Hantavirus Is Not the Next Covid, But Try Telling That to the News Media | The Daily Show

Welcome once again to The Daily Show.My name is Jon Stewart.Great show for you tonight.And I don't say that every time.Later on, we're gonna be joined by, uh, a journalist.Josh Tierengal wrote a book about how A .

I.can help solve the world's problems.And, uh, from what I understand, uh, he wrote it with A .I.But first, I want to check in on the president.You know, his approval rating is currently lower than really ever, I think.

It's really...It's not...It's not good.Uh, really, thanks to a combination of inflation and...He's a dick.The war in Iran.

The ongoing energy crisis in his own body.Weekend at Donnie's.But as is always the case with Donald Trump, his MAGA base remains unfazed.

This week saw the formal dedication of a 22 foot gold statue of Trump at his Miami golf course.by none other than evangelical pastor Mark Burns.Pastor Burns must have known that he might take some criticism for preying over a literal golden idol, because he wrote on social media, quote,

because God would probably be punishing us the same way he did in the Bible with a plague.And, I mean, that's not happening.

Breaking tonight, the deadly outbreak of a rare rodent virus on board a cruise ship.

The race to contain a suspected deadly virus outbreak.The public health threat so dangerous.

Nightmare at sea.Cruise chaos.A cruise from hell.

What?Their pandemic?To start washing our hands again?Freaking the... in a Target?I have to say, on the plus side, I can't believe I still fit into my old hazmat suit.

It's not like COVID.It's not like measles.It's not a very efficient transmission.The overall risk to the public is low.You don't need to be hysterical about it.

I know we don't have to be hysterical about it.But you know what?It's a relief.I'm glad we don't have to be hysterical about it.COVID was a respiratory virus.Passes easily.

often when the person isn't symptomatic.It was a brand -new virus we hadn't ever seen before, and we weren't allowed to know where it came from.I mean, we didn't know.We were obviously allowed to know.We just didn't know.While the hantavirus is a known virus.

It's difficult to transmit.It's mostly spread by rat infestation, which does raise the question, how did a cruise ship end up with hantavirus on it?

A husband and wife who were the first to be stricken with the so -called rat virus reportedly went bird -watching at a rat -infested landfill when their cruise ship was docked at a remote city in Argentina.

Some questions.Just gonna walk down the list.S -line.There's day -trip landfill excursions.Sure.And spend the whole day going, Seagull.

Seagull.Seagull.Let's use condoms on Seagull.Vulture, seagull, condom.Vulture eating seagull eating condom.

That's...

But in bird -watching lingo, that's known as a vulgoldum.A lot of people serve that on the holidays.The point is, some people may get pretty sick, but forget COVID, this ain't no pandemic.Hell, this hantavirus ain't not even in monkeypox territory.But I guess reality don't sell papers.So, boys, we learned that everything was okay on Tuesday.

What are we doing Wednesday through Friday?

The WHO has been vocal in saying this is not another pandemic or epidemic situation.Can they be so sure?Should people be worried?

Is this another pandemic?Could the antivirus mutate?People have a right to be nervous.You got to fight!

Have a right to be nervous.But I guess the question the news might want to ask is, do we have a reason?And your assignment, news, should you choose to accept it, is to help the public discern the difference.So, may we hear from the experts?

The potential to spread beyond an outbreak is very small.Should be pretty limited.Should keep it contained.Shouldn't really have any concern at all.I have no concern about that.

I guess it's going to stick this time.I want to make the timeline clear to everybody.Sunday, we found out Hantavirus had been on a cruise ship.Monday through Thursday, expert upon expert, scientist upon scientist, very transparently explained why this illness, while a seriousillness, is a low -level public health threat.Their words went a long way to easing the concerns of a curious public.

Lord knows the news can't let that happen.So on Friday, after three days of reinsurance, I give you Nightline.

A dream vacation turning into a floating nightmare.Authorities are now working to stop the spread and track down passengers who've already left the ship, including to the U .S.The looming question, could this become the next pandemic?

Damn it!Did you check out the percussion on that?Next pandemic?Whether it was going to be the next pandemic had been asked and answered for three days.But apparently, that was before the authorities decided not to fire a torpedo and sink the cruise ship, burying its diseased passengers and cruise entertainers in a watery grave, befitting their disease.That's right, folks.

These people from this ship were going to be... allowed to disembark.

The deadly hantavirus is no longer contained to that cruise ship.It is now literally flying around the world.Why they let them off the boat, releasing them off the boat,just creates new problems.Why did they get off the boat and then come back to America?

How long do you think people on the ship should be isolated before being allowed to leave and then, like, walk among us?

Are crazy about the idea of people who take cruises walking amongst us.I just don't think it's...And I -I respect that.But they're still people.They're just people who wanted to travel the world on a floating shopping mall they can throw their fiancé off.Trust me, a higher body count than the hantavirus.

Trust me. I could be convinced to be on team sink-'em -all, but again, let's listen to the experts that the news people themselves have vetted to answer these questions responsibly.

Dr. Rasmussen, do you have any concerns about the process of the passengers returning to their home countries?

So, I don't actually have any concerns about this process from a scientific perspective, because I actually think that the process itself is completely suitable for this virus.

Suitable for the virus, but not suitable, apparently, for this news cycle.The news experts say stay calm, but the news media says, no, I believe we prefer panic.

Right now we're in the port where the ship won't even be allowed to dock.You can have a look at what this looks like.That is the MV Honduras.Those are the Americans finally on board that evacuation boat.You can see there's a small group of them being ferried back and forth.

Helping ferry passengers off the ship and onto some smaller boats to land.

Off of the ship, on these little boats that bring them here through a tent.Within minutes, they are on a bus headed straight for the airport.We're looking at a portion of a bus that looks similar to the ones that people have gotten onto.

You're literally showing us a bus they're not on?You're just cutting to showing us what a bus looks like?Yes, Jim, uh, the passengers are getting on, and I'm being told that the wheels on this bus go round and round.And where the wheels go round and round, Jim, I see.And can you ask, uh, will that be all through the town?I believe it will, Jim.

I believe they will be going all through the town on the bus.They're treating it like the OJ Chase.It was...That's the logistics of how you get from a boat to the... shore.But don't worry, the news media's high -level technology gets us access we never could have gotten before.

These images just coming in, those Americans getting on buses and waving before boarding their flights.Drone video from Spanish authorities capturing the first passengers leaving.Drone video!

Spectacular!Such good use of drones!Ukraine uses theirs to defeat Russia!But good on ya!I still have not learned enough.I mean, I know they've gone from a boat to a smaller boat to a tent to a bus, but at this point, somewhat lost the trail.

Where will it end?Where will these who are supposedly to walk amongst us end up, perhaps, in a room.If so...what does the room look like?Is it furnished?If it has a bike, will that bike be stationary?

Each person will have their own room equipped with special ventilation systems, private bathrooms, exercise equipment, and Wi -Fi.

Private bathrooms, exercise equipment, Wi -Fi?Oh, maybe we should all get the Hantavirus.It's actually not that luxurious.Only one of them will be given the password.which I believe is lowercase hantavirus, but the I is a one and the S is a dollar bill, y 'all.We are now eight days into this non -pandemic, and it's beginning to affect our Mother's Day coverage segues.

It's a very happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there.This morning, that cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus.

The state of our union is calling our mom.This morning, 17 Americans are beginning a trip back to the U .S.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms watching.Let's kick this off.

Pandemic panic.You love her, but also keep your eyes on her, because you don't know if she's got it or not.And I gotta tell you this, if she turns, you know what you have to do.No tea!She's not your mother anymore.She's more hunter than woman.

No matter how many times the question can be asked and answered, it doesn't matter for some people.And sometimes it's the same person.

Does this have the markings of the next pandemic or no?No.Should we still not be sounding the alarm?

I don't think we have to be very anxious about it.

Should we be worried that we have an American here who's tested positive?No, it's a low risk to Americans.Should we still not be worried by this here in America?

Correct.I don't think that this poses any risk to the general public.

Jesus, lady!Just want to work from home!Work from home!Just Zoom!Jesus!Although it is important to note, this virus can cause chronic fatigue syndrome.

mostly amongst the experts, who have to repeatedly answer the same questions.

What is your message to Americans who are still scared?We have been repeating the same answer many times.Um, this is not another COVID.Um, and the risk to the public is low.Uh, so they shouldn't be scared, and they shouldn't panic.

You fucking idiot.Well, that -that certainly should put an end to it.

Unless so they shouldn't be scared and they shouldn't panic and there is concernout there that more positive cases could pop up.

So when they say, you shouldn't be scared, you hear, be scared!It's like they're all trying to recapture that pandemic ratings magic.Remember the old big screen body counts?All the ways they scared us?Well, the counts are back, obviously.Not as compelling.

There's one person who tested positive.A separate person showed symptoms, but we don't have a positive test result for that person.

Spreading like, I don't know, what's something that doesn't spread?Cold butter?The legs of a prude?You could do this all day!It's not a thing.Go about your lives.

Go on a cruise if you want.

Meanwhile, a norovirus outbreak on board a different cruise ship.102 passengers, 13 crew members are sick on the Caribbean Princess.