Mother and daughter are Cornwall’s first Covid-19 vaccine patients

A mother and daughter became the first people to receive the Pfizer vaccine in Cornwall this morning. Donna Mackinnon is the head of care at Roscarrack House Care Home in Falmouth and her 18-year-old daughter, Erin Lilly, who also works as a home caregiver, made history in Cornwall after being hit.

The 47-year-old said she felt “Christmas came early” after getting vaccinated at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

The Royal Cornwall Hospital is one of 50 hospital centers that distribute the Covid-19 vaccine and is one of two centers in Devon and Cornwall, along with University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.

The first vaccine was delivered to the hospital at 8 am today (Wednesday, December 9).

People aged 80 and over, as well as home care workers, will be the first to receive the vaccine, along with NHS workers most at risk.

Donna said she has seen “first-hand the impact it has had” on residents who fell ill from Covid-19 and wants to do everything she can to protect them.

Donna said: “As a caregiver, I wanted to do everything possible to protect our residents and their loved ones and that is why I got vaccinated today.

“We have had residents who have been weakened by the virus in our home and we have seen first hand the impact it has had on their lives, their families and their friends inside and outside the home.

“I feel quite overwhelmed; It almost feels like Christmas has come early. I know that my colleagues in Cornwall feel exactly the same as me, so many have already signed up to get vaccinated.

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Donna’s daughter, Erin, signed up to be a home caregiver when the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Erin said, “Today is a really wonderful day and I’m looking forward to getting back to work and telling residents about the vaccination and what they can expect from the vaccine when they receive it and the protection it will provide.”

Sarah Budden, Nurse Leader for Quality, Safety and Innovation at Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT), said: “When the call came in asking for staff to administer the Covid-19 vaccine, I really wanted to play my role from the beginning of the deployment and make sure those most in need receive it.

“We all want to return to normalcy, provide the care that we have trained and committed to offer and protect those in our care, as well as our loved ones.

“It has been a lot of work to get to today, but it is a wonderful feeling and also very emotional.”

The NHS will contact patients who have been identified as a priority for the vaccine and people will be asked to refrain from contacting GPs or hospitals as the vaccine cannot be reserved.

RCHT Executive Director Kate Shields said: “We are very excited to be one of the vaccination centers and to be able to do our bit to help protect our local communities. The arrival of the vaccine is a turning point for all of us in the fight against the pandemic.

“Our hospital teams, along with colleagues from partner organizations, are doing a fantastic job, doing everything they can to get our local vaccination program up and running.

“We are ready to begin today, targeting national priority groups, as we continue the complex planning to implement the vaccine more widely in the weeks and months ahead.”

Iain Davidson, RCHT Chief Pharmacist, said: “I would like to pay tribute to the tremendous effort put in by everyone in the field of health and care to ensure that today we are ready for the first people to receive their vaccine.

“The vaccine is safe and is the best line of defense against Covid-19 and, while it will allow us to return to a sense of normalcy, this particular vaccine is complex to transport, store and prepare.

“That is why it will be administered first in our hospital before it is carefully implemented through vaccination services administered by GPs, pharmacists and practice nurses, and in nursing homes if they cannot come to us.”

Rachel Wigglesworth, Cornwall’s director of public health, said: “The arrival of the vaccine is the news we have all been waiting for.

“It is great to see the first of the priority groups receive their vaccinations today. However, this does not mean that we can be complacent and we must continue to follow all guidelines, particularly hand hygiene and social distancing, to control the virus and save lives. “

About the Pfizer vaccine

The delivery of the first batch of vaccine vials arrived from Belgium on Thursday (December 3), and the rollout started today, Tuesday, December 8.

The UK has ordered 40 million doses of Pfizer jab, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, as patients will need to receive two doses.

There are 800,000 doses in the first tranche, which means that 400,000 people will be vaccinated initially, some of whom will be vaccinated in Plymouth.

Vaccines have been stored in undisclosed secure locations to ensure the safety of the vaccine and those who store and distribute it.

The life-saving vaccine is usually delivered by a simple injection into the shoulder, but there is a complex and difficult logistical challenge to deliver from manufacturers Pfizer to patients.

It must be stored at -70 ° C before thawing and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before use.

NHS staff have been working over the weekend to prepare the sites and accept deliveries.

Who will get the vaccine first?

People aged 80 and over, as well as home care workers, will be the first to receive the vaccine, along with NHS workers who are most at risk.

Patients 80 and older who are already attending the hospital as outpatients, and those who are being discharged after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the vaccine that saved their lives.

Hospitals will also begin inviting more than 80 people to get vaccinated and will work with home care providers to book their staff at vaccination clinics.

Any quotes that are not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at higher risk of serious illness from Covid.

All those vaccinated will need a booster dose 21 days later.

Who will administer the jabs?

GPs and other primary care staff are also on standby to begin jabbing.

A small number of primary care networks led by GPs will begin to do so during the following week (the week beginning December 14) with more practices in more parts of the country gradually joining during December and beyond. months.

Vaccination centers serving large numbers of patients in sports venues and conference centers will be on their feet as more vaccine supplies come online.