On 8 December 2020, May Parsons, a matron at University Hospital Coventry, became the first person in the world to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to a patient outside of clinical trials. She did it early in the morning, as cameras flashed and the world watched. “I assumed it was going to be the first in the West Midlands,” May says. “I didn’t realise until afterwards that it was the first in the country, never mind the world!” May, who has worked in the NHS for nearly 20 years since moving to Britain from the Philippines, was the perfect nurse for the job. As part of the hospital trust’s peer vaccinator programme for the flu jab, she’s set the record for the most vaccines given by an individual for three years running: “I’ve managed to do 140 vaccinations in a day by myself. We celebrate it as a team though!” Yet it wasn’t until the day before the historic moment that May discovered she would be in the spotlight. When the first patient, 91-year-old Margaret Keenan, was confirmed, May spent the day getting to know her. “I went to see Margaret to build a rapport with her, making sure that she was aware the vaccine was new, and that there’d be a lot of press there. I don’t think I left her until 7 o’clock that night, making sure she was OK,” May says. “She was keen to have it – she wanted to get back to normal, see her grandchildren and the rest of her family.”  To help Margaret prepare for the unusual experience of being vaccinated on camera, May arranged extra things to make her feel comfortable – a top to wear in her favourite colour and a touch of hairspray. “That’s part of looking after her holistically, making sure she knows you care,” May says. Being in front of cameras was new for May too and added pressure to the routine task. Yet that groundwork building a bond with Margaret helped calm her nerves. “Margaret gave me focus. The nurse in me kicked in, where the patient is first. All I was worried about was her,” she explains. “After, when everyone was asking me questions, that’s when my voice shook!” Spotlight on nursesThe moment highlighted the crucial role nursing staff are playing in the COVID-19 vaccine programme. Including Margaret, 100 patients were vaccinated at University Coventry Hospital on the first day and May continued vaccinating in the days following. She’s also been involved in the logistics of the rollout: “At times, I was managing the vaccination hub – the flow, mixing the vaccine. Because I’m a matron, I’ve also been involved in the staffing – recruiting people, training them, making sure they’re assessed properly and have the right information to give to patients. Staff are supported and know who to turn to if they need to answer any out-of-the-blue questions.” As May did with Margaret, reassuring patients is central. “We’re the people who give direct patient care,” May says. “As a nursing profession we have a relationship with patients where they trust us. It’s important for the rollout because we want them to be able to say, ‘Tell me straight, what will this do to me?’ I say to my family: I’m not going to tell you to have it if I wouldn’t have it myself. It’s all about integrity.”
The UK administered the first COVID-19 vaccine in the world, outside of clinical trials, one year ago today as the Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid urges people to get their booster jab as soon as they are eligible. On 8 December 2020, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan received a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry, administered by Matron May Parsons. Thanks to the UK government’s quick action to secure the most promising vaccine doses in advance, almost 120 million doses have been administered across the UK in a year, saving countless lives and helping stop the NHS from being overwhelmed. In light of the new Omicron variant and following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the government is expanding the booster programme to all adults over 18 and announced that all eligible people will be offered a top-up jab by the end of January, as well as halving the minimum gap between second doses and boosters. To speed up the vaccination programme, around 450 military personnel have been drafted in to support deployment, with extra community pharmacy sites, hospital hubs, and pop-up sites opening in convenient locations across the country. Payments to GPs, community pharmacies and primary care staff will help boost capacity and encourage more visits to those who are housebound. NHS England has also launched a recruitment drive for 10,000 new vaccinators, administration staff, healthcare support workers and volunteers to join the national vaccination mission. Almost 21 million boosters and third doses have been administered in the UK and, on Saturday, more than 450,000 top-up jabs were administered in a single day. In the last week, the booster programme reached more people than the adult population of Greater Manchester. Everyone over the age of 40 who had their second dose at least 3 months ago will soon be able to book an appointment for their booster jab. Younger age groups will be invited by the NHS in order of age in due course. The BT Tower in London will celebrate the anniversary with a message encouraging people to get vaccinated, get boosted and get protected. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:
The first real-world study on the effectiveness of booster vaccines against the dominant Delta variant by the UK Health Security Agency shows top-up jabs boost protection back up to over 90% against symptomatic COVID-19 in adults aged over 50 2 weeks after being vaccinated. As shown in the COV-Boost study, the booster vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, increase the immune response substantially, which makes it more likely that protection will be maintained against Omicron. The best thing anyone can do given the new variant, is to get a booster. People who have had their booster vaccine by 11 December will likely have very high protection against COVID-19 by Christmas Day. Vaccines Minister Maggie Throup said:
The COVID-19 vaccination programme is the largest in British history and was established at unprecedented speed, with thousands of vaccine centres set up rapidly in England which means around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination clinic. The government’s Vaccines Taskforce secured early access to almost 340 million doses of the most promising vaccine candidates in advance for the entire UK, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, enabling a rapid deployment once approved by the medicines regulator. New deals have been signed to buy an additional 60 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and 54 million more Pfizer/BioNTech doses for 2022 and 2023. These future supply deals include access to modified vaccines if they are required to combat Omicron and future Variants of Concern. The UK has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccine uptake rates in the world, with 4 in 5 people aged over 65 in England already receiving their booster jab. Flu is another winter virus that can be serious. To give people the best protection over winter, those eligible for a free flu vaccine should come forward and book an appointment at either their GP practice or their local pharmacy, or take it up when offered by their employer or other healthcare provider. Statistics from the COVID-19 vaccination programmeThe highest number of new vaccinations reported in one day in the UK was 844,285 on 20 March 2021 – that’s equivalent to vaccinating the entire population of Liverpool in one day. The highest number of new vaccinations reported in a 7-day period in the UK was 4,215,859 between 15 and 21 March 2021 – that’s equivalent to vaccinating the entire population of Birmingham more than 4 times in a week. More than 3,000 vaccine sites are now available in England – double the number than February. |
When was the first covid 19 vaccine given
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