Offspring drummer who suffers from rare condition kicked off tour for declining COVID-19 vaccine

The 48-year-old drummer has Guillain-Barré syndrome, which is a rare disease which causes the immune system to attack the nervous system. Paranda says his doctor advised him against getting the COVID-19 vaccine, as it would be more dangerous than the virus, of which he had a mild case of last year, Fox News reported.

In a series of 17 tweets, Paranda spoke out against vaccine requirements, writing "I do not find it ethical or wise to allow those with the most power (government, corporations, organizations, employers) to dictate medical procedures to those with the least power."

"There are countless folks (like me) for whom these shots carry a greater risk than the virus," he added. "Most of us don’t publicly share a private decision we made in careful consideration with our doctors."

Paranda made the statement days after his band announced new tour dates for September, with more concerts expected in the UK and Ireland in November.

"Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate - it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour," wrote Paranda. "I mention this because you won’t be seeing me at these upcoming shows."

The drummer also urged vaccinated people to be open-minded with their friends and neighbours who may be hesitant to get vaccinated against COVID-19

"If it looks like half the population is having a shockingly different reaction to these jabs than was expected - it’s probably because their life experiences have actually been shockingly different."

Paranda's twitter thread comes as vaccine mandates by private companies are becoming the norm for many Americans. Paranda's tweets did not state if his departure from the group was temporary or permanent.