Charles and Camilla urge hesitant to get booster jab

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have urged anyone hesitating to get a Covid vaccine - and said they had received their own booster jabs.

"We can only urge you to look at the evidence in our intensive care wards," said a statement from the royal couple.

"People who are unvaccinated are at least 10 times more likely to be hospitalised or die than those who have had two vaccine doses."

Their comments were on the anniversary of the first Covid vaccination.

Prince Charles and Camilla praised the "ingenuity and determination" of those involved in the vaccination drive which had seen more than 100 million doses delivered since that first injection in December 2020.

Margaret Keenan, the first person to receive a Covid jab outside of a clinical trial, received her booster injection in September.

The royal couple addressed "all those who have not yet had the vaccine, or are hesitating before getting a booster". They encouraged them to listen to the warnings of those working in the NHS, who saw the heightened risks facing people who were not vaccinated.

"That is why we urge everyone to get vaccinated and to take up the booster, as we have done ourselves," said Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Charles, aged 73, caught Covid in March last year, before vaccines had been developed. Both the prince and Camilla, aged 74, had had their first vaccinations by February 2021.

"We can only offer our most heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all the scientists, volunteers and workers across the NHS who have helped bring about this extraordinary achievement," the royal couple said of the invention and rollout of vaccines.