Can ‘Family Guy’ convince vaccine holdouts in NJ? (Opinion)

We just passed a sad milestone this week in the nation’s public health history. Up until now, the most deadly health crisis America ever faced was the 1918/1919 Spanish flu. It took the lives of 675,000 people.

That record has now been broken.

We have now lost more American lives to the COVID-19 pandemic than any other health crisis in the country’s history. You would think this would be enough to bring people around to believing science again. Far too many Americans are believing Alex Jones conspiracies and Fox talk host nonsense.

Largely, the same people who had a hissy fit about wearing a small cloth covering in public places to trap exhaled micro-droplets which carry the COVID-19 virus are the same ones who refuse to be vaccinated. Also largely the same people who railed against the shutdowns and spoke in terms of constitutional rights to go to a Killers concert unvaccinated and unquestioned.

Here in New Jersey we’re smarter than that. We’ve had a much higher vaccination rate, 5.77 million fully vaccinated as I write this, than much of the nation. But there are still those holdouts. There are still people listening to lies and misinformation spread daily. No vaccine is 100% safe just the same as no vaccine is ever 100% effective. But this vaccine has been proven to be safer than most in history. And it was our way back to a normal life that the very people who are dismissing the vaccine said they wanted so much.

Enter an unlikely player in a public health crisis. Seth MacFarlane, creator of “Family Guy.” He’s been outspoken for some time now about the people who have turned their backs on science and reality. Now he’s gotten creative. Check out this video he made which serves as a PSA trying to explain how the vaccine works and why you need to get it.

Of course if you know "Family Guy" who else would play the part of the virus other than Meg? And yes, Stewie, Brian and Peter all play a role.

Will this convince anybody? Probably only a handful. If you’re not going to believe in an epidemiologist who served under every president since the Reagan administration it’s doubtful you’re going to trust Seth MacFarlane either. But hey, the video was scientific, funny as hell and worth a shot.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.