James Hetfield mentioned in a new interview how he was skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine and explained why.
In an appearance on the hunting podcast The Fierce Life, Hetfield was asked whether he thought Metallica would return to the road in 2021.
“I have no clue. It’s not up to me. It really is up to the safety of everyone — not just the fans, but the crew and us,” said Hetfield (as transcribed by Blabbermouth.) “I’m not sure what that means in the future as far as vaccines. I’m a little skeptical of getting the vaccine, but it seems to be rolling out and people are getting it and I’ve got lots of friends that have done it.”
Papa Het continued, “I’m not totally sure about it. But I hope it doesn’t come to a point where you have to have that COVID stamp in your passport or something to go everywhere. But if it comes down to that, then I’ll make a decision then. We got vaccinated to go to Africa, so it’s not like I’ve never been vaccinated before. But as a kid, I never got vaccinations because of our religion. [Hetfield grew up as a Christian Scientist.] So that was the only time I got one — when we were going on safari in Africa.”
As of publishing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 33.4 percent of the total population in the United States is fully vaccinated, while 45.3 percent have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.