UK News Anti-vaxxers exploit confusion over Oxford University data

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Anti-vaccine campaigners are exploiting confusion over Oxford researchers’ data to cast doubts on their jab’s safety.

Experts fear substantial numbers will refuse the vaccine.

One study predicted only around half of British adults will agree to be vaccinated, severely hitting the ability of the programme to generate herd immunity.

These fears have grown as anti-vaccination campaigners have jumped on criticism of the way the preliminary data from Oxford’s trials has been handled.

The Oxford team said on Monday that, overall, the trial suggested the vaccine gave 70 per cent protection – but an initial lower dose for the first of the two jabs required would raise that protection to 90 per cent.

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People who oppose vaccination – the so-called “ anti - vaxxers ” – are often thought to be the reason for low vaccination rates. The truth is, anti - vaxxers don’t wholly explain low vaccination rates. The influence of the movement is often exaggerated and does not properly explain a complex situation.

But confusion over efficacy of AstraZeneca jab has led firm to start a new trial. There is enough data showing Oxford University 's coronavirus vaccine works to approve the jab next month, one of In light of confusion about how well the jab protects against coronavirus, AstraZeneca is set to run

© Provided by Daily Mail An anti-vax demonstrator talks to police while carrying a large syringe near the headquarters of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in London

However, officials in the US later claimed the lower dose was given to people only under 55, casting doubts over its ability to protect those who need it most. American analysts have even claimed the vaccine would never be licensed in the US.

British scientists have been less critical, noting that full publication of the data is expected in the Lancet medical journal soon.

The Government has asked the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to assess Oxford’s data, with a view to a rollout early next month.

‘We can see the end of the coronavirus tunnel’: Scientists hail Oxford University vaccine breakthrough

Watch: Oxford COVID vaccine ‘up to 90% effective’ Scientists have hailed the news of the latest successful trial of a coronavirus vaccine, saying they “can see the end of the tunnel”. The results of a large-scale trial of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and manufacturer AstraZeneca has been welcomed by health experts and the government. England’s chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, tweeted that it was a “very encouraging step forward”.This is a very encouraging step forward. I would like to say a huge thank you to those who volunteered and the researchers around the country.

An anti-vaccination campaign motivated by religious objections, concerns about effectiveness, and concerns about Parties opposed to the use of vaccines frequently refer to data obtained from the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). ^ " Anti - vaxxers have embraced social media.

Articles on Anti - vaxxers . Displaying 1 - 20 of 58 articles. M-Foto/Shutterstock. Governments need to engage not just with anti - vaxxers , but with concerns about the safety and environmental impact of vaccines.

Sir John Bell, professor of medicine at Oxford and the Government’s life sciences adviser, dismissed the criticism, saying: ‘We weren’t cooking this up as we went along.’ But so-called ‘anti-vaxxers’ have leapt on the confusion to spread fear online.

US campaigner Del Bigtree, producer of the notorious film Vaxxed, described it as a ‘trial disaster’ and sceptics on social media have cast doubts on the vaccine’s safety.

Professor Eleanor Riley, of the University of Edinburgh, said the matter needs to be cleared up rapidly to ensure trust is not lost.