An interview with a cardiologist whose views linking some Covid vaccines to excess heart disease deaths should not have aired, say scientists, who have slammed the BBC for the appearance on the news channel of the man who claimed Covid vaccines could be behind excess deaths from coronary artery disease.
Experts have criticised Dr Aseem Malhotra’s appearance on the corporation’s news channel on 13 January, accusing him of pushing “extreme fringe” views, which are “misguided” and “dangerous” and could mislead the public.
Scientists have described the doctor as “hijacking” an interview on statins to air his views, causing BBC staff to be “alarmed and embarrassed” by their booking, reports The Guardian.
After criticising new guidance on statins, he cited British Heart Foundation (BHF) figures suggesting that more than 30 000 excess deaths were linked to heart disease since Covid first arrived. The BHF has said while Covid infections probably contributed significantly during the first year of the pandemic, ambulance delays, inaccessible care and lengthy waiting lists are now the key factors.
However, Malhotra, a cardiologist at ROC Private Clinic, said mRNA Covid vaccines play a role in the deaths, saying his “own research” showed “Covid mRNA vaccines carry a cardiovascular risk”. He added that he has called for the vaccine roll-out to be suspended pending an inquiry because of the “uncertainty” behind excess deaths.
Malhotra has become a vocal figure for hesitancy about Covid vaccines, claiming they pose a greater threat than the virus itself – a view repeatedly debunked by fact-checkers. On Friday, he reiterated his claim the jabs were probably to blame for his father’s death.
Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, was also interviewed by the BBC on Friday.
“I did a rapid response interview on the BBC news channel … to say that vaccine side-effects were very, very rare in comparison with the preventable risks of Covid-19. The staff seemed alarmed and embarrassed that they had given him (Malhotra) a platform,” he tweeted.
Professor Marc Dweck, the chair of clinical cardiology at the University of Edinburgh, told The Guardian: “I think Dr Malhotra’s opinions on both statins and Covid vaccines are misguided and in fact dangerous. The vast majority of cardiologists do not agree with his views and they are not based upon robust science.
“I would strongly urge patients to disregard his comments, which seem to be more concerned with furthering his profile (he does not have a cardiology career to speak of) rather than the well-being of the public. The BBC should not provide a platform for his views and should go to much greater lengths to research the people they invite to comment.”
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Excess mortality estimates put global COVID deaths at more than 18m
SA and world COVID deaths 3x higher than official figures — The Economist
Pfizer vaccination linked to 3x high risk of myocarditis — Israel study
Thrombosis and thrombocytopenia after ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination
40-hour ambulance delay, then overnight wait outside emergency unit