Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II and her husband, Duke Philip of Edinburgh, intend to vaccinate from the coronavirus. The Daily Mail reports this, citing a source.
According to the publication, the royal couple will receive a drug for COVID-19 in the coming weeks as part of the second stage of vaccination, covering, in particular, a group of people over 80 years old. Thus, the spouses plan to encourage more people to get vaccinated against the new infection. The 94-year-old Queen and 99-year-old Duke will accept the vaccination offer on the advice of their treating doctors.
Public health experts are convinced that if Elizabeth II and Prince Philip go public about vaccinations, it will go a long way in fighting the misinformation spread by conspiracy theorists. In the UK, there are concerns that false reports of the coronavirus pandemic and the vaccine could lead to massive vaccine refusals.
There is also ongoing discussion regarding the participation of Princes Charles and William in the vaccination program. It is expected that they can popularize the idea of vaccination, but at the same time it can be seen as “politicizing” the family. Nevertheless, the Queen’s participation will be seen as a call to the nation. So, the publication reminds that in 1957, Elizabeth II announced that her children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were vaccinated against polio. So she wanted to allay fears about the vaccine.
Under the UK vaccination program, healthcare workers and nursing home residents will be the first to receive the vaccine. They will be able to get vaccinated next week.
The total number of infected in the UK has exceeded 1.7 million. At the same time, more than 61 thousand patients died in the country, which is the highest figure in Europe. In total, more than 66.4 million people have been infected worldwide since the beginning of the pandemic.