Prince Harry condemned vaccine misinformation during massive concert event in California

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Prince Harry spoke out in favor of frontline workers and condemned vaccine misinformation while giving a passionate speech at a recent concert event designed to spread vaccine awareness worldwide. 

The Duke of Sussex joined stars and world leaders like Jennifer Lopez, Joe Biden and more as part of Global Citizen’s massive "Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World" event at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Many commented that the large event was the first of its kind in Southern California since the pandemic began closing large gatherings down in March of 2020. The taped fundraising event will air May 8 on ABC, ABC News Live, CBS, YouTube and iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations.

According to Yahoo Entertainment, the 36-year-old appeared twice during the event where he made sure to do his part to speak out against vaccine misinformation.

"In today's world, we are so connected like a vast nervous system, whether we are online or not," said the British royal. "And much like the virus, there are no borders online. So when vaccine misinformation and disinformation spreads, magnified on social media and in parts of traditional media, it exposes a collective threat to humanity. I believe that misinformation is a global humanitarian crisis, and the crisis is getting worse."

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Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks at "Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World" on Sunday, May 2, 2021, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Harry went on to condemn the growing tide of hesitancy when it comes to getting vaccinated for COVID-19. 

"Hesitancy is not an option," he said. "Misinformation is not only simply harming those who believe it, but also those who don't. We must tackle each of these issues head-on: vaccine equity and misinformation. And if vaccine distribution moved half as quickly as misinformation, just imagine how many lives could be saved."

In his other appearance at the show, Harry spoke out in favor of frontline workers, many of whom were in the audience, after more than a year of difficult service in battling the coronavirus.

"Tonight is a celebration of each of you here, the vaccinated frontline workers in the audience and the millions of frontline heroes around the world," he remarked. "You spent the last year battling courageously and selflessly to protect us all. You served and sacrificed, put yourselves in harm's way and with bravery knowing the costs. We owe you an incredible depth of gratitude."

Harry continued: "This pandemic cannot end unless we act collectively with an unprecedented commitment to our shared humanity. The vaccine must be distributed to everyone everywhere. We cannot rest or truly recover until there is fair distribution to every corner of the world.

"None of us should be comfortable thinking that we could be fine when so many others are suffering. In reality — and especially with this pandemic — when any suffer, we all suffer. We must look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion for those we know and those we don't. We need to lift up all of humanity and make sure that no person or community is left behind. What we do in this moment will stand in history and tonight." 

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Global Citizen said $53.8 million in philanthropic and corporate commitments helped procure nearly 10.3 million doses, exceeding the goal for the Vax Live campaign.

Harry said providing vaccines across the globe is imperative, particularly those in the poorest countries. He said that he is standing in solidarity with India, which is experiencing a "devastating" second wave of the virus.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks at "Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World" on Sunday, May 2, 2021, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

"The vaccine must be distributed to everyone everywhere," the Duke of Sussex said.

Harry, along with his wife Meghan Markle, are leading an effort to raise money for the vaccine-sharing program COVAX, which hopes to produce $19 billion to pay for the vaccines for medical workers.

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"We cannot rest or truly recover until there is fair distribution to every corner of the world," he said. "The virus does not respect borders and access to the vaccine cannot be determined by geography."

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Selena Gomez, the show’s host, called essential and frontline workers "reliable" and "brave" during her impassioned speech.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.