Prince William calls on public to follow the queen and get Covid vaccine

He says he is proud of his grandparents for being inoculated against the disease

In this image provided by Kensington Palace shows a video call on Jan. 13, 2021 with Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, bottom of screen, and, top row from left, Carly Kennard and Jules Lockett, both of London Ambulance Service, Conal Devitt of Formby Primary Care Network and Manal Sadik, Associate Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Widening Participation at Guys and St. Thomas Hospital. Center row from left, Phil Spencer from Cleveland Police, Tony Collins, Just 'B' volunteer helpline call handler and CEO of North Yorkshire Hospice Care, and Caroline Francis, Just 'B' helpline support worker and nurse at North Yorkshire Hospice Care. The royal pair spoke with frontline workers and counsellors about the mental health impact of the COVID-19 crisis for those working on the frontline, and why it is vital that they are able to reach out for support at such a critical time. (Kensington Palace via AP)
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Prince William encouraged everyone in Britain to follow the example of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, and ensure they become inoculated against Covid-19 as authorities battle fears about vaccine safety.

Prince William spoke about Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, with National Health Service staff and volunteers during a video call released on Saturday.

The medics told Prince William that some members of the public are reluctant to receive any of the coronavirus vaccines authorised by regulators.

“My grandparents have had the vaccine and I am very proud of them for doing that,’’ he said.

“It is really important that everyone gets the vaccine when they are told to.”

Queen Elizabeth II, 94, last week said that she and Prince Philip, 99, received the first dose of vaccine.

That was meant to end speculation about the matter and boost confidence in the shots as the NHS seeks to give the first dose of vaccine to everyone over the age of 70 by the middle of February.

British authorities made vaccinating older people their first priority because they are the most at risk from Covid-19.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that the UK would close "all travel corridors" from 4am (GMT) on Monday.

People wishing to fly to the country after that time must provide proof of a negative Covid test before taking off.

Travellers will also need to quarantine for 10 days according to current government guidance, unless they test negative after five days.

The UK registered 55,761 positive cases on Friday, as well as 1,280 deaths, marking five successive days of the daily toll exceeding the 1,000 mark.