Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Rays of light on a dark morning..
IT was dark, wet and cold yesterday morning when we walked into the SSE Arena car park, yet it was there – that unmistakable ripple of excitement reminiscent of those moments right before a big gig.
There was no music, no rigging, trucks or riders but there was a host of NHS heroes waiting to meet us, and they’d come dressed for the occasion.
March 29, 2021, will be a date in our history now – the day Northern Ireland entered the world of mass vaccination in a centre built out of necessity during a pandemic that has tested us over and over.
With the workers in place, kitted out in protective gear, all they needed was the public to turn up and lift a sleeve.
And they came, at first in dribs and drabs, then in a steady stream, and just as they’d planned, the clockwork process got underway.
IDS were checked, men and women were ushered into newly-erected cubicles where they were given a jab and a card acknowledging their vaccine status and hope for the future.
The SSE Arena is now set for the capacity to administer jabs to 40,000 people a week, with floors holding 60 separate vaccination stations.
Before welcoming the first crowds, staff were given a brief of light-hearted nature, but with absolute professionalism.
And the arrival of Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster, Deputy First Minister Michelle O’neill and Health Minister Robin Swann added to the already intact excitement.
Mrs Foster, whose smile was noticeable although she was wearing a face covering, said the start of operations at the arena was another step on the road to a safer future.
The region is on course to offer first jabs to the entire adult population – 1.4 million – by July.