Coronavirus vaccine: Boris Johnson might take shot on TV, but won’t jump queue
- The PM might be persuaded to get a jab on the air to show it is safe, press secretary says after Britain approves use of Pfizer’s vaccine
- Poll has found that 20 per cent of Britons were either not confident or not very confident that shots are safe
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson might be persuaded to take a Covid-19 vaccination on television to show it is safe but he would not have one before those in greater need, his press secretary said on Wednesday.
Johnson, 56, who spent time in intensive care earlier this year after contracting Covid-19, has hailed Britain’s approval of Pfizer Inc’s vaccine as a global win and ray of hope amid a pandemic that has hurt the economy and upended normal life.
But, like other leaders, Johnson cannot be seen to be jumping the queue for the vaccine, ahead of more vulnerable people. However, he wants to illustrate its safety to try to persuade others to take it when it is more widely available, press secretary Allegra Stratton said.
Asked if the prime minister would take the shot live on television, Stratton said she had not asked him directly.
“I don’t think it would be something he would rule out,” she said. “But I think we also know that he wouldn’t want to take a jab that should be for someone who is extremely vulnerable, clinically vulnerable and who should be getting it before him.”
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Johnson has said the shots would be voluntary, and a snap YouGov poll found that 20 per cent of Britons were either not confident or not very confident that it was safe. There was support for the health minister Matt Hancock getting a shot live on television, with 66 per cent backing the idea.