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UK Queen, Duke of Edinburgh receive COVID-19 vaccines

The UK’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, have been vaccinated against the

Sentinel Digital Desk

LONDON: The UK's Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, the Buckingham Palace confirmed in a statement.

The vaccinations were administered on Saturday by a household doctor at the Windsor Castle where the royal couple have been staying since early last year, Xinhua news agency quoted British media reports as saying citing a source. The source added the Queen decided to let it be known she had the vaccination to prevent further speculation.

The Queen, 94, and Prince Philip, 99, are among around 1.5 million people in the UK to have had at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far. People aged over 80 in the country are among the high-priority groups who are being given the vaccine first. It has not been disclosed which of the vaccines the royal couple received.

On Friday, a third coronavirus vaccine was approved for use in the country, as the UK recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths, as well as the highest daily increase of cases.

As of Sunday morning, the overall COVID-19 cases and deaths in the UK stood at 3,026,313 and 81,000, respectively. (IANS)