Days after Sacha Baron Cohen confirmed the end of “Borat”, it seems that the British comedian has found a lucrative job elsewhere – selling COVID-19 vaccines to celebrities.
In a sketch from Thursday night’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live !,” Cohen was interrupted by what appeared to be a cell phone ringing as he answered the question, “Was it fun to play Borat?”
Following his serious statement about Borat’s political impact, Cohen apologizes for answering the phone – wearing a number he seems to recognize. He greets the caller, named Bono.
“Yes, I have AstraZeneca; I have some Pfizer. What do you want? “He asks the caller as he goes through a mini-fridge in the background, full of oat milk and what appear to be hermetically sealed vaccines.” Yes, Venmo is fine, “he concludes.
“Did I hear you right?” Was it Bono? Kimmel asks, to which Cohen clarifies, “A different Bono: Chaz.”
The track continues to include calls from “Tom Cruise” – initially confused with Tom Hanks and Tom Holland – Kanye West and Wesley Snipes.
“I don’t want to know, but do you sell vaccines?” the host asks late.
“Stay away from that, Kimmel,” Cohen replies. “Take care of that cute face. There is no vaccine for broken legs. “
Later, the actor Isla Fisher, Cohen’s wife, enters the frame looking particularly messy – stretched, you could say – with a baggage of money. “Honey, honey, Ruffalo is out. Here’s the cash, “she says, then orders” two Pfizers, a Moderna and an Oatly “for” Mark Ruffalo. “
Observing her careless behavior, Cohen asks Fisher, “Did you get any vaccines?”
After a few pressures, she confesses with a heavy sigh: “I was 15.”
Kimmel later suggests that the critically acclaimed satirist should focus more on Academy awards than colossal vaccines.
“This It is my Oscar campaign, ”Cohen barks. “Jimmy, [I’ll] say, “No one in the Hollywood Foreign Press gets COVID-19 any time soon.”
True to Cohen’s satirical roots, the bit actually touches on a very real issue in the middle of launching the coronavirus vaccine: the elitism of the vaccine. As various pharmaceutical brands continue to launch their version of the COVID-19 antidote, a certain understanding has emerged that dangerously undermines the effort to vaccinate all Americans.
In January, a skit by British comedian Josh Berry it wisely captures the worrying mentality by framing vaccines as if comparing top-tier universities.
“What vaccine did you get?” Berry begins, talking to another imaginary. “Oh that’s wonderful. Me? Oxford. Yeah, everyone in my family had it, so I thought, why not me? You know? I just didn’t want to settle for at Pfizer – no offense ”.
But doctors’ warnings warn that constantly separating each vaccine – where it was developed, who funded it, or which demographic groups will benefit the most – can spread misinformation.
The effectiveness of the cross-brand vaccine has decreased in a spectrum with success rates ranging from 72% (Johnson & Johnson) to about 95% (Pfizer and Moderna), according to studies, which can largely depend on the age of the patients, the condition health and a number of other factors. Despite the range, doctors have pointed out that any vaccine is considerably better than none.
Dr. Jennifer L. Lighter, NYU Langone Health epidemiologist, suggested that the brand “doesn’t matter” in an interview with the university’s news site published Thursday.
“Understand it, as soon as you become eligible,” she urged. “Vaccines have been shown to prevent severe disease, and that is our goal.”
Lighter explained that the purpose of a vaccine is not necessarily to prevent people from getting sick at all, but to strengthen their immunity enough to keep them out of the hospital. “If someone gets a mild infection, even after vaccination, it’s not a cause for concern,” she said. “What we need is for people to stay out of the hospital and reduce their risk of death.”
She also reiterated that “none of the participants in the trial received [a] the vaccine died because of COVID-19. ”
“There is no clinically significant difference between these vaccines,” said Dr. Lighter. “None. So please don’t hesitate to get vaccinated.”