Milestone as a hairdresser, 42, becomes the 100,000th patient in Sunderland to receive a Covid vaccine

The incredible milestone was reached at the Bunny Hill Primary Care Centre on Wednesday, March 17, when shortly after 10am, Lindsey Duncan from Roker received the first dose of her Covid jab.

Practice nurse Val Oliver delivered the vaccine to the 42-year-old hairdresser, marking a key moment on Wearside in the fight against the virus which has impacted everyone’s lives over the last year.

Lindsey spoke to the Echo just after her jab and described the relief that she felt when she received her invitation for vaccine and what it means to her ahead of going back to work as a hairdresser.

Miss Duncan said: “I’m really happy and feels so good to have had it, I didn’t feel a thing, it was totally pain free and we just have to put our trust in the professionals.

"It is definitely a relief as it finally feels like we are getting back to normality, it’s been so difficult being self-employed during this time and not being able to do my job.

“I can’t wait to get back to work now as I will feel much safer working with the public after having the vaccine.”

Dr Rory Mackinnon, local GP and Medical Director for Sunderland GP Alliance has praised the efforts of the everyone who is involved in the roll out of the Covid jab, highlighting how much work has gone on behind the scenes to reach the impressive milestone.

Dr Mackinnon commented: “It’s a real milestone in our road to recovery, I’m really proud of all who has been involved in the vaccination programme.

”It’s been all members of the general practice team that’s brought this together and to get 100,000 doses is just a real achievement and everyone is just so proud.

“It’s taken a significant amount of effort to get the sites operational, to get everyone booked in and managing the vaccines as they come in, it’s been a huge collective effort across Sunderland to deliver this.”

At the start of the year, the North East was ahead of the rest of the country for the amount of vaccines that had been delivered and Sunderland even received praise from Prime Minister Boris Johnson for the effort in protecting care home residents.

However, the North East and Yorkshire has now fell to third in the national rankings, behind the Midlands and the South East, after the roll out was impacted by supply shortages and diversions, which prompted some vaccine centres to reduce their opening hours throughout January.

Since then, the vaccine roll out in the city has been back on track, with six GP led sites opened across Wearside and the Nightingale Hospital at Washington acting as one of three mass vaccination centres in the North East.

People are also reminded not to contact their GPs or other NHS departments to arrange a vaccination appointment until they are contacted by their GP practice or receive a letter.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on SAFC and new puzzles every day.

With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Click here to subscribe.