Boris Johnson could be given Covid vaccine on live TV

Despite the UK’s medicines regulator certifying that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe to use, ministers are concerned that false anti-vaxxer propaganda online could hinder efforts to inoculate the population.

On Wednesday a YouGov poll suggested 20 per cent of Britons were either “not very confident” or “not confidential at all” that the vaccine is safe, compared to 70 per cent who believe it is. The survey of 5,321 adults also found that two thirds of respondents backed Mr Hancock taking a jab live on television. 

To drive up vaccination rates, the Department for Health is drawing up a major publicity campaign which is expected to see high-profile figures recruited to raise awareness.

Whitehall sources told The Telegraph that Prof essor Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, would become the “face of vaccine deployment”, having played a leading role in drawing up the plans. 

However, in order to reach out to millennials, who are among the age groups more reluctant to get vaccinated, ministers are also seeking to recruit celebrities and social media influencers to feature in the campaign. 

Urging members of the public to get inoculated, Prof Van Tam warned on Wednesday evening that “low uptake” would “almost certainly make restrictions last longer”.

“Everyone wants social distancing to end, we’re fed up with it… but if you want that dream to come true as quickly as it can come true, then you have to take the vaccine when it’s offered to you,” he said. “We need people to take it – this vaccine isn’t going to help you if you don’t take it. And you will need two doses of this vacation if you are to have full protection. 

“Watching others take it and hoping that this will then protect you isn’t going to work, necessarily.”

Source Article

Next Post

Here are the ‘most popular’ cosmetic procedures around the world for 2020, says medical travel company

Thu Dec 3 , 2020
When it comes down to cosmetic procedures, some rank higher than others. And with beauty being in the eye of the beholder, of course the types of procedures people are looking into vary around the world. That’s why the German-based health consultation resource Qunomedical analyzed internal search data to find […]

You May Like