Trevor Noah explains why it's so weird for cops and firefighters to freak out about vaccine mandates

For the past few months, vaccine mandates have "become the biggest fight in the country — I mean, aside from the Netflix CEO and everyone on Twitter," Trevor Noah said on Wednesday's Daily Show. "And mandates have been effective at convincing people to get the COVID vaccine, which is why everyone from the federal government to airlines to even Fox News is doing one." The Fox News mandate is "insane," he added. "It's like seeing one of those Amish farm stands that accepts Apple Pay — like, I'm happy, but I did not see that coming."

Now, New York City is requiring all of its employees to get vaccinated, including cops and firefighters. About a third of NYPD officers aren't vaccinated, and that's "a little concerning," Noah said, "because any police who don't get vaccinated can't go to work, and if there's a shortage of police, that could cause some big problems. I mean, protesters can't kick the s--t out of themselves. Plus, who are the Karens gonna call when they get scared?"

But police and firefighters have been among the most resistant to vaccine mandates in cities and states that have them, and honestly they're "the last people I'd expect to see this from," Noah said. "These are the same people who sign up to swarm hostage situations or run into burning buildings. But when it comes to the vaccine, suddenly they're like, 'I dunno, seems like a health risk.'"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

"Here's what I find most strange about this story: For years, police departments have been telling us that nothing is more important than protecting the lives of cops on the streets," Noah said. "But it turns out there is literally nothing more dangerous to police officers right now than COVID-19. COVID, right now, as we speak, is the leading cause of death for law enforcement. In fact, since the start of the pandemic, it has killed more than five times the number of police than were killed by guns. So it turns out that if you do believe that 'Blue Lives Matter,' one of the best ways to show your support is by getting the vaccine."

In a confluence of life and art, this is essentially the same discussion Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy had with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday.