R&B legend Roberta Flack is encouraging unvaccinated fans to get the jab after chronicling her own battle with COVID-19. In a statement released on Thursday (Jan. 13), Flack, 84, said that she tested positive for the novel coronavirus in early January and that she’s glad she’d already gotten the full course of shots.
“However, the vaccines and booster worked and protected me from severe illness or hospitalization,” said Grammy-winner Flack, best known for such No. 1 hits as 1973’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and 1974’s “Killing Me Softly With HIs Song.”
“Instead, I was ill with fatigue, fever, and slight congestion. I stayed home to rest and recover,” Flack added. “Today I feel much better. I am at home and isolating until I retest and receive a negative test this week. I can testify: vaccines and boosters work. If you are not vaccinated, please do so.”
Flack’s encouragement to get vaccinated and boosted comes as the nation, and the world, deal with the fast-spreading Omicron variant, which has lead to record-high infection rates in the U.S. The surge is contributing to massive strains on health care and education, with a number of districts going back to online learning as they deal with unprecedented numbers of infected students and teachers and dozens of tours and festivals canceling and postponing dates in the midst of the wave.
And she is not alone in speaking out about her own COVID battle and the importance of getting the shot. Last week singer/songwriter Jason Isbell revealed his own fight with a breakthrough case, writing, “Lotta sinus drainage type stuff, scratchy in my throat and some muscle aches but no cough or breathing issues fyi. Boosted and very grateful for it.”
Among the other stars recently revealing their positive tests are John Mayer, LL Cool J and Kiss’ Paul Stanley, who cataloged his second round of COVID in late December, six months after first contracting the coronavirus. My entire family has it. I’m tired and have sniffles,” he captioned a closeup photo of himself. “Most of my family have absolutely no symptoms. Do as you choose. I’m so glad I’m vaccinated.”
