Eric Clapton is stepping up his criticism of the U.K. government's COVID-19 response, claiming that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine came with major side effects that seemed to threaten his ability to play guitar.

"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 wrote in a letter to anti-lockdown activist Robin Monotti Graziadei.

"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 appears to be describing an inflammatory condition called transverse myelitis, which had been linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine in clinical trials. Most patients are said to recover within 12 weeks of an attack.

The former Cream and Blind Faith frontman explained that he was at the front of the vaccine line due to his age and because he suffers from emphysema, in addition to several other health issues. Despite the considerable threat COVID-19 poses to his own health, Clapton has been a vocal opponent of the U.K.'s lockdown orders for the past year.

In December, he collaborated with Van Morrison on a widely-criticized anti-lockdown song called "Stand and Deliver," in which the duo compared the lockdowns to a form of slavery.

Clapton went on to blame "the propaganda" surrounding the vaccine for misinformation regarding its safety to people, like himself, with conditions like peripheral neuropathy.

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 has been widely distributed in the U.K. and Europe, though it has not yet been released in the United States, due to concerns over its side effects.

As of Sunday, U.S. had administered more than 270 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. The efficacy of the vaccines has been demonstrated by falling COVID-19 cases around the nation and drastically declining COVID-related.

Many vaccine recipients experience only mild side effects like fatigue, headache, chills, fever and nausea within the first 24 - 48 hours of a dose. These are normal signs that the body is building protection against the virus.

People who believe they are experiencing severe side effects are encouraged to seek immediate medical attention by calling 9-1-1.

Photo: Getty Images

Bill Moran

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