First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has thanked a Lanarkshire care home resident after she was the first to be vaccinated against coronavirus.
Annie Innes, 90, who stays in Abercorn House Care Home in Hamilton, became the first care home resident to receive the Pfizer BioNTech developed jab on Monday, December 14.
The next phase of the Coronavirus Vaccination Programme got began in Scotland this week with the vaccine now being rolled out among care home staff and residents.
At her daily press briefing in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon said: “The next stage of the vaccination programme in Scotland is now underway.
“In the past six days more than 18,000 vaccinators and health care workers have received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID.
“Today (Monday), the first vaccinations of care home residents and staff are taking place. 90-year-old Annie Innes became the first care home resident to get the vaccine at the Abercorn House Care Home in Hamilton.
“My thanks go to her. She will be followed in the days and weeks to come by many others. Care Home residents and staff are being prioritised for vaccination from our current supplies of the vaccine.
“That’s obviously a huge important step in protecting many of the people who are most at risk from this virus. From Wednesday we will provide weekly updates on the progress of the vaccination programme.”
However, Ms Sturgeon stressed that even though the vaccine is being rolled out, it will still be some time before things can begin to return to normal.
“Although today is an important day and gives us some hope for the future, we are still some way off a complete return to normal life,” she added.
“COVID still presents a real and present danger and the figures we report everyday are evidence of that. We are not yet out of the woods.
“With most of the winter still ahead of us and this virus still circulating, it is more vital than ever that we all stick to the current guidelines and restrictions to keep each other and the country as a whole as safe as we possibly can.”
