Offspring drummer Pete Parada reveals he's being BOOTED from the band for not getting the COVID-19 vaccination
Offspring is getting ready to go back on the road with a new tour starting at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on August 8, though the band will do so without drummer Pete Parada.
The 48-year-old drummer, who joined the Southern California band in 2007, took to Instagram on Monday to issue a lengthy statement revealing he won't be with Offspring in the studio or on tour because he won't get the COVID-19 vaccine.
While Parada made it clear his decision not to get the 'jab' was for medical reasons, since he has suffered from Guillain–Barré syndrome since childhood, he adds that he doesn't think it's 'ethical or wise' for governments or others in power to 'dictate medical procedures to those with the least power.'
No tour: Offspring is getting ready to go back on the road with a new tour starting at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on August 8, though the band will do so without drummer Pete Parada
He began his lengthy statement by apologizing for the 'public nature' of this announcement, 'but I don't know how to have this conversation multiple times.'
'Given my personal medical history and the side-effect profile of these jabs, my doctor has advised me not to get the shot at this time,' Parada said.
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He added that he caught COVID-19 over a year ago, adding, 'it was mild for me - so I am confident I'd be able to handle it again, but I'm not so certain I'd survive another post-vaccination round of Guillan-Barre, which dates back to my childhood and has evolved to be progressively worse over my lifetime.'
Statement: He began his lengthy statement by apologizing for the 'public nature' of this announcement, 'but I don't know how to have this conversation multiple times'
Mild: He added that he caught COVID-19 over a year ago, adding, 'it was mild for me - so I am confident I'd be able to handle it again, but I'm not so certain I'd survive another post-vaccination round of Guillan-Barre, which dates back to my childhood and has evolved to be progressively worse over my lifetime'
Guillan-Barre syndrome is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the central nervous system.
The CDC has indicated that those who have previously had GBS can get the COVID-19 vaccine, with no cases reported following the Moderna clinical trial and one case in the Johnson & Johnson trial.
While the CDC does add there are 'few exceptions,' the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, 'do not include a history of GBS as a precaution to vaccination with other vaccines.'
GBS: Guillan-Barre syndrome is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the central nervous system
Still, for Parada and his family, 'who are hoping to keep me around a bit longer,' the risks of the vaccine, 'far outweigh the benefits.'
'Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate - it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio and on tour,' Parada continued.
He added that fans won't see him at any of the upcoming shows and he wanted to share his story, 'so that anyone else experiencing the agony and isolation of getting left behind right now - knows they're not entirely alone.'
Unable to comply: 'Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate - it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio and on tour,' Parada continued
Parada said he had, 'no negative feelings towards my band,' adding that, 'they're doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same.'
Still, he's 'heartbroken' that he won't be able to see his fans on the road with the new tour, which spans from August until early December.
Parada said that while his reason for not getting the jab is 'medical,' he also adds that he supports, 'informed consent, which necessitates choice unburdened by coercion.'
Medical: Parada said that while his reason for not getting the jab is 'medical,' he also adds that he supports, 'informed consent, which necessitates choice unburdened by coercion'
'I do not find it ethical or wise to allow those with the most power (government, corporations, organizations, employers) to dictate medical procedures to those with the least power,' he added.
He went on to add there are 'countless' people like him for whom 'the shots carry greater risks than the virus.'
He also claimed, 'it looks like half the population is having a shockingly different reaction to these jabs than expected.'
Shockingly different: He also claimed, 'it looks like half the population is having a shockingly different reaction to these jabs than expected'
'I hope we can learn to make room for all perspectives and fears that are happening currently. Lets avoid the unfortunate tendency to dominate, dehumanize and shout down at each other. The hesitant population is not a monolithic group. All voices deserve to be heard,' he added.
The drummer concluded by stating that he is 'in the midst of launching a project and releasing new music with my daughter.'
'Sending love to everyone who has been impacted by this pandemic, in all the ways lives have been lost and altered,' he concluded.
Hope: 'I hope we can learn to make room for all perspectives and fears that are happening currently. Lets avoid the unfortunate tendency to dominate, dehumanize and shout down at each other. The hesitant population is not a monolithic group. All voices deserve to be heard,' he added
New music: The drummer concluded by stating that he is 'in the midst of launching a project and releasing new music with my daughter'
Sending love: 'Sending love to everyone who has been impacted by this pandemic, in all the ways lives have been lost and altered,' he concluded
