Celebrities Elton John and Michael Caine promote COVID-19 jabs

British rock monarch Elton John and Academy Award-winning actor Michael Caine have starred in an advert to promote COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom.

In the commercial, which was commissioned by Imperial College London's Institute of Global Health Innovation in partnership with the UK National Health Service, the two stars take part in a mock casting audition during which they receive jabs for the novel coronavirus at a London hospital.

John said that he wanted to demonstrate that getting the jab is "quick and easy".

"Let's all come together and do our bit in the fight against this wretched disease," the singer said on Twitter, where the short video has received over 100,000 views as of Thursday afternoon.

In the video, both stars pretend to vie for the same part in a commercial. After getting his shot, John sings the lyrics "I'm still standing", a dual reference to both the safety of the treatment and his 1983 hit single.

Several high-profile figures have publicized their vaccinations in an effort to boost public confidence.

Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen was photographed receiving his shot at a London hospital in December, and James Bond actress Judi Dench told the BBC that she was vaccinated in January.

Buckingham Palace announced last month that both Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip received the shot, meanwhile David Attenborough's publicist has confirmed that the British naturalist has been vaccinated.

Other well-known UK figures to receive vaccinations include Great British Bake-Off presenter Prue Leith, choreographer Lionel Blair, and actors Brian Blessed and Joan Collins.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of the NHS, said he hopes that the advert will "encourage everyone in the high priority groups" to come forward and get vaccinated when their turn arrives.

Celebrity endorsement has had a proven effect on vaccination campaigns. Polio vaccine rates rose markedly in the United States in 1956 when singer Elvis Presley received a shot on national television, and British author Roald Dahl publicly promoted inoculations after losing his daughter to measles in 1962.

Conversely, so-called anti-vax campaigners frequently latch on to statements from celebrities who voice skepticism about vaccines. US actress Jenny McCarthy contributed to false claims about a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella, for which inoculation rates declined in the UK in the 2000s.