Queen Elizabeth has been urged to reveal to the public if she has been vaccinated against COVID-19 to quell any fears about its safety. Some people worry that this coronavirus prevention medication could have side effects since it was developed faster than other vaccines.
The Queen and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, are in the second tier of the U.K. government's vaccine priority list because of their age, at 94 and 99 years old, respectively. They will follow the first tier, consisting of frontliners and those living or working in care facilities.
Royal commentators Chris Ship and Lizzie Robinson of ITV's Royal Rota said that a vaccination might be a private medical choice, especially among members of the royal family. However, if Queen Elizabeth reveals that she was vaccinated then everyone will know that the vaccine is indeed a safe procedure.
The U.K. is the first country in the world to clear Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine and will likely begin its coronavirus immunization program by mid-December. Clinical trials of this vaccine show that it's 95 percent effective in stopping the spread of the virus, without any safety issues, especially among adults.
It's unclear, however, if Queen Elizabeth would be willing to make her vaccination public. Ultimately, it will come down to Her Majesty's personal choice.
Similarly, the royal commentators also wonder if Prime Minister Boris Johnson would have his jab in front of the TV cameras to show convincing visuals that there is nothing to fear. Incidentally, the prime minister, who is 56, suffered serious symptoms when he contracted the virus in late March, which was also around the same time Prince Charles, 72, was COVID-19 positive.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by YouGov showed that 10 percent of the public thinks that the royal family should be vaccinated ahead of politicians, footballers, and workers of the hospitality industry. But the royals won't get special treatment and cannot jump ahead of the line. Instead, they will receive the vaccine based on their age group's risk.
The poll revealed that ideally, while Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip fall in the second tier, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, should be in the fourth tier. The younger members of the royal family, including Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, must be in the seventh tier, along with those between the ages of 60-64 and those who work in the security industry.
The U.K. has 40 million free vaccines coming in, covering a third of the whole population. The logistics of vaccine delivery to care homes are still in the process of finalization.
