Drummer Pete Parada is out of The Offspring after refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Given my personal medical history and the side-effect profile of these jabs, my doctor has advised me not to get a shot at this time,” he wrote in an Instagram post, explaining that he suffered from Guillain-Barré Syndrome – a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks nerves – as a child.
“Unfortunately for me, (and my family - who is hoping to keep me around a bit longer) the risks far outweigh the benefits.”
The 48-year-old musician said “it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour.” He did not say if his absence would be permanent but later said he was finding “a new way forward.”
He wrote: “I have no negative feelings towards my band. They’re doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same.”
Parada said he “caught the virus” over a year ago but experienced only mild symptoms and is confident “I’d be able to handle it again.” He went on to say vaccination should be a 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,” Parada wrote.
Parada joined The Offspring in 2007.