The legendary British singer tries an impression of Michael Caine but does not impress the casting team before Caine himself makes a cameo. Both celebrities have already been vaccinated against coronavirus, according to the NHS.
Its appeal for the inoculation of more British comes as the UK wants to expand its launch. Britain has already vaccinated more than 12 million people with at least one dose and is now asking people aged 70 and over in England who have not been vaccinated to book an appointment.
“I wanted to be involved in this film to help show people the benefits of getting vaccinated and how it helps protect ourselves and the people we love,” John said. “So I hope we can come together and do our bit in the fight against this miserable disease.”
In the video, the 73-year-old sings his 1980s hit “I’m Standing” after pretending to get shot. The parody also shows 87-year-old Caine telling viewers the vaccine doesn’t hurt, before adding his commercial phrase, “Not many people know that.”
Simon Stevens, executive director of NHS England, said vaccine uptake in older populations had been very high and that the campaign was a way to encourage others who could get the vaccine to do so.
“More than nine out of ten people aged 75 and over have already accepted the NHS vaccination offer Covid and now we want to encourage everyone in the high-priority groups to do so,” Stevens said.
“For this, we are grateful to Sir Elton and Sir Michael for helping the NHS promote vaccine recruitment,” he added.
The government has pledged to offer a vaccine to all of its four highest-risk groups in mid-February.
Despite strong adoption, protection of the community can only be achieved when a large majority of the population has been vaccinated and scientists have warned of the challenges posed by misinformation and hesitation of the vaccine to achieve this goal.