The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
‘Think about others and get the vaccine’
Queen dismisses Covid doubts and makes light of her own inoculation
THE Queen has urged people to “think about other people rather than themselves” – and make sure they get their Covid jabs.
The head of state, who received her first dose in January, assured others the injection is nothing to worry about.
In a video call with health chiefs, she said: “Once you’ve had the vaccine you have a feeling of, you know, you’re protected, which is I think very important.”
Asked for “feedback” about her vaccination experience, she told the officials “it was quite harmless”.
During the conversation, the head of state likened the coronavirus to a “plague”, 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.
She added: “I think it is remarkable how quickly the whole thing has been done.”
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 Covid-19 vaccine across the four nations.
Asked for feedback about her vaccination experience, she chuckled as she told the officials “it was quite harmless”.
The Queen’s remarks come as it emerged yesterday that almost one third of adults in Scotland had received their first dose of the vaccine.
During the conversation held on Tuesday, the Queen 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 decades ago.
The Queen spoke to the four senior responsible 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 since the call was made.
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.”
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 the information should be made public to prevent inaccuracies and further speculation.
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.”
She 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 jab.
The Duke of Cambridge, who like his father Charles contracted Covid, said on Monday he would be at the “front of the queue” for a vaccine to prove it is OK – but will “wait my turn”.
More than 1.5m jabs have now been administered across Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon yesterday said.
Speaking to MSPs in the Scottish Parliament, the first minister said 1,515,980 people in Scotland have received their first dose.
“The fact that more than one-and-a-half-million people have now received the first dose of vaccination is, I think, a really significant milestone,” she said.
“We’ve now given a first dose to almost exactly one third of the adult population and that includes virtually everyone in the top four clinical priority groups recommended by the JCVI.”
Ms Sturgeon also gave the latest Covid-19 statistics for Scotland.
She said Scotland has recorded 31 deaths from coronavirus and 769 positive tests in the prior 24 hours.
The UK’s coronavirus alert level has been lowered from level five to four in all four nations as the risk that the NHS could be overwhelmed “has receded”.