Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine: Notable people who have received the jab
The European Medicines Agency has said the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is a ‘safe and effective vaccine after its use was suspended by multiple countries.
The Prime Minister is due to have his first Covid-19 jab on Friday, and has said he will be receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Here are some of the famous faces who have had this vaccine so far:
– Sir Keir Starmer
The Labour leader, 58, insisted people should feel confident in taking the vaccine, after receiving his first dose of the Oxford University jab in his constituency on Sunday.
“I think the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe, the experts are telling us it is safe and I would urge everybody who is invited to come forward to have the vaccine,” he said.
– The Duchess of Cornwall
Camilla revealed she was given the AstraZeneca vaccine during a visit to a pop-inoculation centre in London, saying it “didn’t matter” which sort people received.
The Prince of Wales has also been vaccinated, as have the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.
– Sajid Javid
The former chancellor of the Exchequer thanked volunteers, the armed forces, NHS England and the Oxford/AstraZeneca team as he joined the 25,000,000 people to receive the vaccine.
– Sanjeev Bhaskar
The comedian and actor took part in a video encouraging ethnic minority communities to get the Covid vaccine, which was shown simultaneously across several UK TV channels last month.
On March 4, he tweeted a picture of himself getting the jab, saying: “I got the point! Safe clinic, medical chat beforehand to ask questions, painless injection. No side effects apart from a love of wordplay. Obviously I got the Pun-JAB!”
Two days later, Mr Bhaskar posted another photo in a tweet that began “#AstraZeneca update. Pretty knackered from yesterday & a bit achey but that could also have been from early & long filming days (freezing & with really uncomfortable footwear!) beforehand.”
He added he was “back to normal today”, and thanked the NHS worker who gave him the jab.
– Sir Simon Stevens
The NHS chief executive, 54, is among 2.4 million people aged 50 to 54 who are now eligible for a vaccine, and said he was “personally delighted” to receive the Oxford vaccine.
He said the jab he received on Thursday at Westminster Abbey’s vaccination site was “quick, painless and effective”.
– Stephen Fry
While receiving his own dose of the Oxford vaccine at Westminster Abbey, the comedian and actor joked that, as a Cambridge University alumnus, he would have to “put petty rivalries behind me”.
– Piers Morgan
The controversial former Good Morning Britain host said his vaccine experience was “dazzlingly impressive” and that the rollout was a “great triumph for our country” and the NHS.
Morgan joked the next day that a side effect of the AstraZeneca jab had given him “Rambo-sized guns” after a picture in a newspaper made his arm look particularly large.
– Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber
The musical impresario, 72, took part in trials for the Oxford coronavirus vaccine and later he was told he had had the real jab and not the placebo.
He told Good Morning Britain that he was now “teeming” with antibodies.
– Diane Abbott
Labour MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington Diane Abbott, 67, has also been immunised.
The former shadow home secretary told the PA news agency on Thursday: “I had my first injection of the AstraZeneca vaccine three weeks ago”.
– Mick Hucknall
The Simply Red front-man said he was “feelin good” after receiving his first dose and told people to “do yourself a favour and get the vaccine”.
“You have FAR more risk of developing clots by being infected by Covid. I wish all of you long lives and good health,” he wrote on Twitter.
– Nick Hewer
The Apprentice and Countdown star, 76, praised the “amazing efficiency” of the vaccination centre at Lord’s Cricket ground where he received his AstraZeneca jab, writing on Twitter: “I was in and out in about 7 minutes (honestly).”
– Lloyd Grossman
The 70-year-old broadcaster and author, known widely for his range of cooking sauces, was given the injection at North Cotswold Hospital, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, in February.
– Dame Joan Collins
Receiving the AstraZeneca jab was “painless and seamless,” the veteran actress, 87, announced on Instagram.
Dame Joan received her vaccination on the same day the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were vaccinated at Windsor Castle.
– Alan Titchmarsh
The broadcaster and gardener, 71, urged people to “do your bit” after receiving the vaccine at a fire station in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in February.
