Vaccine gets royal seal of approval as Queen reveals ‘it doesn’t hurt at all’

THE Queen has said her Covid-19 jab “didn’t hurt at all” as she encouraged those hesitant about vaccination to “think about other people rather than themselves”.

The head of state, who was inoculated in January, said after having the vaccine you felt “protected”, which she described as “important” during a video call with health leaders delivering the Covid19 vaccine across the four nations.

Asked for “feedback” about her vaccination experience, she chuckled as she told the officials “it was quite harmless”.

During the conversation held on Tuesday, the head of state likened the coronavirus to a “plague” that has swept across the globe, and when a health leader said he wanted to “bottle” the community unity he had encountered, the Queen suggested it was like the wartime spirit she experienced.

The Queen spoke to the four senior officers overseeing the delivery of the vaccine in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to hear about the collaborative effort which has passed the milestone of 18 million people vaccinated in the UK.

She praised the vaccine rollout, describing its speed and the millions inoculated as “remarkable” and in a morale boost told the health leaders to “keep up the good work”.

Dr Emily Lawson, who is leading the vaccine deployment programme for the NHS in England, told the Queen: “We hope everyone who is offered the vaccine will take it up, because it is ... all of our best chances to protect both the people who take up the vaccine, their families and their communities.”

The monarch replied: “Once you’ve had the vaccine you have a feeling of, you know, you’re protected, which is I think very important.

“I think the other thing is, that it is obviously difficult for people if they’ve never had a vaccine ... but they ought to think about other people rather than themselves.”

She added: “I think it is remarkable how quickly the whole thing has been done and so many people have had the vaccine already.”

In an unusual move, Buckingham Palace, which rarely comments on the private health matters of the monarch, announced in January the 94-year-old head of state and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, had been vaccinated. The Queen decided that the information should be made public to prevent inaccuracies and further speculation about the jab.

Dr Lawson said they had received lots of feedback and asked the Queen about her experience of being vaccinated.

The head of state chuckled as she replied: “Well, as far as I can make out it was quite harmless.

“It was very quick, and I’ve had lots of letters from people who’ve been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine.

The Queen added: “It didn’t hurt at all.”

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have both received their vaccinations, with Camilla saying she “leapt for joy” after receiving her Covid jab.