On December 8, 2020, emotions were running high across the city as 86-year-old Ted Jones became the first Mancunian to receive the Covid-19 jab.
Now, a year on, almost five million jabs have been given across the region - saving 8,000 lives, according to experts in charge of the rollout.
The vaccination programme's successes are down to an army - sometimes, quite literally - of people.
READ MORE:
Tens of thousands of public services staff, hundreds of volunteers, pharmacists, nurses, doctors and more helped to get jabs in arms.
Vaccination clinics across the city - in hospitals, GP surgeries, pharmacies, sports halls, community centres, schools and even the odd car park - have been running flat-out, seven days a week, often into the evening.
Together, they handed out an average of a mammoth 100,000 vaccinations every week on average, equating to 14,285 every day for the last 12 months.
Two million people have received both first and second vaccine doses, and around 700,000 have so far had third doses or boosters - numbers that are only continuing to grow.
This week, Greater Manchester health bosses have paid tribute to the people who led the gargantuan effort.
Among those being celebrated, Alan Hill, a vaccinator at the Manchester Mass Vaccination Centre at the Etihad Tennis Centre.
On his first shift, Alan noticed that centre staff did not have official name badges - so he went home and created one for himself.
When his fellow volunteers noticed, they asked if Alan could make them one too. He has since made 1,400 in total.
By asking people for a small charity donation per badge, Alan has raised £1,677 for Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind (TOG Mind).
Sarah Price, Interim Chief Officer of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “As we reach the first anniversary of the first Covid-19 vaccination in Greater Manchester I want to pay tribute to every single person who has stepped up to get us to this point.
“Together, we’ve delivered around five million life-saving vaccinations, and we’re still going. Our health and social care teams, staff from other public services and other dedicated professionals have come together with our many incredible volunteers to make this happen.
“Put simply, tens of thousands of extraordinary people have moved heaven and earth to deliver Greater Manchester’s vaccination programme. And because of them up to 8,000 lives in Greater Manchester have been saved. That really is something to celebrate.”
But with the advent of Omicron, health chiefs are warning that the need to get vaccinated is far from over.
“With uncertainly around Omicron and any future new variants we won’t be able to take our collective feet off the gas regarding vaccination," said Christine Khiroya, Lead for Screening and Immunisation at Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership.
“All of Greater Manchester’s vaccination centres, and the amazing teams who run them, will continue to be working at pace to deliver the booster programme, along with ongoing first and doses, as we seek to get as many people as possible protected.
“While we are keen to thank everyone who has had a hand in the planning and delivery of Greater Manchester’s vaccination programme, we also want to pay tribute to every single person who has turned up to have their jab! It really will make the difference in us getting ahead of this virus, and beating it.”
