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The NHS has become the first health service in the world to start rolling out Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Grandma Margaret Keenan, 90, was hit around 6.45am in Coventry on Tuesday, marking the start of a historic mass vaccination program.
The jabs will be administered at dozens of hospitals across the country beginning Tuesday, what Health Secretary Matt Hancock called “V-Day.”
Ms Keenan, known to family and friends as Maggie, was hit at 6.31am by Nurse May Parsons at her local hospital in Coventry.
Ms. Keenan, who will turn 91 next week, is a former jewelry assistant who retired only four years ago.
He has a daughter, a son and four grandchildren.
Ms Keenan said: “I feel so privileged to be the first person to be vaccinated against Covid-19, it is the best anticipated birthday gift I could wish for because it means that I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Years after. of being alone for most of the year.
“I can’t thank May and the NHS staff enough who have taken such tremendous care of me, and my advice to anyone who has been offered the vaccine is to take it – if I can have it at 90, you can have it too.”
NHS England Executive Director Sir Simon Stevens praised everyone involved in implementing the new vaccine program.
“Less than a year after the first case of this new disease was diagnosed, the NHS has delivered the first clinically approved Covid-19 vaccine, which is a remarkable achievement,” said Sir Simon.
“A sincere thank you to all who have made this a reality: the scientists and physicians who worked tirelessly and the volunteers who participated selflessly in the trials. They have accomplished in months what normally takes years.
“My colleagues from across the healthcare service are proud of this historic moment as we lead the implementation of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine.
“I also want to thank Margaret, our first patient to receive the vaccine on the NHS.
“Today is just the first step in the largest vaccination program this country has ever seen. It will take a few months to complete the work as more vaccine supplies become available and until then we must not let our guard down. But if we all stay vigilant in the weeks and months ahead, we can look back as a decisive turning point in the battle against the virus. “
Like many people across the country, Ms. Keenan has been isolated for most of this year and is planning to have a very small family “bubble” at Christmas to keep herself safe.
Originally from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, she has lived in Coventry for over 60 years. You will receive a booster dose in 21 days to make sure you have the best chance of being protected against the virus.
May Parsons, an NHS nurse, said it was a “great honor” to be the first in the country to deliver the vaccine to a patient.
Speaking at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, he said: “It is a great honor to be the first person in the country to administer a Covid-19 jab to a patient, I am glad to be able to play a part of this historic day.
“The last few months have been difficult for all of us who work in the NHS, but now it seems that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Ms Parsons, originally from the Philippines, has worked in the NHS for the past 24 years and has been at Coventry and Warwickshire University Hospitals since 2003.
The staged vaccination program will see patients 80 years and older who already attend the hospital as outpatients, and those who are being discharged after a hospital stay, among the first to receive the vaccine that saved them. life.
The Department of Health and Welfare also asks nursing home providers to begin hiring staff at vaccination clinics. It is also hoped that GPs will be able to begin vaccinating residents of the nursing home.
Any citations not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are most at risk for serious illness from Covid-19.
Health chiefs have established how they will carry out the gigantic task ahead, using hospital centers, vaccination centers and other community locations, as well as doctor’s offices and pharmacies.
The life-saving vaccine is usually delivered by a simple injection into the shoulder, but there is a complex logistical challenge that manufacturers must administer to patients. It must be stored at -70 ° C before thawing and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before use.
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