Jennifer Aniston defends 'cutting off' friends who are anti-vaxxers
6 August 2021, 17:59
Jennifer Aniston has responded to criticism over her decision to cut off friends who haven't had the coronavirus vaccine, saying "we have to care about more than just ourselves".
The popular Hollywood actress, known for her role in the 90s TV sitcom Friends, said she worries those who haven't had the jab pose a health risk.
The actress told 'InStyle' earlier this week that it's a "real shame" there's still large numbers of people who "don't listen to the facts".
She told her 37.7m followers on Instagram: "We have to care about more than just ourselves."
The Friends actress said she had "lost a few people from [her] weekly routine" who had decided against having a Covid jab.
Read more: Medics plead for people to get jabs in powerful calls after "needless" anti-vaxxer deaths
Read more: Covid-19: England's R number falls sharply to between 0.8 and 1.1
Some of her Instagram followers have asked why she was so worried, given that she had been vaccinated against the virus.
"Because if you have the variant, you are still able to give it to me," she posted on Thursday.
"I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to a hospital and or die.
"But I can give it to someone else who does not have the vaccine and whose health is compromised (or has a previous existing condition) - and therefore I would put their lives at risk."
Her comments come as medics have been pleading with people to get vaccinated, following "needless" deaths of anti-vaxxers in the UK.
Caller says listening to Shelagh changed her mind about Covid jab
An intensive care doctor, who spoke to James O'Brien on LBC on Friday, told the harrowing tale of a 27-year-old patient with Covid who was unvaccinated and 29 weeks pregnant.
He said he could see the "terror and regret" in her eyes as she was wheeled down the corridor to intensive care.
She was intubated, and her baby, who was just 29 weeks, is now on a neonatal intensive care unit. The mother remains in intensive care, where the doctor said she will stay for a number of weeks.
"This lady’s risk of death is very high," the Doctor said, ending his call with a moving plea for people to get the vaccine.
Evidence shows that getting the jab helps in breaking the link between Covid infection rates and hospitalisations and prevents people from falling seriously ill from the virus.
Vaccines will soon be offered to those aged 16 and 17, without the need for parental consent, after the JCVI said “the benefits outweigh the risks”.
