Jason Isbell has been an outspoken proponent of Covid vaccines and at the forefront of the live music industry’s attempts to safely play concerts during the pandemic. The Americana songwriter brought up both of those topics during a conversation with Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the country’s leading health expert on the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a rep for Isbell, the interview with Fauci came about after the White House took notice of Isbell’s work in promoting vaccines.
During the five-minute video, Isbell asks Fauci how to help persuade and inform family members and friends who might be hesitant to get their shots. “What you’re trying to do is just get in the conversation of having them articulate to you what are the reasons why they’re hesitant. Some of them are very valid questions,” Fauci said. “If you give them the answer to a valid question, you might turn them around.” Among those concerns: that the vaccines were rushed into use. Fauci points out the research into mRNA vaccines was two decades in the making.
As for playing concerts right now, Fauci recommended outdoor shows over indoor and also endorsed Isbell’s policy of requiring proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test to enter his shows. “Some people might feel more comfortable wearing a mask,” Fauci added.
“I was hoping you would say…they should stop yelling out requests from the audience,” Isbell joked.
The Isbell-Fauci interview is part of the Made to Save Campaign to teach the public about the safety and availability of the Covid-19 vaccines.