#MeetTheVaccinators: The Bake Off winner who's swapped flour for Pfizer

David Atherton won the show in 2019 but has now signed up to join the army of vaccinators

David Atherton
Author: Helen HoddinottPublished 23rd Jun 2021

If you've had your coronavirus jab in London in the last few months - there's a chance it was given to you by a familiar face.

Most of us know David Atherton best for taking the Great British Bake Off crown in 2019 - but he's most recently swapped his oven gloves for hospital scrubs, giving out up to 100 vaccinations a day at Guys and St Thomas' Hospital.

"I've been incognito the whole time," he tells us. "Anyone who's been for their vaccine knows it's a slick operation, you fly right through."

"I love giving injections"

As the number of adults who’ve been fully vaccinated in London tops 3,000,000 - we’re meeting the vaccinators who’ve made it all possible.

David's a nurse when he's not kneading, and has been part of vaccination programmes before coronavirus hit.

"Usually people are scared, they're nervous, they don't want to have it, and actually this is the first time in my life people have been excited to get a vaccination," he says.

"I love giving injections, and I have a big thing where I like to give people injections where there's no pain at all," he continues.

#MeetTheVaccinators

Since the start of the UK Vaccination programme 80,000 people have signed up to be part of the fastest inoculation project in history.

Working across more than 3500 sites across the country, vaccinators have been issuing Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca, or Moderna jabs into arms since the 8th December 2020.

200,000 people also signed up to work as stewards to make the process run more smoothly and their commitment is paying off - so far more than 73 million vaccinations have been handed out, with more than 58% of the UK receiving both doses.

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

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