Eric Clapton blames propaganda for his “disastrous” Covid vaccine experience
Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton has claimed that his reaction to being vaccinated was “disastrous” on his health. He has criticised what he perceives as “propaganda” promoting the covid vaccine’s safety.
In a letter addressed to Italian anti-lockdown activist and architect Robin Monotti Graziadei, the former Cream guitarist explained the side effects in more detail, revealing he took the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“I took the first jab of AZ and straight away had severe reactions which lasted ten days. I recovered eventually and was told it would be twelve weeks before the second one,” Clapton recalled. “About six weeks later I was offered and took the second AZ shot, but with a little more knowledge of the dangers. Needless to say, the reactions were disastrous, my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks, I feared I would never play again, (I suffer with peripheral neuropathy and should never have gone near the needle.) But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone.”
Clapton’s feelings in the letter to his fellow lockdown sceptic are reminiscent of the well documented side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Although side-effects do not always occur after taking the “AZ” vaccine, reports have been made about fatigue, chills, fever, nausea, headaches and “generally feeling unwell”. A less common side-effect has been “excessive sweating, itchy skin or rash.”
In 2020, Clapton converged with fellow lockdown sceptic Van Morrison for the single ‘Stand and Deliver’. It was not well received and came after a string of tracks Morrison recorded in reaction to the UK government’s approach to handling the pandemic.
“I continue to tread the path of passive rebellion and try to tow [sic] the line in order to be able to actively love my family, but it’s hard to bite my tongue with what I now know,” Clapton wrote in the letter to Graziadei.
“Then I was directed to Van (Morrison); that’s when I found my voice, and even though I was singing his words, they echoed in my heart… I recorded ‘Stand and Deliver’ in 2020, and was immediately regaled with contempt and scorn.”
Although widely met with adverse reactions, the main aim for ‘Stand and Deliver’ was to make a statement regarding the harmful effects the pandemic has had on the UK music industry. In a statement released at the time, Clapton wrote: “There are many of us who support Van and his endeavours to save live music; he is an inspiration. We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess. The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover.”