Coronavirus vaccine details Queen Elizabeth wants to keep secret

The Queen may have revealed she received a COVID-19 vaccination, but the monarch wants to keep two key details under wraps.

The Queen will not reveal when she has received her second COVID-19 jab nor which vaccine she received.

It comes after the monarch and her husband Prince Philip revealed they had received a coronavirus inoculation to send “a message of hope” to the country.

However, she will not reveal further details to ensure Brits accept whatever vaccine is first available to them, royal sources have reportedly told UK media outlet the Mirror.

The Queen and Prince Philip have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Picture: Getty Images

Her Majesty, 94, and her husband, 99, were given the first dose of a vaccine at Windsor Castle by their household doctor.

The rare move detailing their personal health echoed when the Queen revealed in 1957 that her children Prince Charles and Princess Anne had received the polio vaccine.

That backing was said to have encouraged millions of British parents to vaccinate their children against the dreadful disease that was at the time claiming 500,000 lives across the world each year.

The move comes as the British government attempts to roll out 15 million doses to the highest risk patients by the middle of February, with the UK in crisis as it has recorded more 80,000 deaths so far.

There were another 59,937 cases reported in Britain on Saturday, with 1,035 deaths, as the union deals with a fast moving mutant COVID strain.

The Pope has also backed the vaccine, revealing that he has an appointment for a dose this week, setting an example for millions of Catholics around the world, particularly in South America and Africa.

The royal and religious endorsements come amid concerns that an anti-vaccination movement could derail efforts to control coronavirus across the globe, which has claimed almost 2 million lives.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen and Prince Philip received the jabs on Saturday, London time.

“The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have today received COVID-19 vaccinations,” a palace statement said.

The Queen and Prince Philip have been in isolation at Windsor Castle. Picture: Getty Images

Britain has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford AstraZeneca and Moderna coronavirus vaccines, however it was not revealed which one they received.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was first used in Britain on December 8, but the palace waited until after the Oxford vaccine had been rolled out before the Queen had her dose.

The move may have been designed to avoid showing favouritism for one the Pfizer vaccine, which has a higher reported efficacy rate, over the Oxford vaccine.

A source said that the Queen wanted to stop rumours about when she would receive the jab.

“These have been administered by a Household Doctor at Windsor Castle,” the source said.

“To prevent inaccuracies and further speculation, Her Majesty decided that she would let it be known she has had the vaccination.”

The Queen has been a key figure in the UK during the pandemic, releasing a poignant message during the first lockdown with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in hospital battling the virus.

And she praised scientists in her Christmas message for providing hope during the pandemic, which has shut down world economies.

Pope Francis, 84, has encouraged the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics to take a vaccine.

He called it an “ethical option, because you are playing with your health, life, but also with the lives of others,” in an interview with an Italian broadcaster.

He had also dismissed some Catholics’ concerns that the vaccine was made based on research using cell lines obtained from abortions.

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Originally published as Coronavirus vaccine details Queen Elizabeth wants to keep secret