Spotify’s Joe Rogan says ‘healthy’ young people don’t need to worry about getting COVID-19 vaccine

Countering health experts’ recommendations, Spotify podcast host Joe Rogan said last week that “healthy” young people don’t need to worry about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

On his show “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the most popular podcast host in the world urged people to get vaccinated only “if you’re vulnerable,” saying he thinks “for the most part it’s safe.” But Rogan said if a 21-year-old asks him if they should get the vaccine, “I’ll go, ‘No.’”

“Are you healthy?” he said in his April 23 podcast. “Are you a healthy person? Like, look, don’t do anything stupid, but you should take care of yourself. You should – if you’re a healthy person, and you’re exercising all the time, and you’re young, and you’re eating well, like, I don’t think you need to worry about this.”

Rogan’s advice is not based on science. It directly contradicts health experts, who have called on all people above age 16 to get the vaccine to curb the spread of the virus across the U.S., especially among vulnerable populations. Unvaccinated people can also put others at risk by spreading the disease.

His remarks come as the U.S. faces a tipping point in its vaccination effort between enthusiastic Americans who have already gotten inoculated versus those who are more hesitant, or don’t have access to the shot.

While young people have lower death rates than older adults, more young people have been hospitalized recently as variants spread across the U.S. According to the CDC, more than 400 children have died from the virus.