Doctors are criticizing Saturday Night Live for a skit about a Black doctor trying to convince his family members to get the COVID-19 vaccine, reports BET.
In the skit, titled “Vaccine Game Show,” comedian Daniel Kaluuya, who portrays Dr. Tevin Jones, offers $500 to four high-risk family members in exchange for the vaccine. None of the contestants took the offer, which grew to $5,000.
“How did this skit even make it on air?” Dr. Uché Blackstock, the founder of Advancing Health Equity, wrote on Twitter. “It’s deeply problematic — making fun of Black folks declining the vaccine, especially without any context — past and ongoing racism within and outside healthcare institutions. You all should know better by now.”
“This s*** aint funny, @nbcsnl,” said emergency medicine physician Benjamin Thomas. “Playing on stereotypes and generalizations is a dangerous game especially when 75,000 Black lives lives have been lost to #COVID19. Polls show that over 80% of black people want the shot.”
Krys Foster, a family medicine doctor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, tweeted: “Although I‘ve enjoyed many @nbcsnl skits and these actors, this one got under my skin and I’m really disappointed. This skit is irresponsible as it further perpetuates vaccine disparities as being due to Black Americans being ignorant for a good laugh, and portrays Black healthcare providers as manipulative. The more I think about it, the more my stomach turns.”
The number of COVID cases has dropped in most states from January highs and vaccine distribution has picked up.
More than 3 million people, on average, are receiving a COVID-19 vaccine each day in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nearly 63 million people have been fully vaccinated in the U.S., or about 18.8 percent of the population.
In New York City, 15 percent of less of Black and Latino communities’ have received their shots once, according to the Hill.
Source: Newmax
