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A 54-year-old vegan man who refused the COVID-19 vaccine due to animal testing has died in hospital.
Glynn Steel told his wife he wished he’d had the vaccine before he passed away, a host of British media outlets report.
Vegan dies following vaccine refusal
When Steel became ill with the virus, he was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in the UK. Here, he spent two weeks in intensive care, according to the Express.
In that time, he reportedly declared to nurses that he could have the jab.
Glynn’s wife Emma has since urged people to get the vaccine and launched a fundraising page for a memorial.
She described him as “the most gentle soul.” The pair had plans to retire and travel together.
COVID-19 vaccine
Steel is not alone in the vegan community for choosing against getting vaccinated as it is tested on animals.
The Pfizer/BioNTech jab caused controversy for this last year, and the debate is ongoing.
Amid this, several vegan doctors have urged fellow vegans to get jabbed. Additionally, The Vegan Society released a statement of support.
It read: “It has never been more important for us to talk about the definition of veganism in the context of medications, including vaccines.
“The definition of veganism recognizes that it is not always possible or practicable to avoid animal use, which is particularly relevant to medical situations.
“…As all vaccines currently are tested on animals, at this stage it is impossible to have a vaccine that has been created without animal use.”
This year, advances have been made in the plant-based vaccine space – though they are still produced using animal testing.
