HEALTH Secretary and Bromsgrove MP Sajid Javid has apologised after tweeting people should no longer ‘cower’ from Coronavirus.
The Bromsgrove MP revealed yesterday (Saturday) he had made a full recovery from the virus after ‘feeling groggy’ eight days ago.
In a tweet announcing his news he said: “Please, if you haven’t yet, get your jab, as we learn to live with, rather than cower from, this virus.”
The use of the word ‘cower’ sparked outrage from opposition parties and campaign groups dedicated to support the victims of the pandemic.
Mr Javid tweeted this morning: “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.
“Like many, I have lost loved ones to this awful virus and would never minimise its impact.”
A total of 129,130 people have now died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test in the United Kingdom since the pandemic began last year.
Public health expert Professor Devi Sridhar was among those to criticise his remarks and said: “This must be painful to read for those who were severely ill and for those who lost loved ones to COVID.
“It wasn’t because they were weak- just unnecessarily exposed to a virus. And wanting to avoid getting COVID isn’t ‘cowering’- it’s being sensible and looking out for others.
Mr Javid has responded to the row and said he had deleted the tweet.
“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 said.
“Like many, I have lost loved ones to this awful virus and would never minimise its impact.”
