Days after Sacha Baron Cohen confirmed the ending of “Borat”, it appears the British comedian has found lucrative work elsewhere selling COVID-19 vaccines to celebs.
In a sketch during the Jimmy Kimmel Live! On Thursday night, Cohen was interrupted by what appeared to be a burner cell phone ringing when answering the question, “Was it fun playing Borat?”
Leaving behind his serious statement about Borat’s political impact, Cohen apologizes to answer his phone – with a number he seems to recognize. He greets the caller named Bono.
“Yes, I have AstraZeneca; have some Pfizer. What do you want? “He asks the caller as he flips through a mini fridge in the background, filled with oat milk and what looks like hermetically sealed vaccines.” Yes, Venmo is okay, “he concludes the call.
‘Did I hear you correctly? Was that Bono? Kimmel asks, to which Cohen explains, “Another Bono: Chaz.”
The bit continues with calls from “Tom Cruise” – initially mistaken for Tom Hanks and Tom Holland – Kanye West and Wesley Snipes.
“I don’t want to pry, but do you sell vaccines?” the night host asks.
“Stay out of this, Kimmel,” Cohen replies. ‘Get that pretty face of yours. There is no vaccine for broken legs. “
Later actor Isla Fisher, Cohen’s wife, comes into the picture and looks very sloppy, you could say, with a lot of money. “Honey, honey, Ruffalo is outside. Here’s the money, ”she says, then orders“ two Pfizers, a Moderna and an Oatly ”for“ Mark Ruffalo ”.
Cohen notices her unkempt demeanor and asks Fisher, “Have you been drinking any vaccines?”
After some insistence, she confesses with a deep sigh: “I’ve had 15 of them.”
Kimmel later suggested that the acclaimed satirist should be more focused on the Academy Awards than vaccines.
“This is my Oscar campaign, ”Cohen barks. “Jimmy, [I’ll] Put it this way: none of the Hollywood Foreign Press will get COVID-19 anytime soon. “
True to Cohen’s satire roots, the bit actually hits a very real problem amid the coronavirus vaccine rollout: vaccine literaryism. As several pharmaceutical brands continue to release their version of the COVID-19 antidote, a certain one-man business has emerged dangerously undermining the attempt to get all Americans vaccinated.
In January, a sketch by British comedian Josh Berry cleverly captures the troubling mindset by framing vaccines as if they were comparing top universities.
“What vaccine did you get?” Berry starts talking to an imaginary other. “Oh that’s great. Me? Oxford. Yeah, everyone in my family had it, so I just thought, ‘Why not me?’ you know? I just didn’t want to settle for the Pfizer – no insult. “
But constantly disassembling each vaccine – where it was developed, who funded it, or which demographics would benefit the most – can run the risk of spreading misinformation, doctors warn.
Inter-brand vaccine efficacy has declined across a spectrum with success rates between 72% (Johnson & Johnson) and about 95% (Pfizer and Moderna), according to studies, which may depend largely on patient age and health status and some other factors. Despite its reach, doctors have emphasized that any vaccine is significantly better than no vaccine at all.
Dr. Jennifer L. Lighter, NYU Langone Health epidemiologist, suggested the brand “doesn’t matter” in an interview with the university news site published Thursday.
“Just get it as soon as you qualify,” she insisted. “The vaccines have been proven to prevent serious illness, and that is our goal.”
Lighter explained that the purpose of a vaccine isn’t necessarily to prevent people from getting sick at all, but to boost their immunity just enough to keep them out of the hospital. “If someone gets a mild infection even after vaccination, that’s not a concern,” she said. “What we need is for people to stay out of the hospital and reduce their risk of death.”
She also reiterated that “none of the trial participants got it [a] vaccine died from COVID-19. “
“There is no clinically significant difference between these vaccines,” said Dr. Lighter. “None. So don’t hesitate to get vaccinated.”