A debate broke out on Twitter about who should get priority for the jabs. On Saturday the Queen and her husband received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine which was administered by a household doctor.
A ‘royal source’ told reporters the Queen decided to make it public in order to prevent speculation, according to the BBC.
The Queen and Prince Philip, both being over 80, are in the Government’s second-highest priority group to receive the vaccine after care home residents and care home workers.
It comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation concluded age was the ‘most important factor’ in coronavirus fatalities, The Telegraph said.
However, while some praised the news others were critical of the fact the two royals secured a vaccine while some frontline workers are still waiting.
Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, shared the news of the Queen and Prince Philips’ vaccine, along with the caption: “Wonderful news.”
One user replied: “Wonderful for who? The ninety-year-olds in care, still waiting for theirs? The homeless guy unable to self-isolate? The key workers still waiting for their appointments?”
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Others defended the monarch’s vaccine. One wrote on Twitter: “The idea that a 94-year-old woman and her 99-year-old husband shouldn’t have the vaccine until everyone else in the very-high-risk group has had it is absurd, and is only being peddled because of who the couple in question are.”
Another said: “Whether you like the royals or not, it is indeed wonderful news.
“If the Queen is willing to get it, there really is no excuse for anyone to refuse it.”
Over the weekend, it was reported that roughly 1.5 million people in the UK have received at least their first dose of a Covid vaccine.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the country is aiming to get 15 million Britons vaccinated by the middle of next month.
This would include all frontline NHS staff as well as everyone over the age of 70, residents and staff of care homes, and everyone who is seen as clinically extremely vulnerable.
The UK currently has three coronavirus vaccines available for use.
These are the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines from the US, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab from the UK.
It is not clear which of the three jabs the Queen and Prince Philip received.
Prince Philip and the Queen have been spending the Christmas period at Windsor Castle this year instead of at Sandrigham, where the royals traditionally meet up.
Last year saw the royal carry out few public engagements due to the restrictions which gripped the country.
