John Oliver on dealing with COVID-19 misinformation: Please just try as hard as you can

John Oliver appeared on Last Week Tonight to dissuade people from sharing misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccine.

John Oliver tried to clear up myths surrounding the vaccine, such as the false viral claim that Bill Gates is attempting to insert microchips in Americans and mRNA in the vaccine will harm the body and cause infertility.

While the US has seen a steep drop in coronavirus cases, John Oliver has seen an alarming amount of people simply not wanting to get the vaccine. He cited a 20% decline of vaccinations from the start of April and played a series of local news clips in which vaccination sites across the United States are having issues filling their appointments. This is also a pressing issue due to the fact that vaccines have a certain shelf life.

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This problem, Oliver said, stemmed from the amount of misinformation propagated online by anti-vaxxers, people who oppose vaccinations.

John Oliver expressed sympathy for hesitant communities of colors who, in the past, have had sour histories with vaccinations (e.g. Tuskegee Syphilis Study) and instead turned his lens onto conservative groups, familiarly, this time, onto Tucker Carlson.

He then urged viewers that they are individually responsible for getting vaccinated and to pacify other people’s qualms about the vaccine. “Please just try as hard as you can,” he told viewers.