THE first person to receive the historic first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination in Ireland has described it as a “privilege”.
Sister Joanne Sloan from Dundrum received the jab just after 8am at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. Ms Sloan is going to mange the Belfast Trust vaccination centre.
The roll-out of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination will involve 70 hospital hubs across the UK.
Health Minister Robin Swann said the vaccination was a “game changer”.
“With Joanna Sloan receiving that first Covid vaccine in Northern Ireland and with a lady from Enniskillen receiving the first vaccine in England as well, the people of Northern Ireland are really stepping forward today to receive this vaccine.”
More than 600 volunteer vaccinators will be given the injection this week, ahead of the biggest inoculation programme in UK history. Around 25,000 doses of the vaccine were delivered to the North last Friday. Vaccination will not be compulsory. Minsters have stressed that it could be Easter by the time restrictions are lifted in any sort of significant way.
The vaccine will be rolled out at seven sites across the North of Ireland including Ulster Hospital’s new Emergency Department, the Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena, Antrim Forum Leisure Centre and the Foyle Arena in Derry.
Residents in care homes and their staff are next in line for the vaccine which is expected to take place before Christmas.
Each person will receive two doses, three weeks apart. A person will only become fully protected four weeks after the initial dose.
It is understood the North of Ireland will receive about 1.5 million doses in total.
