COVID Is Linked to Erectile Dysfunction — So Doctors Are Urging Vaccination 'for Your Penis'

In a comedic, but fact-based PSA, guys like SNL’s Tim Meadows fondly think back to their first erections to encourage men to get vaccinated against COVID-19

COVID-19 can wreak havoc on people's bodies in many ways. There are the severe cases where people struggle to breathe, develop blood clots and in some cases, die. And then there are mild effects, like loss of sense of smell and taste, exhaustion and coughing. And a new PSA wants to bring attention to a lesser-known, but problematic side effect — a higher risk of erectile dysfunction.

Multiple studies have confirmed that erectile dysfunction (ED) can stick around in men who contract COVID-19, with one large study finding that the virus increases the risk of ED by nearly six times. With that in mind, urologists are urging men to get vaccinated in a PSA for their campaign, Urologists United for Vaccination Education.

In it, guys think back fondly to their first erections and the ones since, with one man saying he thinks "it was at the library," while another confidently remembers his first came while watching "the 1996 Olympics."

"I don't remember every single one of them but they're all special in their own way," says another.

Saturday Night Live alum Tim Meadows then weighs in, saying that if he "couldn't have one, it would be devastating. And kind of boring."

After Dr. Larry Levine, a urologist from Chicago, tells viewers that "men who have had COVID are six times more likely to develop erectile dysfunction," Meadows is in disbelief that people aren't getting vaccinated to stop that from ever happening.

Tim Meadows. Urologists United For Vaccination Education/YouTube

"I'm sorry, what? Six times more likely? What are you guys doing, go get the vaccine!" the Mean Girls actor says. "We're talking about your future boners here. I mean, I would cut off my own dick to protect my future boners. Okay, as I think about it, it doesn't make sense logically to cut off my own dick to save my future dick, but you know what I'm saying. It's just important."

Levine, along with Dr. Amy Pearlman from Iowa City and Dr. Brian Le from Madison, Wisconsin, tell guys to "get vaccinated," and "do it for your penis."

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And Meadows emphasizes that you can trust the group of urologists.

"Listen to the doctors! These are penis doctors, not just the normal doctors. These are doctors of the penis. They went to a penis college where they studied everything that there is to know about your penis," he says.

Along with the three doctors in the PSA, 28 more have signed on to the campaign.

"We're a collective of top urologists from across the country who have come together to encourage more men to get the COVID-19 vaccine," they say on the campaign site. "Not only is it safe, easy, and saves lives, it can also prevent numerous long-term COVID effects. One of which is near and dear to our hearts: the male penis, and it's ability to function."

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