Thread by @Telegraph

'The vindication of AstraZeneca: A vaccine trashed by Macron, politicised by Europe but quietly saving lives across the world'

Thread 🧵👇

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/3…

💉As a result of what many claim was a European backlash fueled by resentment towards the UK over Brexit, the very public opposition to AstraZeneca could cost many lives in some of the poorest countries where the vaccine is the only one available...

'Some are even suggesting European leaders have “blood on their hands” for creating confusion and mixed messages, often about claims or rumours that turned out to be unfounded

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/3…

In January, President Emmanuel Macron branded the AstraZeneca vaccine as “quasi-ineffective for over-65s”, adding how it “doesn’t work the way we were expecting [it] to”

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/3…

❌💉One the same day, the European Commission imposed export controls following a row with AstraZeneca over its failure to meet its commitment to deliver doses once the jab was approved for use within the bloc...

AstraZeneca’s relationship with Europe became further strained after a series of blood clots were reported in those who had had the jab

🇩🇪🇫🇷🇮🇹Nearly a dozen countries, including Germany, France and Italy, temporarily suspended its use after a study suggested there was a tiny chance it led to blood clots. In some countries it was deemed more dangerous for youngsters

AstraZeneca’s reputation was further dented as many European countries began giving away their shots to the developing world.

By then, the damage was done for a drug meant to be easy to use because it did not require storage in special freezers

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/3…

🇲🇼One of the most harrowing scenes emerged when the Malawi health authorities incinerated more than 19,000 expired doses to try to bolster public confidence and reassure the public only safe vaccines would be used

🇿🇦South Africa had already rejected its Indian-made AstraZeneca, instead giving its doses to neighbouring countries...

Last month’s figures show just 60million vaccine doses had been administered to the 1.3billion living in African countries

But just last week, new research scotched damning claims AstraZeneca posed a blood clot risk. A team of researchers concluded that those who had the UK jab developed blood clots at the same rate as those who had the far more expensive Pfizer/BioNTech

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/3…

More importantly, they found people who had Covid-19 developed blood clots at a far higher rate than those who received neither vaccine

It is perhaps an indictment upon the international community that a vaccine that has proved pivotal in unlocking Britain has become embroiled in a political controversy, so much so that AstraZeneca has raised doubts now about its future in the vaccine business...

Read the full piece, by Steve Bird, here👇telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/3…