Eric Clapton: “I Should Never Have Gone Near the Needle”
Opinion | In a recent letter shared on the social media messaging app Telegram, legendary British rock and blues guitarist Eric Clapton described the ‘severe reactions” he suffered after getting the first and second doses of AstraZeneca/Oxford University’s experimental AZD1222 vaccine for COVID-19. Clapton, 76, who received the first dose of the vaccine in February 2021 and the second dose six weeks later, blamed “propaganda” for overstating the safety of the vaccine.1 2 3
“I took the first jab of AZ [AstraZeneca] and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days,” Clapton said. “I recovered eventually and was told it would be 12 weeks before the second one. About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers.”1 2 3
Clapton Says He Feared He Would “Never Play Again”
Clapton characterized the reactions as “disastrous.” He said his hands and feet were either “frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks.” He said he feared he would “never play again.”1 2 3 Expressing regret for ever having taken the vaccine, he said:
Even after the bad reaction he experienced after the first shot of AZD1222, Clapton continued to follow the advice of public health officials and physicians administering the vaccine. In his letter, Clapton noted, “But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone…”1 2 3
AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Temporarily Suspended by EMA
On Mar. 15, 2021, more than a dozen European countries suspended the use of AZD1222 due to numerous reports of people developing dangerous blood clots after receiving it. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) subsequently undertook a brief investigation of the vaccine and its potential side effects. On May 18, the EMA declared AZD1222 to be safe, opening the way for most of the temporary suspensions to be lifted.4 5
In a news conference, EMA’s executive director Emer Cooke said:
Our scientific position is that this vaccine is a safe and effective option to protect citizens against COVID-19.6
The EMA, however, was unable to rule out a link between the vaccine and serious blood clots, so the safety declaration was more of a relative thing than definitive. According to the agency, “The benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine in preventing COVID-19, with its associated risk of hospitalization and death, outweigh the risks of side effects.”5
“I’m not going to say there’s no risk. Of course, there’s a risk,” said immunologist Rod Russell, PhD of Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada. “But if you weigh it out, it’s a risk I’d be willing to take.”7
The EMA’s view that AZD1222 is “safe” was consistent with that of the World Health Organization (WHO), which has regularly stated its confidence in the safety of the vaccine.6 8 9
No EUA in U.S. for AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine Yet
The U.S. government’s position on the safety of AZD1222 has perhaps not been as well publicized as that of Europe and the WHO. The vaccine has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States. Nor has it been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), as have experimental COVID-19 biologics produced and marketed by Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.
The U.S. government, however, does reportedly own as many as 60 million doses of AZD1222 and has expressed a willingness to share them with the world, particularly India. According to White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients:
Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the U.S. already has and that have been authorized by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorized for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months. Therefore the U.S. is looking at options to share the AstraZeneca doses with other countries as they become available.10 11
Consequently, the natural assumption would be that U.S. health officials believe AZD1222 to be safe, although it’s worth noting that Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has been somewhat reserved in his opinion about AZD1222. He has said that he thinks the vaccine is a good one from the standpoint of efficacy, but that its safety issues need to be resolved.12
One can only speculate as to who or what Clapton had in mind when he cited propaganda for the claims that AstraZeneca/Oxford University’s COVID-19 vaccine is safe for everyone. What seems evident is that Clapton is no longer as confident of that claim as he was prior to the two COVID shots he received.
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Note: This commentary provides referenced information and perspective on a topic related to vaccine science, policy, law or ethics being discussed in public forums and by U.S. lawmakers. The websites of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provide information and perspective of federal agencies responsible for vaccine research, development, regulation and policymaking.
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