76-year-old great-grandmother urges people to get the covid jab when they can as she is 'over the moon' after receiving hers

Linda Robinson, from Ryhope was delighted to be called for her first coronavirus jab and now she wants to urge others to do the same.

The great-grandmother received her Covid-19 jab on Wednesday, January 13, with her husband Syd Robinson and has commended the “brilliantly organised” vaccination process at the River View Health Centre.

She said: “What a marvellous achievement that a vaccine can be engineered so quickly and bring us closer to getting our lives back!

"I am absolutely over the moon to have been vaccinated and I just want to encourage others to get the jab – it’s the only way out of this pandemic.”

People over the age of 70 and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable in England began receiving invites for their coronavirus vaccination this week.

Mrs Robinson, who has five children, nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren said that she and her husband have not experienced any side effects and feel so grateful to have received the vaccination so quickly.

She added: “Lockdown has been difficult so I hope that as many people as possible take up the offer of the vaccination, if they do we will be one step closer to normality and being close to those we love.

"Please take the vaccine, if I can encourage even half a dozen people then that’s all that matters.”

More than five million people across priority groups three and four will receive the jab at vaccination sites that have the capacity, as part of the Government’s vaccination rollout programme.

The 76-year-old said the set up at River View Health Centre was efficient and staff made the process easy and most importantly she felt ‘very safe’.

She said: “This pandemic has been dreadful and I am so grateful that I have already had my first Covid vaccine so quickly.

"I always said I would be first in the queue to receive my vaccine and here I am!”

More than 3.8 million people, including over-80s, care home residents and NHS and social care staff, have now received their first dose of a Covid vaccine.

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