England rugby international Henry Slade has said he will not get a Covid-19 vaccine because he doesn't "think you can trust it".
The 28-year-old Exeter Chiefs back believes there hasn’t been enough testing carried out on the vaccine. Slade is a diabetic, and says he has felt unwell after taking vaccines in the past.
The British and Irish Lions squad selected to tour South Africa, including the eight Irish representatives, on Wednesday received their first coronavirus vaccinations ahead of the summer expedition. Slade missed out on the squad after his England team finished fifth in the 2021 Six Nations with three defeats.
"I am not going to have a vaccine. I don't agree with it at all. I don't think you can trust it, can you?," he said during an interview with The Telegraph.
“I don’t think it has been going long. There is no way of knowing what could happen with it in the future. I am perfectly fit and healthy. I don’t fancy it at all.
“There is no way of knowing what it could do. I have had vaccines in the past and have fallen pretty unwell with them afterwards. I don’t know if that has anything to do with the diabetes or not. I am going to stay away from this one.
“We test three, four times a week anyway, so you know if you have something.”
