Just 12 months ago, on 8 December 2020, the UK witnessed a world first as the NHS delivered the Pfizer vaccine to grandmother Maggie Keenan in Coventry at 6.31GMT.

In Humber Coast and Vale (HC&V), the first  vaccination was delivered at Castle Hill Hospital in the East Riding of Yorkshire, to 84-year-old Sheila Page from Hornsea (pictured, above).

Now, 12 months since teams first delivered Covid-19 jabs in the region, over 3 million people have received a vaccination.

Beverley Geary, Lead Provider Senior Responsible Officer for the HC&V Vaccination Programme and Chief Nurse at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (pictured, left), said:

Chief Nurse, Beverley Geary

“It is incredible to think that it has been a year since we delivered the first vaccination in our region. I want to pay tribute to the efforts of everyone who has been involved in delivering this life-saving programme of protection against COVID-19. I am so proud of everyone, from volunteers to vaccinators, who have dedicated so much of their time to making this programme the incredible success it has been. To have delivered three million vaccinations in just 12 months, including over half a million booster jabs, is an astonishing achievement.

“I would urge anyone who has yet to be vaccinated to consider doing so at the earliest opportunity. The emergence of a new variant, Omicron, is something we need to be monitor very closely but we believe that the vaccination remains our best chance of protecting everyone from serious illness and death from this virus.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has updated its guidance to recommend all adults who have received two doses of the vaccine receive a booster three months on from their second dose, and guidance has been sent to the NHS on how this will be implemented.

The NHS will aim to offer everyone eligible their booster jab by the end of January, and will contact each group when it is their turn to get vaccinated, with more newly eligible groups set to be called forward to book through the National Booking Service. People can get their vaccine by booking online through the National Booking Service or by calling 119. GP practices are also inviting those who are eligible.

Nationally, more than 99 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been delivered in the biggest and most successful vaccination programme in NHS history.

For more information about the Covid-19 vaccination, visit the NHS.UK website.