Charles Barkley had harsh words for anyone who has chosen to remain unvaccinated in wake of the resurging pandemic. “Yes, I’m vaccinated,” Barkley said, per CNBC. “Everybody should be vaccinated. Period.”
“The only people who are not vaccinated are just assholes,” he added.
His remarks come at a time where the United States is bracing for a fourth wave of Covid-19 amid the rise of the highly contagious Delta variant, which is reportedly more than 200 percent more transmissible than the original virus, and capable of eluding the antibodies created by the body following a previous infection.
Early studies have shown that, in the U.S., the unvaccinated currently represent over 97 percent of people hospitalized, and 99.5 percent of Covid-related deaths. “We know that the delta variant … is currently surging in pockets of the country with low vaccination rates,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said, per NPR. “We also know that our authorized vaccines prevent severe disease, hospitalization and death from the delta variant.”
According to Yale Medicine, the Pfizer vaccine has shown an efficacy of more than 95 percent against severe disease or death from the Alpha variant. While the Moderna shot requires more studies to determine its effectiveness, experts believe findings will reveal that it works similarly to Pfizer since both of them are mRNA vaccines.
Barkley voiced his support for professional sports leagues forcing its athletes to receive the vaccine, equating the dynamic to having a corporate job. “There’s s--- you can’t do at work and there’s s--- that have to do at work,” he said. “So every workplace has rules and I think one of the rules [should be] that guys have to be vaccinated.”
The NFL caused a stir earlier this month when the league informed teams that any game cancelled due to unvaccinated players or coaches catching the virus could result in a forfeit and additional fines. The NFL is only requiring that members of an organization’s Tier 1 staff, such as coaches, front-office executives, equipment managers and scouts, receive the vaccine.
Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Rick Dennison stepped down last week after he refused to get vaccinated, but will reportedly stick around as a senior offensive advisor for the upcoming season. Some players, like Cole Beasley and DeAndre Hopkins, saw the NFL’s announcement as a threat to their freedom to decide whether they want to receive the vaccine, and voiced their concerns on social media. However, the league hasn’t issued a similar Tier 1 staff requirement to its players.
“Can you imagine if one of these guys that are not vaccinated, if they get one of these players’ kids, wives, girlfriends, moms and dads sick and they die over some unnecessary conspiracy bulls---,” Barkley explained. “I think that would be tragic.”
