Man sues vaccine makers for developing COVID jab before he’s had time to write novel.

A British man has begun legal proceedings against three pharmaceutical companies behind successful COVID-19 vaccine trials, claiming it’s too soon for life to go back to normal. Gareth Townsend, a 36-year-old admin assistant from Enfield, north London, has been furloughed since March and had hoped to use lockdown to finally write a novel. So far however, he has mostly been eating Pringles and playing Red Dead Redemption 2. “I thought I had ages,” he explains, “and now these vaccines arrive from nowhere. I haven’t even decided on a protagonist!”

Lawyers for Townsend argue that if life returns to normal he may never write a novel and are suing for the lost profits of his unrealised career as an author. Alexander Shipkin, partner at the law firm Shipkin & Fershul, believes the case could become a class-action suit. “We all saw lockdown as an opportunity to take a step back and follow our dreams,” Shipkin says, “but after easing into it with wine, Netflix, and awkward online socials, we need more time. They said we had at least 18 months, it’s not right to suddenly cut that in half.”

A spokesperson for Moderna — makers of the leading vaccine candidate — said the company would fight the case in court, adding “I don’t get why he’s so angry, nobody actually follows through on their dreams, that’s what life is.”

A preliminary hearing will take place next week via Zoom.