On a momentous day for Lancashire and the battle against coronavirus Blackburn Cathedral opened its doors today as one of 10 new NHS mass vaccination centres.
People across the region were invited to attend the Cathedral as a mass rollout began with excited volunteers and staff on hand to administer the vaccine.
The first person to be vaccinated was John Mason, 82, from Bolton, who received a Covid-19 jab from nurse Anie Santillan in the crypt watched by the world’s media. He said the process was “easy peasy” and he was looking forward to a pint when things get back to normal.
According to age and vulnerability, people living within 45 minutes’ drive from the new vaccination site and who haven’t already been vaccinated by their local GP-led or hospital hub, will receive letters from the NHS Covid-19 vaccination booking service telling them how they can get their appointment.
Peter Howell-Jones, The Dean of Blackburn Cathedral, was among those being vaccinated. He was proud of the way his staff had become part of a larger team to help with the process.
“This is a wonderful first for us. We have heads of state and major events here but in a time of national crisis to be offering this service is so important.
“Our staff have been exceptionally accommodating. I would say to the people of Blackburn this is a great opportunity and they must take advantage of it.
“We see this as a sign of great hope in the fight against this pandemic and are proud to be at the heart of it.”
Kevin McGee, chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “The energy we have I this building is so exciting. There are so many people who are working together to make this possible.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel even though we still have months of hard work ahead of us.
“We are proud of everyone and we know the past 10 months have been hard. This is the beginning of the end and something like this has given tremendous confidence for all staff who have been under a great deal of pressure.”
Councillor Mohammed Khan, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, who said he received his vaccine on Friday, said: “This is a small piece of history for our borough that we can wear proudly and, while all indications are our battle with the virus will get worse before it gets better, this marks a real turning point. My warmest thanks to the team at the cathedral for facilitating this.”
Professor Dominic Harrison, director of public health for Blackburn with Darwen, said: “Vaccinating the most vulnerable people in our communities, those most likely to be hospitalised, will make a very big difference to how quickly we can exit the most severe control measures we have had to put in place to save lives. I urge everyone invited to attend for vaccination to take up their appointments – we cannot afford to miss even one opportunity.
“Although we are going to have a very big challenge over the next two months, we should remember - it is always darkest just before the dawn and the vaccination programme is truly the ‘beginning of the end’ of the pandemic.”
Getting the NHS Vaccine at Blackburn Cathedral: What you should know
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