Disease Expert Who Spoke to Minnesota Vikings About Covid Jab Claims on MSNBC: ‘Be More Worried About Taking Aspirin Than This Vaccine’

Earlier this month, the Minnesota Vikings had the lowest vaccination rate in the NFL, led by star quarterback Kirk Cousins who infamously said he would consider surrounding himself in plexiglass to avoid Covid, but wouldn’t get jabbed.

Head coach Mike Zimmer has been vocal about wanting their entire locker room to get vaccinated, including Cousins. To help the Vikings get closer to the league vaccination rate of 90 percent, the team hosted epidemiologist Michael Osterholm Monday morning to speak about the importance of getting vaccinated.

After attending the Vikings team meeting, Osterholm went on MSNBC and firmly preached how safe Covid vaccines are.

“One of the things that isn’t really appreciated about these mRNA vaccines…180 million people have been vaccinated with that vaccine,” Osterholm said. “We have not had a single death associated with the vaccine, you know aspirin isn’t that safe. I tell people to be more worried about taking aspirin than this vaccine.”

Asked about speaking to the Vikings and their vaccine hesitant quarterback earlier in the day, Osterholm said the franchise has done everything they can to help players understand the importance of getting vaccinated. Despite their continued efforts, Zimmer wasn’t sure if Osterholm’s visit would improve his team’s low rate.

“Some of the questions that were asked are things you hear on the internet,” Zimmer told reporters after Monday’s practice. “Like [Osterholm] said, he was going to be 100 percent honest. If he knows the answer, he’ll tell it. If he didn’t know it, he would tell it as well. I thought he did a terrific job and hopefully it helps. I just care about these players and I care about their families. So that’s my main reason. If they miss a game because of Covid, so be it. But I don’t want them to get sick and I don’t want their families to get sick or their kids to get sick or my grandkids to get sick.”

Unfortunately, Osterholm added “the thing that has had most impact” on convincing someone who opposes the vaccine to get the jab “is watching a loved one die.”

Watch above via MSNBC.

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com