GEOFF TATE Describes His COVID-19 Vaccine Experience

BLABBERMOUTH.NET

Geoff Tate got his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last month in his home state of Washington. The former QUEENSRŸCHE frontman discussed his inoculation during an interview with The Rock Experience With Mike Brunn earlier this week. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I got my first vaccine two weeks ago. Man, what a trip. 'Cause I was scheduled to get it back when we shot the [SWEET OBLIVION 'Another Change'] video, and a giant snowstorm hit and canceled my appointment. The shipment of COVID vaccinations didn't come into Seattle, so they delayed me. So I finally got mine two weeks ago, my first one." According to Tate, he had virtually no side effects after his initial jab. "I think the older you are, the less side effects people are reporting," he said. "I didn't feel anything but just an initial tenderness in my arm at the point of impact, and then, in a couple of days, it went away. No big deal." Over 100 million Americans — more than 30% — have received at least one dose of the three vaccines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of April 6, 62.4 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, which is 18.8% of the United States population. A Pew Research Center survey in late February found that 69% of Americans either have already been vaccinated or plan to be vaccinated. Although the COVID-19 vaccine was produced quickly because of the urgency of the health crisis and the number of clinical trial volunteers, scientists say the vaccine was not rushed, and it relies on years of research. The nation's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has estimated that about 70-85% of Americans would need to be vaccinated to reach herd immunity. America's two main vaccines have shown 95% efficacy against the coronavirus. As of late January, the CDC discovered that only 11 per 1 million people experienced severe reactions from the Pfizer vaccine, and only 2.5 per 1 million people who received the Moderna dose. Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, which became available in the United States last month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave it emergency use authorization, was tested with new variants of COVID-19, and has shown to be effective against them; Pfizer and Moderna were tested prior to the emergence of these variants.