UK
Politicians who criticised AstraZeneca vaccine 'probably killed hundreds of thousands', says Oxford scientist

Poppie Platt
Mon, February 7, 2022,

Oxford's Professor Sir John Bell said leaders who criticised the jab "cannot be proud" of their impact - Aaron Chown/PA

Scientists and politicians who expressed critical views of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine “probably killed hundreds of thousands of people”, an Oxford professor has said.

Professor Sir John Bell said critical comments from leaders, including French president Emmanuel Macron, had “damaged the reputation of the jab” around the world, resulting in less people accessing the life-saving vaccine.

Speaking to the BBC Two programme AstraZeneca: A Vaccine for the World?, which will be broadcast on Tuesday at 9pm, Prof Bell said: “I think bad behaviour from scientists and politicians has probably killed hundreds of thousands of people – and that they cannot be proud of.”

Macron had previously claimed that the vaccine “doesn’t work as expected” and appeared to be “quasi-ineffective” in the over-65s.

Speaking just hours before the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the AstraZeneca jab for use in the bloc, Macron also criticised the UK’s decision to administer vaccine doses 12 weeks apart, falsely claiming it could “accelerate the mutations” of the virus.

French president Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks to staff working in the intensive care ward of the Poissy/Saint-Germain-en-Laye hospital, near Paris, with French Health Minister Olivier Veran, right, and Chief of Intensive Care Unit Dr. Jan Hayon in March 2021 - Yoan Valat/EPA POOL

Other EU countries, including Germany, Spain and Italy, also temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca jab last year when it was linked to a tiny risk of blood clots.

The US has still not approved the vaccine, with Dr Antony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease previously saying that the country "may not need to use" the jab despite it being a "good vaccine", because of the widespread use of the Pfizer and Moderna jabs.

Despite its reputation being marred by criticism, the AstraZeneca jab has been heralded for its rollout in less wealthy countries as part of the Covax programme.

Scientists have suggested that the UK’s widespread use of the AstraZeneca vaccine – and its early rollout to elderly and vulnerable people – could be responsible for the relatively low death toll from the omicron variant compared to countries in Europe.

Dr Clive Dix, former chairman of the Vaccine Task Force, told The Telegraph that he believed the AstraZeneca jabs offered more robust, long-term protection against severe disease and death than RNA-based alternatives made by Pfizer and Moderna.