Duchess Camila says she ‘leapt for joy’ after getting her COVID-19 vaccine: ‘You feel more secure’
Her husband Prince Charles tested positive for the coronavirus in March and self-isolated for a week in Scotland with mild COVID-19 symptoms
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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall didn’t need much convincing to get her COVID-19 vaccine.
On Wednesday, the 73-year-old and her husband Prince Charles visited Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham to meet with volunteers undertaking clinical trials for the vaccinations, as well as healthcare staff receiving their shots that day.
Last week, the pair received their first vaccinations.
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During her visit, Camilla met with 50-year-old Nicki Cadwallader, who was receiving a vaccine as part of a trial for cancer patients, the U.K.’s DailyMail reported.
Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall speaks with a health worker during a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, northern England on February 17, 2021. (Photo by MOLLY DARLINGTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
"Don’t worry, it doesn’t take too long," said Camilla, as quoted by the outlet. "It’s a good thing. It doesn’t hurt. I was waiting for it to be done and they said, ‘It has been done.’ It was painless. It was brilliant. It’s very good when it’s over as you feel more secure. Panic over."
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"I leapt for joy," the duchess later told the vaccination trial staff, as quoted by the outlet. "I didn’t feel anything. I’m eternally grateful for everything."
According to the couple’s official Instagram account, The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has recruited "around 12,000 volunteers to take part in the COVID-19 clinical trials."
"They have just started the first UK study of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer combination vaccine," their post revealed.
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PRINCE PHILIP, 99, ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL AS A 'PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE,' PALACE SAYS
"I know, over the last year it must be absolutely exhausting for so many of you, but I know the NHS is such an enormous team and there are masses of people who are unsung and unseen heroes and heroines," said Charles, 72. "We owe them all such an enormous debt of gratitude and for so many of you particularly, the pressures are huge."
Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (R) and Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall take part in a plaque unveiling ceremony during a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, northern England on February 17, 2021. (Photo by MOLLY DARLINGTON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The BBC previously reported Charles and Camilla are in the 70 and over age bracket who are being urged to come forward for the vaccine. It's unknown which vaccine the couple received or whether they were vaccinated together.
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Charles tested positive for the coronavirus in March and self-isolated for a week in Scotland with mild COVID-19 symptoms. He later told Sky News he was lucky to have "got away with it quite lightly."
Charles, known as the Prince of Wales, is Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son. He became heir apparent at age 3 when his mother was crowned monarch in 1952.
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On Sunday, the U.K. announced that it had reached its goal of giving at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot to the most vulnerable people in the country, increasing pressure on ministers to clarify when they will ease a lockdown imposed in early January.
More than 15 million people, or 22% of the U.K. population, have received their first shot. The figure includes most people in the government’s top four priority groups, including everyone over 75, frontline healthcare workers and nursing home staff and residents. Over 537,000 of them have also received their second dose.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.