"I really feel like there is a bit of hope there now."

Annie Lynch, a 79 year-old woman from Dublin, has become the first person in Ireland to be vaccinated against Covid-19. She got the vaccine today at St James’s Hospital in Dublin 8, alongside healthcare workers from the hospital who were also vaccinated. Annie’s vaccine was the first Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine to be administered by vaccinators at four hospitals across the country – St James’s Hospital and Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, Cork University Hospital, and University Hospital Galway. The vaccines given today were from the first delivery of 10,000 doses received by the HSE on 26 December. “I feel very privileged to be the first person in Ireland to receive the vaccine," Annie said. "Like everyone else I have been waiting for the vaccine and I really feel like there is a bit of hope there now. It’s brilliant that it’s here. Everything was explained very clearly to me beforehand.” Annie lives in Drimnagh in Dublin, and her husband, John sadly passed away in September. She has 3 children and 10 grandchildren. A mother to three children and ten grandchildren, she is currently a resident in the Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing at St. James’s. “This vaccine has the power to protect people from Covid-19, and reduce the illness and deaths caused by this terrible virus," Paul Reid, HSE CEO said today. "I am very proud to see the vaccinations commence today, safely, with thorough vaccinator training and patient centred communications at its heart. "As we know, the vaccines will be delivered in stages - we’re starting in acute hospitals initially, and will move into long-term care facilities from next week, but this is a great start to an historic process.”