UK Health Secretary Apologises for Tweet About 'Cowering' From Coronavirus
16:39 GMT 25.07.2021 (Updated: 15:15 GMT 28.05.2023)
© REUTERS / Henry Nicholls
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The UK politician's tweeting about COVID has landed him in hot water.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid has apologised for a tweet about getting vaccinated against COVID.
According to the BBC, Javid wrote in a since-deleted tweet this week that he's fully recovered from the virus, and urged people to get the jab.
"Please – if you haven’t yet – get your jab, as we learn to live with, rather than cower from, this virus," he wrote, as quoted by the media outlet.
The health secretary’s choice of words sparked criticism from the Labour Party, with David Lammy, shadow secretary of state for justice, arguing that some "129,000 Brits have died” from the coronavirus under the current government’s watch.
"Don't denigrate people for trying to keep themselves and their families safe," Lammy tweeted.
“Cower”?
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 24, 2021
129,000 Brits have died from Covid under your government’s watch.
Don’t denigrate people for trying to keep themselves and their families safe. https://t.co/u5JJCmIbiu
Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for health, wellbeing, and social care, also insisted that Javid’s “careless words have insulted every man, woman and child who has followed the rules and stayed at home to protect others."
"Words matter and the flippancy and carelessness of this comment has caused deep hurt and further muddied the waters of the government's dangerously mixed messaging," said Jo Goodman, co-founder of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice.
Following the ensuing backlash, Javid announced that he deleted the tweet in question.
"I was expressing gratitude that the vaccines help us fight back as a society, but it was a poor choice of word and I sincerely apologise," he wrote. "Like many, I have lost loved ones to this awful virus and would never minimise its impact."
I've deleted a tweet which used the word "cower". I was expressing gratitude that the vaccines help us fight back as a society, but it was a poor choice of word and I sincerely apologise.
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) July 25, 2021
Like many, I have lost loved ones to this awful virus and would never minimise its impact.
