British Queen Elizabeth II will get Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine within weeks after UK regulators have given emergency clearance and the world’s first roll-out starts next week, news said late Saturday.
The queen, 94, and her 99-year-old partner, Prince Philip, are in line to get the jab early because of their age and will not get special treatment.
Sources say that Britain’s most senior royals would announce that they had been offered the inoculation “to encourage more people to take up the vital jab” in the wake of concerns that so-called anti-vaxxers could dent excitement for it.
On Wednesday, the UK granted emergency clearance to the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, with health authorities setting requirements based on age and susceptibility to decide on the order of people to get it.
Elderly care home residents and their carers will be the very first to get inoculated, followed by those aged 80 and over and frontline health and care staff.
Other elderly people and the clinically extremely vulnerable will be next, with the rest of the population then prioritised by age.
Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Daily Mirror also reported a string of high-profile figures in Britain had committed publicly to getting the vaccine in a bid to boost take-up.
They include Monty Python star Michael Palin and Bob Geldof, the tabloid said.
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Britain has pre-ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine in total, and is set to receive an initial batch of 800,000 to begin next week’s rollout.
Regulators were forced to defend their world-first approval on Wednesday of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, insisting it met all safety standards after US and European officials queried the rapid process.
Meanwhile, plans are reportedly being stepped up to ensure any complications arising from the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31 do not impact its roll-out.
The vaccine will be manufactured at Pfizer’s plant in Puurs, Belgium, and needs to be transported in temperature-controlled thermal shippers that use dry ice.
The Observer reported late Saturday that ministers have drawn up contingency plans to fly millions of doses into Britain on military aircraft in the event of Brexit-related disruption at UK ports.
