Comedian Chris Rock has breakthrough case of Covid-19
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LOS ANGELES • Comedian Chris Rock, who was vaccinated earlier this year, revealed that he has tested positive for Covid-19 in a tweet on Sunday.
"Hey guys, I just found out I have Covid," the 56-year-old wrote without elaborating on his symptoms.
He also urged his 5.2 million Twitter followers to get the vaccine, saying: "Trust me, you don't want this. Get vaccinated."
Rock revealed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in May that he had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which required only a single dose.
Joking that he pushed aside his fellow actors to get the vaccine, he said: "I used my celebrity, Jimmy. I didn't care."
"I was like, 'Hey, step aside, Betty White,'" he added, referring to the 99-year-old The Golden Girls (1985 to 1992) actress.
Before that, in January, he had been interviewed by host Gayle King on morning show Sunday Morning.
The top comic, who was paid US$40 million (S$54 million) for his 2018 Netflix stand-up special, Chris Rock: Tamborine, spoke about why he would not hesitate to get vaccinated.
"I'm gonna put it this way. Do I take Tylenol when I get a headache? Yes. Do I know what's in Tylenol? I don't know what's in Tylenol, Gayle. I just know my headache's gone. Do I know what's in a Big Mac, Gayle? No. I just know it's delicious."
His announcement on Sunday triggered debates on Twitter, with some saying his infection was proof that vaccines do not work, while others pointed out that vaccines do not prevent illness but are effective against hospitalisation and death.
