STRYPER's MICHAEL SWEET Regrets Getting COVID-19 Vaccine, Suggests Possible Link To His Recent Health Issues

Michael Sweet of Christian rockers STRYPER has revealed that he regrets getting the COVID-19 vaccine during the coronavirus pandemic and he has suggested a possible link between the shots and his recent health issues, including retinal detachment and thyroid cancer.

One day after Dr. Anthony Fauci's decision to decline to answer senators' questions at a contentious hearing Wednesday on the origins of COVID-19 and the government's handling of the pandemic, Sweet took to his social media to write: "My biggest regret during Covid was getting the shot/shots (this is my opinion and my personal view. I'm not by any means reprehending anyone who got the shot).

"We were told (like many) that we could not do our job, we could not perform (in certain venues) unless we had the vaccine. So, we did what we needed to continue on. To survive.

"Although there are not a lot of articles out there on the possible correlation between the Covid vaccine and my health issues (retinal detachment & thyroid cancer),there are some. (I've adding a few photos to the comment section).

"Interestingly enough, no one in my family has ever had issues with retinal detachments or thyroid cancer. After my first shot, my retina detached. A few years after that, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

"There's really no way to prove that my health issues were caused by the vaccines but, it is very interesting to say the least.

"I know this much - I'll never get another Covid vaccine again".

There is no credible evidence linking mRNA vaccines to the development or acceleration of cancers. In fact, there's emerging evidence that severe COVID-19 infection may increase the risk of developing lung cancer.

On June 30, 2026, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet published a comprehensive review of the billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses made with mRNA technology showing that these vaccines are safe and effective. The new review also suggests that mRNA vaccine technologies have potential as new options for treating and preventing other health conditions and diseases, including influenza, RSV, cancer and autoimmune conditions.

Sweet's papillary thyroid cancer diagnosis came last fall, less than a month after he underwent a biopsy of a nodule in the right lobe of his thyroid.

According to the Columbia University Department Of Surgery, papillary thyroid cancer makes up about 80% of all cases of thyroid cancer. It is also the thyroid cancer with the best prognosis and most patients can be cured if treated appropriately and early enough.

In December 2023, Sweet underwent partial thyroidectomy, the surgery to remove part of his thyroid gland. Five months later, he told Steve Mascord of White Line Fever TV about the procedure: "I had nodules a nodule in each side of my thyroid, so thyroid nodules. And one of those got larger and larger. It was biopsied and it was cancer. So they removed half of my thyroid, [the left] half. [The right] half I still have. I have a nodule there still that's cystic they're gonna keep an eye on. I had to start thyroid medication."

In August 2022, Sweet underwent his third eye surgery after being diagnosed with a detached retina in November 2021.

STRYPER's eighteenth studio album, "Throne Of Thorns", will arrive on September 25 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums),Oz Fox (guitar) and Perry Richardson (bass).