Kate and William go to war on social media vaccine lies
Duke and Kate join Queen in offering ‘wholehearted support’ for vaccinations
THE Duke of Cambridge has warned against ‘ rumours and misinformation’ about coronavirus vaccines on social media, saying he and the Duchess ‘wholeheartedly support having vaccinations’.
Prince William and Kate spoke out in a video call to two clinically vulnerable women who have been shielding with their families since last March and are preparing to have the jab.
Their comments came after the Queen’s dramatic i nt ervention, encouraging everyone to get vaccinated by talking about her own jab and suggesting it is selfish to refuse.
Ministers have made a concerted effort to enrol senior Royals in the campaign to reach communities showing resistance to Government pressure.
With official figures revealing some reluctance in uptake from some ethnic minority groups, Prince Charles, too, has highlighted how the vaccine has offered us ‘a way out of the suffering of the past year’, adding that yet there was a ‘variable uptake’ in some ethnic-minority groups.
The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Duchess of Cornwall have all also thanked volunteers and key workers for their efforts in the vaccine rollout, while Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, has volunteered at a vaccination centre.
Prince William, 38, last week made a point of saying about the jab: ‘I’d be at the front of the queue if I could, just to prove that it’s OK, but I have to wait my turn.’
He and Kate were speaking to Shivali Modha, who has type 2 diabetes, and Fiona Doyle, who has severe asthma. Both are now eligible for the vaccine as part of priority group six and were preparing to have their jabs when they spoke to the Cambridges.
During the call to Shivali, her husband Hiren and their daughters Shyaama, 11, and Jyoti, nine, the Royal couple heard how she had been anxious about the vaccine after comments she had read on social media, but had since been reassured by family members who have already been jabbed, as well as by medics and the charity Diabetes UK.
The Duke told her: ‘Catherine and I are not medical experts by any means, but if it’s any consolation, we can wholeheartedly support having vaccinations. It’s really, really important. We’ve got to keep it going so the younger generations also feel that it’s really important for them to have it.
‘So it’s great that, Shivali, you’re taking the time to work it out and come to the conclusion that “I need to do this” because social media is awash sometimes with lots of rumours and misinformation, so we have to be a bit careful who we believe and where we get our information from. Especially for those who are clinically vulnerable as well, it’s so important that those vaccinations are done, so good luck.’
Shivali, 39, replied: ‘I guess it’s just the unknown and I think that’s the case for most people. It’s just something that is unknown right now. And by the time you’ve had it, it will be A-OK.’
Kate told her: ‘I hope for all of you it will add a bit of normality back to your l i ves and confidence.’
The Duke and Duchess also spoke to Fiona, 37, and her seven- year- old daughter Ciara, who have been shielding at home in East Finchley, North London.
She said the charity Asthma UK had been a ‘real source of support’.
Asked by the Duke how she felt about the vaccination, she replied: ‘I can’t wait! I’m priority group six, so any day now I’m really hoping to get called up. I hope that as many people as possible, when they get called up for it, take it… It’s nice to know mentally that you have that layer of protection.’
The Duchess asked: ‘Once you’ve had the vaccine, what change do you think it will allow you?’
Fiona replied: ‘I’m trying to not see it as a magic cure. I’m not going to go out licking lampposts or anything straight away!’
‘Did you do that before?’ laughed William.
‘I’ll still wear my mask, I’ll still keep my hand gel, still social-distance,’ said Fiona.
The couple spoke to Ciara about home- schooling and Kate asked her if she is missing her friends. ‘It’s hard, isn’t it, when you’re not all together, being able to see them, muck around with them as well,’ Kate said.
The calls followed health charities, including Diabetes UK and Asthma UK, forming a coalition to promote vaccine uptake.