Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip might “make it be known” once they have taken a vaccine against COVID-19, The Times newspaper published, quoting unnamed royal aides.
The 94-year-old sovereign and her 99-year-old husband are expected to be amongst the first to be given a shot, with the government making elderly people a prime concern and first receivers as it starts the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine that was accepted on Dec. 2.
The queen is extremely appreciated in British society, and her government backing for the vaccine would be a strong message to counter anti-vaccination misinformation distributing online.
60,000 people in the United Kingdom lost their lives to the coronavirus while the virus also contaminated more than 1.7 million.
The royal family has not been spotless, with both heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles and his eldest son Prince William examining positive for COVID-19 earlier in the year.
Under the government’s preference list for the vaccine roll-out, the first shots are expected to be given to elderly care home citizens and their carers, supported by people over 80 and health assistance workers.
The Times stated that in 1957, the queen went public that Charles and his sister Princess Anne, then 8 and 6, had been vaccinated against polio, assisting to ease concerns about possible side-effects of what was then a new vaccine.
