which degrade after about 72 hours.

“I’m not gonna get vaccinated. I have antibodies, it doesn’t make any sense.”

On 24 December 2021, Rogan told the US comedian Tim Dillon that his Vancouver show had been cancelled because Canada required proof of vaccination to attend live events.

Referencing his earlier Covid infection, Rogan said “I’m not gonna get vaccinated. I have antibodies, it doesn’t make any sense.”

Although so-called natural immunity is likely to provide some protection against subsequent infection, vaccination would strengthen and extend the duration of that response. – Source


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