people in different parts of the uk will
start to be given their first dose
of a coronavirus vaccine those over 80
care home staff and frontline nhs
workers will be prioritized
as the rollout of the first immunization
program begins
in hospitals military personnel and
planners are on hand
to help when the program is expanded
our health editor hugh pim reports on
what the nhs says
is the biggest vaccination program in
its history
tomorrow they'll be part of history
among the very first to get the
coronavirus jabs
harry and ranjan are in their 80s so are
in the top priority groups
and they'll go in together to be
vaccinated at newcastle's royal
infirmary
i'm really excited about it and i i feel
you know that
it's good you know that i've got the
opportunity of doing it
and so i'm not nervous or or anything
like that
i'm looking forward to the hopes of a
nation are on your shoulders
the head of nhs england visited the
royal free hospital in london
to see their preparations for the start
of vaccinations
we're going to have to continue to be
very careful
but if we do that i think there's every
chance that we will look back on
tomorrow
as marking a decisive turning point in
the battle against coronavirus relax
your arm we're going to roll your sleeve
right up
here they're demonstrating how it'll be
done as they draw up plans to vaccinate
80 patients over the age of 80 tomorrow
and as the week goes on
care home workers and some nhs staff and
of course the vaccine needs to be stored
at
ultra low temperatures in special fridge
units
the pace of it over the last three days
or so has been particularly challenging
and there's so many bits to get ready
particularly because this vaccine
it's not like any other vaccine and the
handling of it so we've had to make sure
that we've got the right people to be
able to support it everything ready for
tomorrow yes we're all there
staff say they are ready for what's
being billed as the biggest vaccination
program
in the history of the nhs it will
undoubtedly be a hugely significant
moment when hospitals like this one
start delivering the vaccine tomorrow
but then comes the challenge for the nhs
of getting it out into local communities
gps in england have been told they can
start vaccinating
from next week plans for getting the
vaccine to care home residents are being
worked out
officials in northern ireland and
england said today it will start before
christmas
scotland's first minister meanwhile was
being briefed on preparations at
edinburgh's western general hospital
this is day one of perhaps the the final
stage of this pandemic for scotland and
i think it's a moment for us to feel
more optimistic than we have in the past
nine months and as the vaccine arrived
at this centre in north wales
health chiefs around the uk were saying
although there was cause for optimism
the rules on social distancing were no
less important
hugh pim bbc news