DANKO JONES Is 'Not Surprised' JAMES HETFIELD Is A COVID Vaccine Skeptic

Canadian rocker Danko Jones says that he is not surprised to learn that James Hetfield is skeptical of getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

This past March, the METALLICA frontman told "The Fierce Life" podcast that he was in no rush to get inoculated. "I'm a little skeptical of getting the vaccine, but it seems to be rolling out and people are getting it and I've got lots of friends that have done it," he said. "I'm not totally sure about it."

He continued: "But I hope it doesn't come to a point where you have to have that COVID stamp in your passport or something to go everywhere. But if it comes down to that, then I'll make a decision then. We got vaccinated to go to Africa, so it's not like I've never been vaccinated before. But as a kid, I never got vaccinations 'cause of our religion [Christian Science]. So that was the only time I got one — when we were going on safari in Africa."

Earlier today, Danko tweeted out a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story about Hetfield's comments, and he included the following message: "FIRSTLY, not surprised. SECONDLY, you already need proof of vaccination against Yellow Fever, Polio & Meningococcal meningitis when traveling to certain countries. How does James Hetfield, with all his years of touring, not know this already?"

Danko added in a separate tweet: "Let me double down here because I'm getting a bunch of METALLICA fans tweeting me... Hetfield publicly stating he's 'skeptical' of Covid vaccines, given his elevated platform is dangerously irresponsible and helps create even more vaccine hesitancy than there already is."

According to ABC News, Christian Scientists are a group that tends not to vaccinate for religious reasons. The church teaches healing through prayer. The official web site of the Christian Science Church includes testimony from members of the church who say they have ridden themselves of lupus, cancerous tumors and depression through the power of prayer. They say 80,000 healings through prayer have been recorded in the past 130 years. But in 1994, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a measles outbreak among Christian Scientists in the Midwest.

More than 115 million Americans are fully vaccinated, and nearly 153 million have received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The White House estimates that 90% of Americans live within five miles of a vaccination site.

Earlier this month, the European Union announced it plans to reopen this summer to tourists, including travelers from the U.S. who are fully vaccinated.

Lots of countries already require vaccination for yellow fever and recommend it for other diseases.