A HOST of TV stars have joined forces to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid.
Sir Lenny Henry, Elizabeth Hurley and David Walliams have teamed up with actors Lydia West and Navin Chowdhry to back the NHS jab campaign.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest updates
The stars pretend to audition as they tackle misinformation about coronavirus vaccines.
Actress Hurley urges people to “roll up your sleeve, it’s not just your own life you’ll be saving”, while funny man Sir Lenny says: “People in the black, Asian, ethnic and minority community are 20 per cent less likely to take up the vaccine.”
West, an actress in the TV drama It’s a Sin, tells viewers the vaccine “doesn’t contain pork, or any material of animal origin” and “there is no evidence that it affects fertility”.
Author and TV personality Walliams calls on everyone to get vaccinated, saying: “It’s really important that people of all ages get the jab.”
And even singer Elton John makes a brief appearance right at the end of the clip.
The celebrities’ backing comes as the NHS confirmed more than nine in 10 people over 45 have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.
And NHS England said 120,000 appointments were booked before 9am on Friday as vaccines opened up to people aged 40 and 41.
Overall, two thirds of the adult population in England have received their first dose, and more than a quarter have been fully vaccinated.
GP and NHS national medical director for primary care Dr Nikki Kanani said: “Our drive to increase uptake is continuing and this backing from such an incredible line up of stars will go a long way in helping us reassure communities that the vaccine is safe, simple and effective.
“We are very grateful for this wonderful support.
“Since setting out our action plan to boost uptake in February, we have made significant progress in increasing uptake among all ethnic minorities, including black British communities, where the increase has actually outpaced the overall rise.”
It follows Matt Hancock receiving his first Covid jab earlier this week from England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.
The Health Secretary said “it didn’t hurt at all” as he encouraged others to take up the offer of a vaccine when called.
He added: “The rollout continues at pace and we are on track to reach our target of offering all adults a first dose of the vaccine by the end of July.
“I was very excited when my call came, and I’d urge everyone to take up the offer when it comes, and become part of history in the UK’s biggest ever vaccination programme.”
So far, almost 49 million vaccinations have been given in the UK, with 34,216,087 having received their first jab.
A total of 14,532,875 have received both doses meaning they are fully vaccinated against Covid.
New research shows a single Covid vaccine dose offers more protection to people who have already had the virus.
And the latest data shows just one in 1,000 people in England have the virus – the lowest level since early September 2020.
