00:00Medicine doesn't care who you voted for. We amazing humans have created a vaccine that
00:05serves the common good. The vaccine doesn't take sides unless you count alive versus dead.
00:12As an actor, author, and woodworker, I will not be offering medical advice today. I will leave
00:32that to the scientists and medical experts on the panel, also known as the smart people. Instead,
00:38I would like to lead with my ignorance in these matters to represent the rest of the citizens who
00:44are not epidemiologists and doctors, but feet on the ground, hands in the dirt people across
00:51our country whose lives and livelihoods have taken a pounding from this pandemic.
00:56Ignorance is an area in which I can claim some authority, and it is from that perch I would like
01:03to communicate that I'm not only an actor and author and woodworker, but I'm also a small
01:08business owner and a proud Midwesterner. It's from those personal perspectives I'd like to
01:13communicate why it's so important we all get vaccinated. Now, I understand that some Americans
01:20with experiences and backgrounds similar to my own are hesitant to get the vaccine,
01:25so I wanted to jump on this opportunity to get a positive message out to them. I am close with
01:30my family of 38 people in the village of Manuka, Illinois. Unfortunately, because of disinformation
01:38from social media platforms with no oversight, a few of them have refused masks from the get-go,
01:45and they now refuse the vaccine. We also have a couple of immunocompromised nephews, which means
01:51we all have to avoid the anti-vaxxers whom we love for the safety of the rest of the family.
01:58It breaks my heart, and we can't wait until we can all be reunited. On January 5th of this year,
02:05Los Angeles County had 8,098 people hospitalized with COVID-19. A few days ago, that number was
02:13319. That is more than 96% lower in just four and a half months. That is the gift of this vaccine.
02:23I urge anyone who has not yet been vaccinated to catch my enthusiasm. Medicine doesn't care
02:29who you voted for. We amazing humans have created a vaccine that serves the common good.
02:36The vaccine doesn't take sides unless you count alive versus dead. Now, if you need a cookie
02:43or a lottery ticket, or I'll take you down the street for a glass of single malt,
02:50if that's what it'll take, then I'll be happy to pick up that bar tap.
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