Shakin’ Stevens feeling ‘100% better’ after having coronavirus booster jab

Shakin’ Stevens has said he feels “100% better” after having his coronavirus booster jab.

The Welsh rock and roll star, real name Michael Barratt, received a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at McParland Pharmacy in Maidenhead, Berkshire.

The 73-year-old – known to fans as “Shaky” – and his partner and manager Sue both received their first jab in February this year.

He told the PA news agency: “We feel better – 100% better – for having it than not having it.

“We were getting a bit worried. Without your jabs basically you can’t do TV, you can’t go to another country until you have that. Without that you can’t really go anywhere.

“Both professionally and for ourselves, it had to be done. We are going to Germany and (other European countries) and you need all that done, otherwise it’s not acceptable.”

Stevens, who released a string of hits in the 1980s including This Ole House, Oh Julie and Merry Christmas Everyone, said getting the booster jab is “very, very important”.

“I strongly believe that if you don’t have the jab you could be in a lot of trouble,” he said.

“What is it really? You go down, you have your jab. That’s all you can do on that.”

The rocker said he “absolutely” encourages fans to get vaccinated and accept the offer of a booster vaccination.

“We do encourage the fans to get the jabs and things like that,” he said.

“There are a lot of people out there, not in the UK, which we are all aware of, that don’t want to take the jab.

“But what can we do really? With the fans, with the mail or online, we do encourage them to do that.

“But you can’t force them – there are quite a lot of people out there who will do what they want to do.”

Actress Dame Joan Collins and singer Marty Wilde are among the stars who have already received a booster jab.

More than 6.1 million booster doses of a Covid vaccine have been delivered in the UK.