People supported first to receive Pfizer vaccine

Today, 29 people supported by our charity were among the first in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in a care home.

As the vaccination programme begun in Scotland on Monday, Carlingwark House based in Dumfries, is now one of only a few care homes in the country to be vaccinated so far, with 35 colleagues also receiving their jabs on the same day.

It follows the historic moment last week, when the first five colleagues at our charity received the vaccine at Winsford Grange, taking the total to 100 people vaccinated in the charity.

Margaret Walker Rennie, 87, a retired head of Midwifery at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, was the first person supported by Community Integrated Care to receive the vaccine. After her jab she was elated saying, “It’s an honour, especially with so many people to be done. I’m very pleased to get it over and done, I feel I can relax now.”

Also supported at the home, Ian Davies, 86, impressed the need for the vaccine to end the pandemic “Oh it has to happen. We need the vaccine, or it’ll go on forever”.

Kelly Henderson, Care Home Manager, said “It’s fantastic that the people we support, and our colleagues can now get their vaccinations, it seems like a miracle. When we heard of the vaccine a few weeks ago, we never thought that we would be standing here today receiving the first jabs throughout the home. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel”.

Mark Adams, CEO at Community Integrated Care said, “In one short week, we have seen two historic moments for our charity, from the first colleague receiving their vaccine to now the first person supported. It is extraordinary that since the vaccine was first announced we have now seen 100 people in our charity vaccinated with more planed over the coming days. There’s still a long way to go in the fight against this virus, but finally it feels like we’re turning a corner”.