A priest who has received his first coronavirus jab is urging people to ignore misinformation on social media and get vaccinated.

Father Richard Mway-Zeng, from the Catholic Parish of St Saviour in Abbots Langley, shared a message with residents in a video posted on Watford Borough Council’s Facebook page after receiving his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

He said that getting vaccinated is the “only light at the end of a long dark tunnel” and urged people who are eligible for a vaccine to get one and to not listen to what is said on social media.

It comes as NewsGuard created a new browser extension called HealthGuard, which will flag misleading health claims linked to Covid-19.

The firm has also warned that a number of “super-spreader” accounts are posting anti-vaccine misinformation on social media.

Read more here - Coronavirus misinformation tool launched to flag misleading health claims

Father Richard said: “I’ve just received my first jab of the Pfizer vaccine. I’m very happy and I want just to convey that positivity to the community and to encourage more people to accept the vaccination programme.

“This is the only light at the end of a long dark tunnel and especially I would like to encourage people from the ethnic minority like myself to come forward. Please stop listening to all that is said on social media. Come forward, come and receive the vaccine and back to normality. Thank you.”

Covid-19 vaccinations are only available by appointment, either following an invitation from a person’s own GP practice or a letter enabling someone to choose to use the national booking system. 

Currently the vaccine is being offered to:

  • People aged 80 and over
  • Some people aged 70 and over
  • Some people who are clinically extremely vulnerable
  • People who live or work in care homes
  • Health and social care workers