Criticism of the Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine likely led to thousands of deaths, a leading coronavirus scientist has said. Professor Sir John Bell, one of the Oxford team who worked on it, has said that scientists and politicians have “damaged the reputation of the vaccine”.
Concerns about extremely rare blood clots led to many countries pause their use them of the jab and UK government advisers recommending under-40s should be offered alternatives.
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He told the BBC: “They have damaged the reputation of the vaccine in a way that echoes around the rest of the world.
“I think bad behaviour from scientists and from politicians has probably killed hundreds of thousands of people – and that they cannot be proud of.”
The vaccine was developed and rolled out in less than 12 months. Nearly half the population in the UK received two doses of the jab.
But when it came to the booster jabs, only a tiny fraction of the overall number given were Astrazeneca. The US refused to approve it and some European countries refused to give it to the over 65s.
This damage to the reputation of the drug led to many people refusing it when offered.
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