'What a great day' - first coronavirus vaccines given out in the West Country
A frontline nurse and a man in his 90s were among the first people in the West Country to be given the Covid-19 vaccine.
A front line nurse has become the first person in Gloucestershire to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Kerry Holden became the first person in Gloucestershire to be given the P'fizer vaccine.
She works as a nurse in Gloucestershire and says she is "really pleased" to have become the first person in the county to get the vaccine.
Hospitals across the West Country started vaccinating people against Covid-19 on Tuesday, December 8, as the NHS became the first health service in the world to begin rolling it out.
Patients who are over the age of 80 will be the first to get the Pfizer vaccine, along with care home staff and NHS workers.
It will be given to those who are already attending hospital as outpatients or those who are leaving following a hospital stay.
After that, other over-80s will be contacted and invited in, and then care home staff will be able to book appointments.
Southmead Hospital in Bristol has around 8,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Jack Vokes, 98, was the first person in Bristol to be vaccinated against coronavirus at Southmead Hospital.
He said: “I live in hope that by the middle of next year people will be living their normal lives.”
Andrea Young, the Chief Executive of the North Bristol NHS Trust said the hospital hopes to vaccinate 200 patients today (Tuesday 8 December).
She said: "It's been a lot of hard work for everybody, but what a great day for the country."
"Over the next few weeks we will be trying to get this vaccine out to primary care centres and to GP practices.
"We know that will be a really effective way of reaching older people and the shielding and vulnerable."
Andrea Young also said the trust also hopes to have drive-through facilities in the next few weeks.
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