Coronavirus: Queen could be used to dispel vaccine fears, government expert suggests

But, er, Professor Heidi Larson also admits palace may not wish to ‘risk’ giving 94-year-old new jab

Queen Elizabeth II speaks with staff during a visit to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The Queen could be called on to help dispel misinformation around any new coronavirus vaccine, a government adviser has suggested.

Professor Heidi Larson said she feared growing public concerns about safety were currently being dismissed rather than addressed — which could result in many people declining to have an inoculation.

But she suggested no lesser figure than the 94-year-old head of state could be rolled out to persuade Brits to get the jab.

The professor, who leads the Vaccine Confidence Project, said: “If there's one thing I've seen, and I've been here [in the UK] for over a decade now, it's the trust that she gets.

"And she's certainly in that older cohort, so I think that's actually really, really smart."

But Larson, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, admitted there was no guarantee the Queen would even have the vaccine herself.

"I think the palace is going to have to decide for themselves — do you want to risk a new vaccine on the Queen?” she said. “Or do you want to keep her isolated? They're going to have to weigh those risks.”

In comments to The Times, she added that whatever was decided with regards the Royal Family, an improved communication strategy was required to respond to concerns.

"I've been called into a number of discussions [with the government] on this,” Larson said. “It's not clear to me that there's a coherent communication strategy.

A government spokesperson did not comment on the Queen’s potential role but said: "The science is clear — vaccines save lives, which is why we are leading a global effort to find a Covid-19 vaccine.

"Vaccine misinformation in any form is completely unacceptable and it is everyone's responsibility to seek NHS advice, so that they have the right information to make the right choice.

"Since the start of the pandemic, specialist UK Government units have also been working rapidly to identify and rebut false information about coronavirus, including working closely with social media companies."