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.
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.
The vaccine has also been sidelined in the EU and was never approved in the United States.
Photo – A vial of AstraZeneca’s covid-19 vaccine stored in Movianto in Oss, The Netherlands. EPA-EFE/Remko de Waal
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