Coronavirus UK: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip get COVID-19 vaccine
Buckingham Palace has confirmed the elderly royals have been among the first in the UK to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
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The Queen and Prince Philip were given their first coronavirus jabs at breakfast on Friday.
They had their initial dose of the vaccine, made by Oxford-AstraZeneca, from a doctor at Windsor Castle.
Insiders said the Queen, 94, and Philip, 99, had been happy to wait their turn.
They then accepted an offer to receive it at the end of the week as they both met government age guidelines.
A doctor from the Royal Household visited to administer the jab midmorning after the couple sat down for breakfast.
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It was not confirmed which vaccine they got but it is believed to be the British-made jab. Both suffered no side-effects.
A source said: “The Queen and Duke were not in a rush and did not ask for special treatment and had the vaccine only when it was available locally. They waited their turn like everyone else.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the news was a boost in the fight against the killer virus.
He tweeted: “I’m delighted Her Majesty the Queen & HRH the Duke of Edinburgh have received their COVID vaccine. We are defeating this virus jab by jab.”
HMS BUBBLE
The Queen decided to make the news public yesterday afternoon to avoid speculation, the Sun on Sunday was told.
Palace officials have repeatedly refused to comment on when they would receive their vaccines.
But a royal insider said it was hoped yesterday’s announcement could reassure many.
They said: “Both the Queen and Philip made it clear they didn’t want preferential treatment when it came to getting their jabs.
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“There is a feeling among some courtiers that, by having the jab, they will do much good work to ease the fears of the nation at a time of widespread worry.”
They will get a second dose in 12 weeks. The couple will remain in their HMS Bubble at Windsor Castle, where they moved to from Buckingham Palace last year.
They are among the estimated 1.5 million to have received a vaccine against the virus which has killed more than 80,000 Brits.
More than one in four over-80s have now had a jab.
The first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was given in Oxford on Monday to dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82.
More than half a million were administered on the first day of the mass rollout.
Other royals in line for the jab include the Duke of Kent, 85.
Prince Charles, 72, and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, 73, will also soon be eligible.
On a visit to a vaccination centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital before Christmas, Charles said he was “way down the list”.
UK Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi tweeted yesterday: “Royal Family have been vaccinated. A good day becomes a great day.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have today received COVID-19 vaccinations.”
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It is not the first time Her Majesty has been involved in a mass immunisation program.
In 1957, she ordered son Charles and daughter Anne to be given polio jabs to counter widespread concern about their safety.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to vaccinate 13 million people against Covid by February 15.
Ministers also have vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna approved by regulators. On December 9, Margaret Keenan, 90, became the first person in the world to be vaccinated outside a trial, when she got the Pfizer jab in Coventry.
Clive Dix, chair of the Government’s Vaccines Taskforce, has 350 million doses of vaccine on order.
He said: “This is a key moment in the pandemic and the UK is in an incredibly strong position having backed the most promising vaccines early on, giving our citizens the best chance of coming out of this as soon as possible.”
This story first appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission
Originally published as Coronavirus UK: Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip get COVID-19 vaccine
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