Vaccinate the nation

Two Fox News hosts shared pro-vaccine sentiments on Monday. Don't get too excited.

Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Steve Doocy offered rare moments of on-air pro-vaccine rhetoric this week, a notable shift in tone considering the network has appeared increasingly anti-vaccination as of late. That said, they're alone in their efforts.

On Monday's Fox & Friends, Doocy encouraged viewers to "get the shot" because "it will save your life," while dispelling misleading or erroneous claims about the vaccine's makeup and side effects. He maintained his position even as co-host Brian Kilmeade lambasted the government for attempting to save American lives during the pandemic. "It's not their job to protect anybody," Kilmeade claimed.

And later that night, Hannity begged his audience to "please take COVID seriously," adding he believes in science and "in the science of vaccination." He did, however, "stop short of directly encouraging vaccination, as Doocy had done," writes The Washington Post.

But such messaging — both from Doocy and Hannity — might, at this point, be falling on deaf ears (despite nonetheless earning them praise from some critics). If the network's only pro-vaccination commentary is coming from just two of its prominent voices, some have argued their efforts are merely a drop in the bucket.

As far as Fox hosts go, Doocy reportedly has long been a far more vocal advocate for masks and vaccinations than Hannity or most other hosts, per the Post. But despite Doocy's efforts on Monday and before, Fox & Friends looked to be back to its regularly scheduled programming on Tuesday.