Social media users have suggested that photos of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson receiving a COVID-19 vaccine are a “stunt” because he has already had the disease – and therefore should be antibodies that make him immune. However, this conclusion is false and the context used is incorrect. Johnson was fired because antibodies are no guarantee of lifelong immunity.
The images, which are shared on Facebook (here, here, here), show a nurse administering Johnson’s injection. The Facebook caption also reads: “But he allegedly had ‘COVID’, will his antibodies work any more? (psy-op). Boris Today: ‘I just received my first dose of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine.’ I look forward to reading your feedback on this predictable Boris kind of gimmick. ”
PROOF STUNT
First, it is untrue to suggest that photos of Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccination were part of a stunt. The Prime Minister received his first dose of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine on 19 March at St Thomas’ Hospital in London (here).
Reuters’ photos of the moment show the needle in his arm here, here and here. Other videos and photos from the same day show Johnson in the same hospital here, here and here; on Johnson’s Twitterhere; and on ITV News here.
One comment left under the Facebook message says, “Does he get his 1st point again?” and includes a photo of Johnson receiving an injection from another nurse at another location. However, this photo can be found in the Reuters archives from October 2019 when Johnson received his flu shot.
JOHNSON VANG COVID-19
The Facebook message suggesting that Johnson never caught COVID-19 because antibodies cancel out the need for a vaccine is wrong. Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas Hospital in April 2020 in an intensive care unit after becoming seriously ill with the disease (here, here). Two nurses, Luis Pitarma and Jenny McGee, have since talked about their experience treating the prime minister here and here. Both of these nurses appear here in the Nursing & Midwifery Council database (Luis Pitarma appears under his full name Luis Carlos Rodrigues de Oliveira Pitarma).
Reuters has also previously downplayed claims related to Johnson and COVID-19 vaccines (here, here).
According to Public Health England (PHE), current data show the need for people to continue to be vaccinated against COVID-19, even if they have recovered from the disease themselves. “The reason for this is that we know that antibodies start to decrease a few months after you have had the natural infection,” said Dr. Shriti Pattani, the leader in occupational health at the London North West University Healthcare Trust (here), said.
In a video for PHE, she says: ‘It’s too early to know how long immunity will last after you have had the two doses; however, there are research projects that specifically address this question, and we will need to get more information over the coming months. What we do know is that your body will produce a better and stronger antibody response if you have the vaccine than when you get the infection naturally. ‘
The Oxford Vaccine Knowledge Project also explains how important it is to be vaccinated, as ‘there is growing evidence that natural infection with COVID-19 does not lead to long-term immunity’ (here).
VERDICT
Untrue. Boris Johnson became seriously ill with COVID-19 in April 2020 and was treated in intensive care. He received his first dose of Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine in March 2021. Current evidence shows that COVID-19 antibodies do not provide a person with lasting immunity, and are therefore still vaccinated.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.