‘On top of the world’: great-grandma gets region’s first Covid vaccine

HISTORIC MOMENT: Great-grandmother Sheila Page becomes the first person in the region to receive a Covid-19 vaccination, which was administered by Sister Kristy Costa. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

A great-grandmother from Hornsea has become the first person in the region to receive a Covid-19 vaccination.

Sheila Page, 84, said she “didn’t feel a thing” as the needle was inserted into her upper right arm by Sister Kristy Costa at Castle Hill Hospital just after 1pm today.

The landmark moment was greeted by a round of applause from the assembled medics and media; Mrs Page having kindly agreed to the vaccination being witnessed by reporters.

She then spoke briefly, saying: “I feel on top of the world.” She also urged anyone offered a vaccine to take it, describing people who may not want to as “silly”.

Chief Nurse Beverley Geary, senior responsible officer for the vaccination programme across the Humber, Coast and Vale group of NHS organisations, said: “It’s amazing. An absolutely fantastic achievement; the scientists of the world coming together to give us the way out of this and the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but this is the first day.”

‘FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT’: Chief Nurse Beverley Geary. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

Mrs Page was given the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine - the first to be approved for use in the UK at the start of what will be the biggest mass vaccination programme in NHS history.

She was only contacted at 3.15pm on Tuesday by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, inviting her to come in for the vaccine.

“I was absolutely chuffed when they rang yesterday,” she said. “I hope everybody else takes it because it’s absolutely brilliant. I’m on top of the world.” She also said it was “the best Christmas present I’ve ever had.”

‘I FEEL MARVELLOUS’: Sheila Page talks to The Hull Story after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

Asked how she felt to be the first in the region to be vaccinated, Mrs Page said: “I thought somebody else would be before me, I think I’m a bit old, really. It’s absolutely marvellous at my time of life. I think people who don’t want it are silly.”

Had she been nervous? “No, not bothered at all,” she said.

Mrs Costa said she was “excited but nervous” to be delivering the jab. “I’ve never delivered a vaccine with that amount of people watching,” she said. “I think she [Mrs Page] was lovely.”

She is, however, vastly experienced, giving more than 6,000 of her colleagues the flu jab, with the trust having one of the best flu vaccination rates in the country. “We have a really good system in place and that has helped us immensely,” she said.

Mrs Costa said she would personally get a vaccine “as soon as I am able”, and would “encourage everyone who’s offered one to have one”.

‘I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO HAVE A VACCINE’: Sister Kristy Costa. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

The trust is beginning the vaccination of over-80s, care home staff, and vulnerable NHS staff, as part of the national effort to protect the most vulnerable from coronavirus.

Mrs Page and fellow recipients will be invited back for a further injection after 21 days.

Delivery of the Pfizer vaccine presents a significant logistical challenge, however, as it has to be stored at minus-70 degrees. The vaccine is kept in medical freezers then brought out to defrost before use. It can be stored at fridge temperature for five days.

The trust’s first batch contains 975 individual vaccines with a second delivery expected next week. Mrs Geary said 50 vaccines had been readied for use on the first day. How many it will be able to administer was “all dependent on supply”, she said.

Other vaccines are also close to being authorised, including one by Oxford/AstraZeneca which has been worked on by staff at Castle Hill.

Infectious diseases consultant Dr Patrick Lillie is among the trust experts working on the Oxford vaccine. He was also part of the Castle Hill team who treated and helped diagnose the UK’s first two confirmed coronavirus cases in January.

‘IT’S AMAZING BUT IT’S THE FIRST STEP ON A LONG ROAD’: Infectious diseases consultant Patrick Lillie. Picture by Neil Holmes Photography

He said: “It’s absolutely brilliant. We’ve gone from having the first cases in the UK to the first vaccination in 45 weeks. From the bad days of March and April to this is just brilliant. It’s really amazing to see someone get a vaccine that’s going to get us out of this situation.

“It’s the first step on a long road but it does make the end more visible than it was a few months ago. Oxford [data] was published yesterday and given to the regulators and we will hopefully get some more information about whether that gets approved in the next few weeks.

“We need as many vaccines as we can. Several billion people need to be vaccinated.”