Cumbria’s director of public health received his first COVID-19 vaccination today.
Colin Cox, who lives just across the Scottish border, was vaccinated in Canonbie this morning.
He said: “I’ve been encouraging people to get vaccinated for months now so I’m delighted that I’ve finally had the opportunity myself.
“It was a straightforward process and the staff at the vaccination centre did a great job. I got the Astra Zeneca vaccine and was through the centre in under five minutes.
“Vaccination is absolutely critical to getting us out of this pandemic, particularly as we are now seeing evidence of the spread on new variants of concern. I’d urge everyone to take up the vaccination when they are offered it.
“The next step of easing lockdown is also reliant on the continued success of the vaccination programme, so it’s crucial for people to get vaccinated in order to give government the confidence to take that next step in June.
“Millions have now been vaccinated and we should all be very confident about its safety and effectiveness.”
The latest data is that 315,000 people in Cumbria have now received their first vaccine dose, and 185,000 have received both doses.
Anyone aged 36 or over can now book their vaccination online via www.nhs.uk.
