Corey Taylor has tested positive for COVID-19 after being vaccinated. As a result of his diagnosis, the SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman will be unable to appear at the Astronomicon eclectic pop culture convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan this weekend.
Taylor shared the news of his COVID-19 infection in a video message earlier today. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I wish I had better news. I woke up today and tested positive, and I’m very, very sick. So I’m not gonna be able to make it this weekend. And I am absolutely devastated. I am so sorry. I hope everyone has a good time, and I promise you I will absolutely try to get back there as soon as I can. I should be okay — it’s the flu. I’m vaccinated, so I’m not worried. But I certainly wouldn’t want to spread it to anyone else. So, everybody be safe out there. And thank you so much. And I will see you again, I promise.”
The Astronomicon organizers added in a message: “Maintaining everyone’s health and safety is paramount in these times. COVID is no joke and can effect anyone, even those who have been vaccinated. Sadly, this includes celebrities. We have just received news via this video message from Corey Taylor, who will sadly no longer be able to make it this weekend. We wish Corey a speedy recovery and we urge everyone to remain vigilant. If you’re coming to Astronomicon, please remember to wear a mask to keep yourself and everyone at the event safe.”
In the past couple of weeks, a number of high-profile hard rock and heavy metal artists — including KORN, IRON MAIDEN‘s Bruce Dickinson, TESLA, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, SHINEDOWN and LIMP BIZKIT — have called off shows or played concerts without members who have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The cancelations and the increased number of COVID-19 infections are driven in large part by the fact that the delta variant of the coronavirus, now the most common strain circulating in the United States, has a supercharged transmissibility, driven in part by how the mutated virus behaves in the body after infection.
New variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 illness are spreading in the United States and other countries. Current data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States offer protection against most variants. However, some variants might cause illness in some people after they are fully vaccinated.
According to Healthline, data so far suggests efficacy rates against the delta variant of more than 67 percent for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 72 to 95 percent for the Moderna vaccine, and 64 to 96 percent for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Even though vaccines offer different ranges of protection, experts say getting fully vaccinated is crucial.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said earlier in the month that while vaccinated people can carry and spread the virus in what is known as “breakthrough infections,” people largely driving the current surge were unvaccinated.
As the virus spreads, it can mutate and create more dangerous variants. Consequently, “there could be a variant that’s lingering out there that can push aside delta,” Fauci said.
Maintaining everyone’s health and safety is paramount in these times. COVID is no joke and can effect anyone, even those who have been vaccinated. Sadly, this includes celebrities. We have just received news via this video message from Corey Taylor, who will sadly no longer be able to make it this weekend. We wish Corey a speedy recovery and we urge everyone to remain vigilant. If you’re coming to Astronomicon, please remember to wear a mask to keep yourself and everyone at the event safe.
Posted by Astronomicon on Friday, August 20, 2021
