Shielding couple from Cornwall make Covid vaccine one of their first outings
Kerwin and Ann have been isolating for almost a year
A husband and wife from Cornwall, who have been shielding for nearly a year, had one of their first outings last week to receive their Covid-19 vaccine.
Kerwin, 85 and Ann Harris, 80, from Chacewater, received their vaccine at the Mount Hawke Surgery.
The surgery, which is part of the Coastal cluster primary care network (PCN) as well as Penwith PCN, delivered the vaccine to people most at risk as set out nationally in the priority groups last week.
The couple have been married 58 years and Ann described it as “an exciting trip out.”
She said while it was busy, the surgery had gone the extra mile to keep everyone safe and socially distanced, even drafting in a marquee and heaters to keep everyone warm and dry while they waited 15 minutes for observations once they had received the first dose.
Ann said: “It was well organised and we were in and out of the surgery remarkably quickly. The injection didn’t hurt a bit and I felt fine afterwards.
“It was lovely that we could go through as a couple so we were there for each other. Overall, it was an exciting trip out for us, we were only sorry we didn’t bring a flask of tea!”
Primary care staff at the surgery also thanked volunteers, residents and the parish council who pulled out all the stops to help them deliver the vaccines.
Tracey King, practice manager said: “We couldn’t have done it without the support from local people. There were volunteers who helped with parking and guiding people during some very icy days, people have brought us pasties and cake to keep our morale up and the local parish of St Agnes is now using their minibus to bring patients to the clinic in a socially distanced way."
She added: “Everyone has pulled together and we are really pleased with how the first week went.”
GP, Rob White, clinical lead for the COVID-19 vaccination programme and NHS Kernow Governing Body member, is clinical director for the Coastal cluster PCN.
He said: “It was remarkable to play a part in vaccinating our most vulnerable and we look forward to delivering more vaccines in coming weeks.
“The comradery and support that the community has provided has been really uplifting especially during these challenging times.
“Providing the vaccine is a huge undertaking, especially at a time when the COVID-19 infection rates for Cornwall are the highest that we have seen since the start of the pandemic.
“By following lockdown rules together and with your help we can continue to look after our most poorly and vulnerable.”
Alternative ways you can seek medical advice and treatment include the NHS website, and your community pharmacy, who can offer expert information and provide medication for many conditions.
For urgent but not life-threatening you can always contact 111, if your usual GP is not available.
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