It's no secret that COVID-19 infections are reaching record highs in many parts of the world. And in Mexico specifically, "cases have increased by 286% from the average two weeks ago [and] deaths have increased by 50%," the New York Times reported.
And despite the data, there are still many out there who refuse to get vaccinated when given the option — or, at the very least, wear a mask. This is where Leonardo Schwebel — a presenter for Mexican news program Telediario Guadalajara — comes in.
He recently went viral on both Twitter and TikTok after he went on a rant during a live taping of the show and called out unvaccinated people. Just before the start of the clip below, he said, "Freedom doesn't give you the right to screw others."
Mexican TV host has had it with antivaxxers and people who won’t wear a facemask 😂
He continued, "You damn anti-vaxxers, gaggle of morons. Stop with your bullshit and at least put on a goddamn mask. And stop hitting the breaks for the entire world."
The clip finishes with, "Yes, you anti-vaxxers, you are a moron. Put on a mask!"
While his rant obviously became controversial among anti-vaxxers, many came out in support of him as well, with this singer saying, "In this world, I am Leonardo Schwebel."
En este mundo, yo soy Leonardo Schwebel. 🙌🏼✊🏼
I feel his pain https://t.co/zYkLvNaeNU
This is EXACTLY how I want my COVID-19 news delivered. TV news, NHL protocol news, cancelled concerts – all of it, just like this. https://t.co/4RFZsyNz84
GIVE THIS MAN A NOBEL! https://t.co/5eKwXqqOAC
Leonardo recently appeared on Telemundo's Hoy Día to discuss the aftermath of his rant. He said, "I've received a lot of congratulations. I've received a lot of threats. I've received a lot of accusations. A little of everything. The important thing is that the debate is open, Telediario Guadalajara put it on the table. And well, maybe we have to say it this way, screaming like crazy, however you want to qualify it. But you have to say it, and you have to put the debate out there."
He went on to say that the threats do not scare him, but that he is more cautious on the street because when he's brought up this subject in the past, he's been spit on in another person's attempt to "infect" him.
He went on to say, "You can't convince a fly to become a bee. The flies stand on poop and the bees stand on flowers. It's impossible to convince them. It's not a matter of conviction. When this matter of the pandemic began, and all the conspiracy theories started, no one, not one scientist from the World Health Organization or wherever else, had enough strength to finish this debate. It kept growing and growing." He then went on to discuss just how dire the vaccination rate is in Gualadjara, as well as the infection rate in Mexico as a whole.
And when asked to give a message to Latinos in the US who either refuse to get vaccinated or spread false news about vaccines, Leonardo said masks should be distributed and shared for free by the government, which will happen soon in the US. He finished with, "Don't fight with anti-vaxxers. Dumb people will keep being dumb their whole life. The point is we need to put the matter on the table. We need to discuss that the World Health Organization is being overrun, ONU (Naciones Unidas México) is useless. Governments are accomplices to this situation" and then went on to call out Mexico's president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, for not wearing a mask to events and hosting gatherings.
In conclusion, Leonardo said what he needed to say.
Watch his whole interview with Hoy Día below:
