#MeetTheVaccinators: The Elvis impersonator helping to protect us from Covid-19
Singer Andy Mason is one of hundreds across the East aiding with the vaccine effort
Last updated 21st Jun 2021
As the number of adults who’ve been fully vaccinated in Colchester reaches nearly 88,000 this week we #MeetTheVaccinators who’ve made it all possible.
One of them is our very own King of Vaccinations Andy Mason, from the East of England, a former Elvis impersonator and doctor.
He retired in 2014 but retrained as a vaccinator to help key workers.
His patients included two of his triplet daughters, who were also his backup singers, known as the Masonettes.
He said:
"I'm always getting recognised as Elvis.
"I did it for over ten years, you see, and we got a lot of local interest.
"When they were really young children, they were on my list when I was a General Practitioner and I actually used to give them their vaccines when they were infants, so that was nothing new."
Andy is one of thousands of people helping us to get all adults in the UK vaccinated by 19th July.
He told us he wanted to get involved to help his former colleagues:
"I wanted to try and do my little bit when the pandemic came along.
"It was an excellent opportunity to train as a vaccinator.
"It was really nice to get back because I never really wanted to retire back in 2014."
One of his patients was a 60-year-old woman who had never had a vaccine in her life:
"She hadn't have any other vaccination during her lifetime but she decided that the covid-19 pandemic was such a serious threat that she wanted to come along and be vaccinated."
Meet some other vaccinators
David Atherton won the Bake Off in 2019. He's now serving up vaccines in London
Elvis impersonator Dr Andy Mason vaccinated two of his backing singers, who also happen to be his daughters
Drag Race star Cherry Valentine has been part of the Vaccination programme in Lancashire (presumably not wearing those nails!)
Edgar Woodhead, on the left in his "normal" role as an airline pilot, and on the right, as a vaccinator in Ilkley, Yorkshire