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The Minnesota Vikings hosted a disease expert on Monday to encourage unvaccinated players to get the vaccine as the team enters the 2021 season with reportedly one of the league’s lowest vaccination rates.
Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist from the University of Minnesota, spoke to the players at the team’s training facility in an attempt to address misinformation about the vaccine and the risks associated with getting it.
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"What I shared with them was really just addressing this disinformation that’s out there," he recalled during an appearance on "Morning Joe" Wednesday. "A rumor that 6,700 people had died from taking the vaccine. Absolutely not true. A rumor that the vaccine makes you sterile. Absolutely not true. And so it’s amazing once a disinformation piece of information becomes talked about, it becomes fact."
"And the other thing, I appealed to their team as a team. We have to each take care of each other. Getting vaccinated today is not just about protecting yourself. If you’re an adult, it’s about protecting your kids from getting the virus."
He continued: "If you’re a leader on a football team, it’s about the community looking to you. Young men and women in our community saying in fact, ‘If they’re not going to get it, why should I get it? But if they do get it, maybe I should get it.’ And so I think it was really an ideal opportunity to kind of share about the vaccine and what it means to the community."
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One of the leaders Osterholm could be referring to is his quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has publicly stated that he will not be getting vaccinated.
When asked about the meeting during a press conference, Cousins kept it brief and showed no signs of changing his stance.
"It was a great meeting," he said, via the Star Tribune. "Informative. It was what it was."
According to a report from The Washington Post earlier this month, the Vikings had the lowest vaccination rate with at least 70% of players having at least received their first dose and just over 64% being fully vaccinated.
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Head coach Mike Zimmer has expressed his frustrations in the past and told reporters he was happy that Osterholm came and spoke to the team.
"It went well," he said, via the Star Tribune. "He's one of the top specialists in the world, and I thought he was very good with his points, answered a lot of questions. Whether or not that changes anything, I don't know. We were very thankful he was able to come over here and talk to the team in person."
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