Poison’s Rikki Rocket Has Covid-19 Despite Vaccination
Poison drummer Rikki Rockett has tested positive for Covid-19 despite being fully vaccinated.
In a lengthy video posted to YouTube announcing the diagnosis, Rockett was quick to point out that his infection is relatively mild and would have been way worse had he not been vaccinated.
The three Covid-19 vaccines available in the United States are between 66% and 95% effective at preventing infection. All three are nearly 100% effective at preventing severe cases of the disease and death.
Rockett, who was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015, believes he contracted the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 from his son while they were camping. In the video, he explained [transcribed by Blabbermouth]:
“I was diagnosed, or got a positive test… My son and I stayed in the camper on Friday. On Saturday, he came down with symptoms. So Saturday afternoon, I took him to the urgent care and we had him tested. The doctor said, ‘It’s 50/50. We don’t know.’ Sunday, we got the call that he was positive. On Monday, I went in and got tested. It came back negative, ’cause I was a day early. And I got the results on Tuesday. By then, I was having symptoms. And so I went back in and got a rapid test. And it was positive. So, I’m not the only one in my family. Now everybody has it.
“Guess what: I’m vaccinated. I’m fully vaccinated, and I’ve been vaccinated for months. I don’t know if this is the [COVID-19] delta variant, but every physican I’ve spoken to said it has every hallmark of being the delta variant.
“You’re probably thinking to yourself, ‘Vaccinated and you still got COVID. Do you feel like an idiot for getting vaccinated? No. The reason I don’t feel that way is because I know that this would be way worse, especially if it was the delta variant. And I’m pretty sure — pretty, pretty sure; and I’m gonna get a DNA sequence to make sure — but absolutely every doctor that my family and I have come in contact with, and I think we’re counting seven doctors now, have all said, ‘It is the hallmarks… Everything that you describe is the delta variant.’ So I’m quite confident that that’s what it is. And that would completely devastate me if I hadn’t had the vaccine.”
“I am a cancer survivor — almost five years ago, I had cancer, and I’ve been cancer-free since then. I did a little inquiry with the clinic, and they said, ‘No. We’re getting dozens of people a day that are vaccinated that are testing positive with the delta variant.
“So, this is the predominant variant right now, and it just sucks, ’cause it’s no fun — trust me — it’s no fun. But it could have been a lot worse. I’m not on a respirator. My doctor told me yesterday. We had a nice call for about 20 minutes. I showed him all my numbers. But he said, ‘I’m pretty convinced you’re out of the woods.’ It’d be very weird for me to just relapse all of a sudden.”
The Delta variant of the coronavirus has become the dominant strain in the United States in recent months. Considered to be more transmissible than previous mutations of the virus, it has fueled recent outbreaks primarily in places with low vaccination rates, such as rural areas of Missouri, Arkansas, Wyoming and Colorado. Breakthrough cases amongst those with full vaccination are not difficult to find, but are generally mild.
Rockett is the second high-profile member of the metal community to reveal a Covid-19 diagnosis despite vaccination, following Trivium’s Matt Heafy earlier this month.
