The world has been returning back to its pre-pandemic form, largely due to the COVID-19 vaccination. There's still concern about a Delta variant and other forms of COVID mutation spiking infection rates but for the most part, those who are vaccinated are enjoying some sense of normalcy. As the topic of vaccine passports arise, Joe Rogan found himself not only questioning the efficacy of the vaccine but suggesting that it could also play a role in creating mutated forms of the virus.
Rogan cited an article from 2015 study to back up his argument that unvaccinated folks might not be to blame for the rising cases of the Delta variant. "Here’s one important quote,” Rogan said. “‘Vaccines that keep the host alive but still allow transmission can thus allow virulent strains to circulate in a population.’ So, vaccines that don’t kill the virus. … can possibly lead to more potent viruses.”
The lead scientist and author of the study is now speaking out against Rogan's claim, saying the podcast host has misconstrued the information to push anti-vaxx theories. Andrew Read spoke to Forbes where he slammed Rogan for spreading misinformation and weaponizing the study.
"Joe Rogan is getting this completely wrong,” Read told Forbes. “He’s taking very careful work about evolutionary scenarios of the future, and from that, erroneously concluding that people should not be vaccinated now." Read added that the details on study "matter a lot."
"At the moment, the vast majority of the replication is happening in unvaccinated people,” Read added. “You can tell that because the majority of cases in the hospital are unvaccinated individuals.” Read also pointed out that the vast majority of current cases are among those who are not vaccinated, as is the majority of transmission."
Andrew Read concluded, "Rogan is completely wrong trying to deduce anything else."
