|
 The monarch and her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip, who is
currently in hospital with a non-COVID infection, received their
shots from a household doctor at the queen’s Windsor Castle
residence, with their age putting them in the priority group for
England’s coronavirus vaccine rollout.
"Once you've had a vaccine you have a feeling of you know, you're
protected which I think is very important and as far as I could make
out it was quite harmless," the queen said in a video call with
health officials overseeing inoculations across the four nations of
the United Kingdom.
"It was very quick, and I’ve had lots of letters from people who
have been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine. And
the jab – it didn’t hurt at all," she added, likening the virus to a
plague.
More than 18.6 million Britons have already received their first
COVID-19 vaccine injection, and celebrities including singer Elton
John and actor Michael Caine have joined campaigns encouraging
people to take up offers to have the shot.
Britain's vaccines minister said this week that between 11% and 15%
of the public were hesitant about getting the shot, particularly
among ethnic minority groups, amid conspiracy theories around the
inoculations.
[to top of second column] |
 "It is obviously difficult for
people if they've never had a vaccine because
they ought to think about other people other
than themselves," said the queen, who described
Britain's rollout of the vaccination, one of the
fastest in the world, as "remarkable"
Other members of the royal family, including heir-to-the-throne
Prince Charles and his son Prince William, have been visiting
vaccination centres over the last fortnight to thank staff and
volunteers for their work.
It comes, though, amid concern over the health of Prince Philip, the
Duke of Edinburgh, who was admitted to a London hospital last week
and has since spent nine nights there receiving medical attention
for an unspecified infection.
The palace has said Philip, who turns 100 in June, was comfortable
and responding to treatment, but likely to remain in hospital for
several days.
On Tuesday, the Duke and the queen's youngest son Prince Edward said
he was "a lot better", and the day before William said his
grandfather was "OK".
(Reporting by Michael Holden. Editing by Alistair Bell and Mark
Potter)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content
 |
