A high-profile doctor has said patients have turned down the chance to have the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine because they would rather “wait for the English one”.
Paul Williams, former Labour MP for Stockton South, said it shows nationalism has consequences, given they were delaying having a jab at the height of the pandemic.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was made available to patients at the start of December, while the Oxford/AstraZeneca version was authorised on December 30.
Dr Williams, who was a GP before turning to politics, continued to see patients while he was an MP to maintain a link with them, and since he was voted out in 2019 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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