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Model Linda Lursadi has said she will not have the newly-touted Covid-19 vaccine without further testing.
The former Emmerdale star, 62, battled with the coronavirus earlier this year and spent time in hospital as a result.
Linda’s husband Sam Kane confirmed that she had been “at death’s door” due to her being infected with the virus.
Now recovered, the model has revealed she has concerns after pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced they had produced a vaccine with 90% efficacy when tested on a group of 40,000 people.
The announcement has provided hope that a vaccine could begin to be rolled out in the UK this year.
Yet, speaking on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Linda said: “I’m not against people having a vaccine and I’m sure the majority of people will have the vaccine.
“My concern is there hasn’t been enough testing done.
“I know you had a scientist, Chris Smith, on the other day who said people who had Covid who have this vaccination may have side effects that are derogatory to the person.”
Linda opined: “As most of the nation aren’t sure if they’ve had it or not, this may have side effects. A lot of people might become ill because of it.”
She added: “I’m really excited that there is one but I don’t feel there’s been enough research so far for people like me to have a vaccine.”
However, the show’s resident medical expert Dr Hilary Jones explained how safe the new vaccine would be to take.
“It’s been carried out on 50,000 in six different countries and all the data suggests it’s very effective,” explained Dr Hilary.
“This vaccine looks like a really good candidate not just to protect the individual but the population at large.”
Dr Hilary’s concerns lie more in the practicalities of the rollout of the vaccine and the potential toll it would take on GPs.
He also warned about unqualified people spreading information on social media about the vaccine.
On the same show, outspoken host Piers Morgan spoke out on his views of anti-vaxxers and people who refuse to take the coronavirus vaccine.
Piers said: “I say if you don’t want to have it, fine, but you’re not allowed to fly, because why should other countries take you if you haven’t had the vaccine?
“And I would go further and say actually, if you sign a waiver that if you don’t have the vaccine, you don’t get NHS treatment – job done.
“Not mandatory, but you’ve got to really think about it hard.”
Good Morning Britain airs on weekday mornings from 6am on ITV.