KISS frontman Paul Stanley has told AXS TV‘s “At Home And Social” that he was “so excited and so thankful” to receive his second COVID-19 vaccine last month. “We have so much to be excited about with these vaccines, but people have to realize that the vaccine means nothing until you put it in your arm,” he said (see video below). “So people who are just waiting around for herd immunity, you’ve got a long way to wait. And you want me to take the shot, but you want the benefit. Go get your shot.
“I’d like [to see] everybody just get back to a normal life,” the 69-year-old continued. “A half a million people have died; it’s been devastating for so many people. For us who are inconvenienced, it’s minor compared to what some people have gone through.”
Stanley also once again criticized people who are defiantly skeptical of mask wearing, saying they are posing a risk to themselves and to all those around them.
“I’d love to get back out and play [shows with KISS], and I think everybody would love to get their masks off,” he said. “But let’s face it: part of the problem is that we haven’t adhered properly to what should be common sense restrictions. And as long as there are people who are negating what’s being told to them, this [coronavirus crisis] is gonna extend further.
“We’re supposed to be a community. And if there’s the slightest possibility that it would be the right thing to do, shouldn’t you do it?” he asked rhetorically.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll showed almost a third of U.S. adults are undecided on whether they’ll get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The poll, released last month, found that 31 percent of adults are going to “wait until it has been available for a while to see how it is working for other people” before receiving the coronavirus vaccine.
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.
In recent months, Stanley repeatedly slammed people who refuse to wear a mask in public spaces to protect others from possible coronavirus infection. In December, the KISS frontman took to his Twitter to write: “Frankly, I’ve had enough of the self-serving & politically motivated mask misinformation & BS about this pandemic. I don’t want to hear about ‘my freedom’ & ‘my rights’ that then infringe on so many other’s. Those ‘rights’ & choosing to gather at Thanksgiving got us here. Wake up”.
Three months earlier, he tweeted out a CNN article about an Idaho pastor who was hospitalized with COVID-19 after calling himself a “no-masker” during a service and repeatedly questioning the veracity of coronavirus case reporting. Stanley added in a message: “YOU figure this one out. I can’t. A hoax and non-existent virus has put this guy in the ICU. If you’re so concerned with a loss of your freedom , Why do you stop at red lights? Don’t let the government control you!! Drive right through!!! PUT YOUR MASK ON.”
In early July, Stanley shared a photo of him and his then-eight-year-old daughter Emily wearing masks, and he included the following message: “Sunset at the beach with Emily. WEAR YOUR MASK! Don’t listen to conspiracy theorists or graduates of The Internet University Of Medicine. While the credible authorities and experts continue to learn more about Covid 19 they remain in agreement about safety protocols. End of story”.
Three months ago, Stanley‘s KISS bandmate Gene Simmons also criticized ongoing complaints about having to wear masks in the middle of a deadly pandemic, telling the “Jeremy White Podcast”: “Believe what you want, but don’t hang out around me. Okay? If you’re a denier, stay in the shadows. I don’t wanna be around you. ‘Cause I don’t wanna catch what you’ve got. It’s not about you. It’s not whether you believe it or not.”
