The Queen says UK residents should ‘think about other people’ and get a Covid vaccine

The Queen has urged those who are reluctant to receive the Covid vaccine to “think about other people” when invited for the jab (Photo: Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)The Queen has urged those who are reluctant to receive the Covid vaccine to “think about other people” when invited for the jab (Photo: Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The Queen has urged those who are reluctant to receive the Covid vaccine to “think about other people” when invited for the jab (Photo: Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The Queen has urged those who are reluctant to receive the Covid vaccine to “think about other people” when invited for the jab.

The Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, both received their first doses of the vaccine in January.

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During a video call with those in charge of the NHS Covid-19 vaccination programme in all four nations of the UK, the Queen was asked about her experience of having the jab, to which 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."

"It didn't hurt at all."

The monarch also said "Once you've had the vaccine you have a feeling that you're protected. Which I think is very important.”

She also praised the vaccine rollout and described its speed as “remarkable”, telling the health leaders to “keep up the good work”.

'Think about other people rather than themselves'

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During the call, 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.”

Addressing the take up of the coronavirus vaccine, the monarch said that although she understood getting a vaccination could be a "difficult" experience for some people, she urged the public to think about others.

The Queen said: "It is obviously difficult for people if they've never had a vaccine. But they ought to think about other people rather than themselves."

After the call, Dr Lawson then said the Queen’s comments about her own vaccination experience was an “incredibly important vote of confidence in the programme”.

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“We just want to make sure we create the conditions where everybody feels able to take up the offer of a vaccination when they’re called,” Dr Lawson added.

“And Her Majesty offering her view on that is a huge boost to our confidence and I hope to confidence more broadly in the programme.”