Patients rejected Pfizer vaccine to wait for ‘English’ jab, warns doctor

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Patients Rejected Pfizer Vaccine To Wait For ‘English’ Jab, Warns Doctor
Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a vial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine Covid-19 candidate vaccine (Paul Ellis/PA), © PA Wire/PA Images
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By Tom Wilkinson, PA

A high-profile doctor in England has said patients turned down the chance to have the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, saying they would “wait for the English one”.

Paul Williams, a former Labour MP, said it shows nationalism has consequences, given they were delaying having a jab at the height of the pandemic.

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The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was made available to patients at the start of December, while the Oxford/AstraZeneca version was authorised on December 30th.

Development of the Pfizer vaccine began in Germany, while development of the “English” AstraZeneca vaccine began at Oxford University.

Dr Williams was a GP before turning to politics and continued to see patients while he was an MP to maintain a link with them.

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Since he was voted out in 2019, he has worked on the NHS’s fight against Covid-19.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “Some local patients have turned down an offer this weekend of getting a Covid vaccine when they found out it was the Pfizer one. ‘I’ll wait for the English one’.

“People at risk of death in the depths of a pandemic. A lesson that Nationalism has consequences.”

Dr Williams was made an OBE in the New Year Honours list for his services to Parliament and healthcare.

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