‘I knew it was an efficient surprised by how quickly I

Reporter Corey Bedford shares his experience of receiving the Covid-19 jab. As a 26-year-old with asthma, he is one of the younger recipients of the 30 million-plus who have now been vaccinated at least once

WITH more than 30 million people having now received a coronavirus vaccine, it’s safe to say that the UK’s vaccination program has been a resounding success.

We have issued the fourth most vaccinations in the world, and currently stand in fifth place for the number of vaccines given per 100 people.

The UK stands alongside some of the most populated countries in the world for our vaccination statistics, making our vaccination roll-out the major highlight of the UK government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

But with so many big numbers being thrown about, the news often misses out what it’s like to be on the receiving end of those vaccinations, whether Pfizer, Oxford AstraZeneca, or the new Moderna vaccine when it arrives in the UK next month.

So I thought I’d share my vaccination experience, as well as the week that followed after having the first jab.

GETTING BOOKED IN

When I received the call from my GP about the Covid-19 vaccine, I expected to be waiting several weeks before being called in for it.

My mum, who is in her 50s, was given two or three weeks’ notice before going in for her jab, so I expected something similar. However, this was not the case, as I was offered a vaccine for the next day – actually beating my mum’s appointment by several days.

She lives on the other side of the country to me, so there may be some differences depending on locality for when you can get called in for a jab, but even so I was taken by surprise.

While I am 26 and people my age are expected to wait until May or June at the earliest for their first, I was pushed up the queue because I have been hospitalised with asthma in the past. So they booked me in first thing on Sunday morning, when most GP practices are closed.

They also booked me in for my second appointment, exactly 12 weeks later.

THE APPOINTMENT

The appointment itself also went by quicker than I could possibly have imagined.

I already knew that things were very efficient when I pulled up a couple of minutes before my appointment, put my mask on and walked in.

Straight off the bat I was asked to sanitise my hands and there was