Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar posted a video on social media last Thursday, the 11th, showing him receiving his second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The vocalist is 73 years old and is classified as high-risk in the United States .
In the caption, he says: “I don’t like injections any more than anyone. But I want to get back to doing live shows, traveling the world without putting anyone at risk, my family, my friends and myself included.” In the hashtags , he points out that the vaccine he received was manufactured by Moderna.
Last June, Hagar made headlines for an interview in which he said he would sacrifice himself to Covid-19 if it meant saving the economy. During that period, he was one of several artists interviewed by Rolling Stone. The topic was staying home instead of touring, and how to deal with the uncertainties of the pandemic.
“I’m going to make a radical statement here. It’s difficult to say without inciting someone, but honestly, I’d rather get sick personally and even die if necessary,” Hagar said.
“We have to save the world and this country from this economic thing that will kill more people in the long run. I’d rather everyone go back to work. If some of us have to sacrifice that, that’s fine.”
He suggested that if the cost in human lives was necessary for the economy to fully recover, he was willing to die from coronavirus. “I will die for my children and my grandchildren to have a life anywhere near the life I’ve had in this wonderful country. That’s exactly how I feel about it,” he continued. “I’m not going to go around spreading the disease. But there may come a time when we have to sacrifice. I mean, how many people die every day? I have no idea. I hate to say it, but we all have to die, man.”
Sammy also said he would be willing to do live shows in packed venues "before there's a vaccine, if it [the disease] is declining and seems to be going away."
After the Rolling Stone article was published, the vocalist released a statement revealing that the interview had been conducted a month and a half prior and insisted that he would do his part to "return to work safely and responsibly and get the economy going again."
Sammy stated that he conducted the interview after being at home for many weeks and that he and his family had taken safety procedures very seriously. In his opinion, the situation was beginning to improve and the curve was flattening.
“So when I was asked if I was comfortable enough to return to the stage before a vaccine was released, I was cautiously optimistic. I said, ‘Yes, not so soon. I want to make sure it’s not increasing. When it’s decreasing and it seems to be going away.’”
Putting the situation into perspective, he stressed the importance of returning to work safely. He says he directly employs 200 people, and even more when he organizes tours. Hagar prefers to remain optimistic, but still cautious. According to him, as things change, plans will be adjusted accordingly.
Last year, Sammy Hagar & The Circle Night Ranger tour , which was scheduled to visit the United States and Brazil, due to the pandemic.
Check out the video of Sammy Hagar receiving his second dose:
