Covid 19 vaccine: Woman, 80, 'closer to seeing family'

Agnes Hardy said she felt "honoured" to be one of the first to get the jab

An 80-year-old woman said being one of the first people in Cumbria to get a coronavirus vaccine had brought her a "step closer" to seeing her family.

Agnes Hardy, from Kells in Whitehaven, who has been shielding, said she felt "honoured" to be the first patient at West Cumberland Infirmary.

The Pfizer/BioNTech jab is first being given to over 80s and some NHS staff.

Health bosses in Cumbria said they had "pulled out the stops" to administer the jab in a "huge logistical feat".

Mrs Hardy said: "I'm honoured to be the first patient to have the vaccine, it is great news for the area.

"I wanted to have it so I am a step closer to seeing my family again, as I have been shielding."

Care home worker Caroline Kennedy said administering the vaccines would set people on the road to "normality"

Paul Fieldhouse from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust said: "We pulled out all the stops to make sure that Cumbria was in the first roll out."

One of the first care home staff to get the vaccine was Caroline Kennedy, who works at the Gables Care Home in Whitehaven.

She said: "I'm so excited that the vaccine is coming here first, mainly for our service users, they're so down at the minute not seeing their families.

"This will hopefully be the start of us getting back to some form of normality for them."

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