The Telegraph
Macron attacked by Oxford vaccine chief after misleading claims jab is ineffective for over 65s
A leading member of the team that developed the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine accused Emmanuel Macron of trying to reduce demand for it by claiming it is “quasi-ineffective” for the over 65s. Sir John Bell said the French president was lashing out to compensate for his country not having adequate supplies of the drug. The professor of medicine said on Saturday: “I suspect this is a bit of demand management from Mr Macron,” adding: “Well, if he didn’t have any vaccine the best thing you could do is reduce demand.” It came as Mr Macron was at war with his own scientists after he refused to introduce a lockdown to control rising infection rates. “Lockdown is a legitimate question… (but) we all know the heavy impact that has on all fronts,” said the French president on Friday. With schools and shops still open but restaurants and bars closed, France has fewer restrictions than some European neighbours. But with infection rates gradually rising and the percentage of the English variant now at 10 per cent of new cases nationwide – and reportedly around 20 per cent in Paris – government minister Gabriel Attal on Thursday conceded that the effects of the current 6pm-6am curfew were “dying out”. Mr Macron was due to make an announcement this weekend. But in a surprise move, Jean Castex, his prime minister, on Friday said while the country would close its borders to non-European Union countries for all except essential travel, there would be no widely anticipated third lockdown for now, adding that there was “still a chance to avoid” one. Some doctors, experts and opposition politicians were deeply critical of the move. “The measures from a strictly sanitary level are almost anecdotal,” said Prof Gilbert Deray from the nephrology service off the Paris’ Pitié-Salpètriêre hospital. “This isn’t taking a step back to jump further, it’s taking a step back to jump less far. The more you step back, the more (infections and hospitalisations) rise – and (they) will rise – and the harder and longer it will be.”
