"I'm going to share a secret I've never spoken before. I'm immunocompromised."
CNN news anchor John King revealed on-air on Tuesday (19 October) that he has multiple sclerosis during a discussion regarding Covid-19 vaccines.
King shared that he is immunocompromised in a segment focusing on vaccine mandates and the death of former US Secretary of State Colin Powell from Covid-19 complications earlier in the week.
While Powell was fully vaccinated against the virus, he was 84 and was suffering from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer that made him vulnerable to the disease.
King was responding to some right-wing figures who had used the death of Powell to argue against the efficiency of Covid-19 vaccines.
Speaking about the importance of vaccines, the news anchor said: "It is a shared responsibility if I can do something to help protect somebody else.
"I'm going to share a secret I've never spoken before. I'm immunocompromised. I have multiple sclerosis.
"So I'm grateful you're all vaccinated. I'm grateful my employer says all of these amazing people who work on the floor, who came in here for the last 18 months when we were doing this, are vaccinated now that we have vaccines.
"I worry about bringing it home to my 10-year-old son who can’t get a vaccine.
"I don’t like the government telling me what to do. I don’t like my boss telling me what to do. In this case, it’s important.”
You can watch the video of King making the comments below.
Clip via CNN
In 2020, King became a regular staple in many Irish homes as viewers tracked the results of the US presidential election.
Last year, he joined Sunday with Miriam on RTÉ Radio One to discuss his Galway roots and the family he has in Ireland.
