Gary Burgess: I've just had my Covid-19 jab
I woke up at 4 o'clock on Monday (1 February) morning in the hope of logging on extra early to secure an appointment slot for my Covid-19 jab. What I wasn't expecting was to be getting that vaccination barely 24 hours later. But that's exactly what happened, with a 12:10pm booking made online, and the slow walk from the car park into the vaccination at Fort Regent, today (2 February). I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but from start to finish it felt a well-organised, well-oiled machine. A friendly welcome from a marshal, guided to a seat in the waiting area, then a checklist questionnaire with a medic, and before I knew it I was sitting with Dr Nick Wilmott, a GP who's come out of retirement to help out, ready to get my first dose of the Pfizer jab.
After the jab, a 15 minute sit down in an area where St John Ambulance medics kept an eye on everyone to ensure they're okay. For my part, I felt absolutely fine and, before I knew it, I was back outside where I bumped into Lorraine who'd also just had her jab. She's in her 70s, and like me is considered a high risk islander.
Lorraine told me she'd not been out of her flat since March last year. The only person she's seen is her daughter. That was quite a thing to hear. A reminder of how this pandemic really has turned lives upside down. Back inside Fort Regent, Aisling Adams, who's one of those in charge of the vaccination programme outlined what a team effort it all is.
I feel quite emotional right now. It feels like a door has been opened just ever so slightly, and a sliver of sunlight is shining through. Over the coming weeks my immunity to Covid-19 will develop, while many thousands of others will get their jabs. It's far from the end of this story, but perhaps it's the start of the end.