Late night hosts cheer the CDC's unmasking news and Ohio's vaccine lottery, ponder how we got here
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just dropped some happy news, Jimmy Fallon said on Thursday's Tonight Show. "Yeah, if you are fully vaccinated, you can go back to doing the things you did before the pandemic — well, not everything. If you're Trump, you still can't tweet." Now that vaccinated people can ditch their masks, he said, "honest to God, the next time I hear 'N95,' it better be in 50 years when I'm playing BINGO."
"As if getting vaccinated so you can return to a normal life isn't enough incentive," Ohio is giving five vaccinated adults $1 million each in a new lottery, Fallon said. Vaccinated New Yorkers will get free Shake Shack fries, though Mayor Bill de Blasio ruined that announcement. "The sound you just heard was every New Yorker puking and then packing for Ohio," he joked. "Somehow de Blasio did the impossible — he made people want to stop eating French fries."
"French fries are nice," but Ohio's lottery gimmick "blows everything else away," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. Maybe saving humanity should be incentive enough, but "have you seen humanity? It's full of jerks who will only get vaccinated if there's money in it for them," he said. "Hopefully this does convince some anti-vaxxers to get the shot. The only awkward part is that if they actually win, then they're going to have to explain to their anti-vax friends how they got rich."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Unfortunately, there's no way to know who's vaccinated and who isn't, and the majority of the population still isn't, which means we'll be relying on people who aren't responsible enough to get vaccinated to be responsible enough to wear masks," Jimmy Kimmel noted at Kimmel Live. Ohio's lottery "sounds great, but you know somebody's going to get vaccinated like 40 times to try to increase their odds," he added. "Can you imagine being in a country like India right now, where people all around you are dying because they don't have the vaccine, we're over her begging and bribing people to get it?"
"If a million dollars can't convince you to get a vaccine, perhaps you could be swayed to care about your penis," Stephen Colbert suggested at The Late Show. "According to new research, COVID-19 may increase the chance of erectile dysfunction. The study was released in the prestigious New England Journal of Now Will You Wear a Mask, Uncle Gary?" Watch the PSA below. Peter Weber
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Ukraine hints at end to 'hot war' with Russia in 2025
Talking Points Could the new year see an end to the worst European violence of the 21st Century?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What does the FDIC do?
In the Spotlight Deposit insurance builds confidence in the banking system
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
2024: The year of conspiracy theories
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Global strife and domestic electoral tensions made this year a bonanza for outlandish worldviews and self-justifying explanations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
California declares bird flu emergency
Speed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Bird flu one mutuation from human threat, study finds
Speed Read A Scripps Research Institute study found one genetic tweak of the virus could enable its spread among people
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark chocolate tied to lower diabetes risk
Speed Read The findings were based on the diets of about 192,000 US adults over 34 years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ACA opens 2025 enrollment, enters 2024 race
Speed Read Mike Johnson promises big changes to the Affordable Care Act if Trump wins the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
McDonald's sued over E. coli linked to burger
Speed Read The outbreak has sickened at least 49 people in 10 states and left one dead
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published