The Prince of Wales was today seen for the first time since his father Prince Philip was admitted to hospital – appearing in a video message to urge ethnic minorities to ignore fake news and get their Covid jabs.
Prince Charles, 72, who along with the Duchess of Cornwall, 73, has had his first coronavirus jab, told of his concern about the ‘variable uptake’ among black and Asian Britons.
He made the comments in keynote address at a British Asian Trust’s (BAT) webinar: ‘Covid-19 Vaccine – Facts for the BAME Community’ – as his father spent his third day at London’s King Edward VII hospital after falling ill.
After his address, the BAT will air the preview of an advert featuring celebrities including the comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Meera Syal. The clip will then air on TV tonight.
Prince Philip, 99, who walked into the building unaided, is believed to be in ‘good spirits’. His condition is not coronavirus-related and the royal has already had a Covid jab together with the Queen on January 9.
Prince Charles and Camilla visiting a vaccination centre in Birmingham yesterday with Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Charles’ father Philip today remains in hospital
Philip, like the Queen, has already had his Covid jab and his condition is not coronavirus related. He is seen inspecting wedding anniversary cards with the Queen in November 2020
Speaking today, Charles, royal founding patron of the British Asian Trust, said: ‘Recently I fear we have reached a most sobering milestone in this seemingly interminable campaign as we marked the tragic loss of 100,000 souls.
‘It is clear that the virus has affected all parts of the country, and all parts of society.
‘But it is also clear that there are particular challenges faced in particular sections of our society, especially in some ethnic minority communities.
‘What saddens me even further is to hear that those challenges are being made even worse by the variable uptake of the vaccines, which finally offers a way out of the suffering of the past year.’
Charles continued: ‘The production of the vaccines in such an incredibly short time scale must rank as one of the greatest scientific achievements of our time.
‘It has been the result of tremendous international cooperation, generous financial investment by nations and private companies and represents an unprecedented and super human effort by our medical experts.
‘Therefore it is surely a tragedy that the benefits of such an extraordinary achievement should not be experienced by everybody.
‘Which is why I am so very grateful for all those who have come together here today to help ensure people of whatever background are enabled to take up the vaccine.’
The Duchess of Cornwall told yesterday how she ‘leapt for joy’ after she and Charles received their Covid jabs last week.
As over 70-year-olds, the couple are in the fourth priority group for the rollout of the jabs.
It comes as Prince Philip spent his third day in hospital today, as royal sources revealed the ‘sprightly’ Duke was seen ‘in very good humour’ before his admission.
He was last night kept at the private King Edward VII’s Hospital in Marylebone for a second night of rest and observation after a ‘short period’ of feeling unwell.
Philip reportedly remains in ‘good spirits’ and is said to have walked unaided into the hospital on Tuesday. The move is said to be a ‘precautionary measure’.
The Queen, who yesterday carried on with her royal duties as she spoke by telephone to the First Sea Lord, Admiral Tony Radakin, about the work of the Royal Navy, has remained at Windsor Castle.
It was announced on January 9 that both the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen had received their first doses of the vaccine, because their age put them in one of the high-risk categories.
Speaking today, Charles, who is royal founding patron of the British Asian Trust, told an online session about his concerns about low vaccine uptake in some ethnic minority groups
King Edward VII Hospital in Marylebone, where the Duke was taken as a ‘precautionary measure’ on the advice of his doctor
The Duke of Edinburgh reportedly remains in ‘good spirits’ and is said to have walked unaided into the hospital (where security staff are pictured)
Buckingham Palace has not yet confirmed if they have received their second jab, which boosts immunity and is supposed to be administered 12 weeks later – although some Britons have received their second shots sooner.
Of the 15,940,972 who have received jabs, 558,577 have had their second dose – while it was revealed a further 315,797 people had theirs yesterday.
Royal biographer Penny Junor joked that doctors and nurses at the private hospital probably ‘would not want’ the Duke of Edinburgh on their shift as he gets ‘irritated’ by people making a fuss of him.
There has been concern in Government at the rate of vaccine uptake among some communities – including some ethnic minorities.
Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director of NHS England, said that he urges everyone who gets a letter to get the vaccine without hesitation.
He said officials have been working with faith groups and local community leaders to encourage everybody to come forward.
‘Don’t hesitate at all. These vaccines are safe, they’re effective against Covid, they’ll protect you, they’ll protect your loved ones, and of course they’ll help get society back to normal again,’ he said.
The Government has been urged to prioritise vaccinating ethnic minority groups after research showed that people of South Asian background have continued to experience disproportionately high Covid-19 death rates.
Research published recently showed that Bangladeshi and Pakistani people have experienced an ‘alarming’ higher risk of dying with coronavirus throughout both waves of the pandemic, compared to British white people.
The authors said people from South Asian groups are more likely to live in deprived areas and in large, multigenerational households. A higher proportion of Pakistani and Bangladeshi men work as taxi drivers, shopkeepers and proprietors than any other ethnic background – occupations with a higher risk of exposure to coronavirus.
Prince Charles and his eldest son, Prince William, both contracted coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic.
Charles was described as having mild symptoms and lost his sense of taste and smell for a period, while it was reported William was hit ‘pretty hard’ by the virus.
During yesterday’s visit to a Birmingham vaccination centre, the couple met with front line health and care workers administering and receiving the Covid-19 vaccine