Phillip Schofield, 58, gets the Covid-19 Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine as he thanks medical staff for a ‘painless jab’
Phillip Schofield said he was ‘painlessly jabbed up’ as he shared a photo on Tuesday receiving the Covid-19 Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine.
The TV presenter, 58, smiled through his eyes as he wore a face mask and thanked the medical team for doing a wonderful job.
He sported a white t-shirt and jeans as his nurse, Lisa, planted a needle into his arm with the dose that protects against the novel coronavirus.
Protection: Phillip Schofield shared a photo on Tuesday receiving the Covid-19 Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine while thanking the medical team for administering the ‘painless jab’
He captioned the snap: ‘All painlessly jabbed up [smiling emoji] that couldn’t have been any easier, more efficient or friendlier, thank you to Lisa and the team [smiling heart emoji].’
In another image uploaded to Instagram, Phillip capture his Covid-19 information leaflet and vaccine card.
The recommended dosage for Oxford/ AstraZeneca is two doses to be administered with an interval of 8 to 12 weeks.
The makers of the three vaccines, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna, that the MHRA has approved for use so far, have all said they are aiming to modify their jabs to cope with variants of coronavirus this year.
Documentation: In another image uploaded to Instagram, the TV presenter, 58, captured his Covid-19 information leaflet and vaccine card
AstraZeneca, the maker of the Oxford vaccine, said it hopes its new vaccine will be ready by autumn.
MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine said there is no evidence that current vaccines are lacking effectiveness against known coronavirus variants.
She said: ‘Since December last year we have all been concerned about the appearance of variants – Kent, South Africa, more recently Brazil – and therefore we’re well-prepared to look at, when it’s needed, updates to ensure the vaccines being used in citizens are fully effective.
‘Our goal is to ensure the vaccine modifications in future that respond to the new variants can be available in the shortest possible time but without compromising in any way on safety, on quality and on effectiveness.
Staying safe: The recommended dosage for Oxford/ AstraZeneca is two doses to be administered with an interval of 8 to 12 weeks
‘What I would emphasise at the outset is that we don’t have evidence at the moment that the vaccines in use in the UK are significantly lacking in effectiveness but we are now well-prepared.’
Britain’s vaccine drive is gathering pace, with Matt Hancock revealing on Friday that two in five adults have now been vaccinated as deaths fall ‘faster and faster’.
Some 21.3million people have received their first dose, and the historic rollout means deaths have plummeted by 41 per cent in a week.
The Health Secretary said: ‘You can really see the effects of the vaccine in the number of deaths.
‘That link from cases to hospitalisations and then deaths that had been unbreakable before the vaccine is now breaking.
‘The vaccine is protecting the NHS and saving lives, right across the country.’
The positive figures on Friday led to fresh speculation about the lifting of the lockdown, and whether the roadmap could be accelerated.
Ministers have repeatedly insisted the timetable will not be sped up, but with each week of positive data the pressure is increasing for a swifter end to the restrictions.
More than one million people have now received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine, meaning 2 per cent of UK adults are fully vaccinated.
Progress: Britain’s vaccine drive is gathering pace, with Matt Hancock revealing on Friday that two in five adults have now been vaccinated as deaths fall ‘faster and faster’