Gary Lineker, 60, gets first ‘quick and painless’ coronavirus jab

Gary Lineker, 60, gets first Covid jab early in another example of Britain’s vaccine postcode lottery with healthy people younger than set age group being offered protection from virus

  • Lineker praises first vaccine as ‘quick, painless, liberating and well organised’
  • 60-year-old BBC host got his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab today
  • He also joked about Stokes and Root falling in successive overs against India

BBC presenter Gary Lineker today revealed he had received his first coronavirus vaccination, praising it as ‘quick, painless, liberating and well organised’.

The 60-year-old Match of the Day host got his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab and tweeted a picture of his confirmation card, saying: ‘Well played, NHS.’

It means Lineker has got his jab early, with the NHS currently only vaccinating those aged 64 or over; the clinically vulnerable; people living or working in care homes; health and social care workers; and people eligible for carer’s allowance. 

It follows fears that the vaccine roll out has become a postcode lottery, with several areas in England, including London, said to have started offering jabs to people in their 50s with no underlying health issues such as diabetes or liver disease. 

Today, Lineker joked: ‘Had the vaccine and @englandcricket lost Root and Stokes whilst I was getting jabbed. Nobody said anything about those side effects.’

The ex-England football captain made the gag after Ben Stokes and Joe Root fell in successive overs as England’s cricketers went down to a ten-wicket defeat in India. 

And Lineker, who lives in West London, then tweeted a picture of his jab card with today’s date, saying: ‘Quick, painless, liberating and well organised. Well played.’

He was asked by one Twitter user if he had received the jab because he was vulnerable, but replied: ‘No, I’m 60.’ 

BBC presenter Gary Lineker at Sports Personality of the Year 2020 in Salford last December

Lineker, 60, tweeted about having the vaccine today - and confirmed he is not vulnerable

Lineker, 60, tweeted about having the vaccine today – and confirmed he is not vulnerable

Lineker, who earns £1.35million a year at the BBC, is among the one in five adults in England aged under 70 who have now had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccines.

NHS bosses insist no one under 64 without an underlying medical issue should be invited to have their jab yet, even if they live in a region surging ahead with vaccines.

Health chiefs say any appointments made in error should be cancelled and ID checks should be used to ensure only eligible residents are getting their jab currently.   

The order in which people are being offered the vaccine by the NHS is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. 

Latest NHS England figures estimated that 20.3 per cent of people aged 16 to 69 had received their first jab as of February 21, with little variation between regions. 

Lineker posted this photograph on Twitter today of his Covid-19 vaccine confirmation card

Lineker posted this photograph on Twitter today of his Covid-19 vaccine confirmation card

Lineker joked: 'Had the vaccine and @englandcricket lost Root and Stokes whilst I was getting jabbed. Nobody said anything about those side effects'

Lineker joked: ‘Had the vaccine and @englandcricket lost Root and Stokes whilst I was getting jabbed. Nobody said anything about those side effects’

Joe Root (left) and Ben Stokes (right) of England as they face India in Ahmedabad today

Joe Root (left) and Ben Stokes (right) of England as they face India in Ahmedabad today

A total of 16,337,561 vaccinations took place in England between December 8 and yesterday, including first and second doses – a rise of 411,146 on the previous day.

Of this number, 15,794,992 were the first dose of a vaccine, a rise of 396,937 on the previous day, while 542,569 were a second dose, an increase of 14,209.

Some 94 per cent of residents of older adult care homes in England eligible to have their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine had received the jab by last Sunday. 

However, figures also suggested around one in seven people aged 70 and over in London had yet to have their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the start of this week.

Chief medical officers agreed today the Covid-19 alert level should move from five down to four as the risk of the NHS being overwhelmed within 21 days ‘has receded’.