Praise for staff at SSE Arena Covid-19 vaccination centre as programme extended to over 45s

Kathy Ellis was one of hundreds of people in the 50-plus age group to attend the mass vaccination centre on Monday, its first day of opening.

And this morning, the vaccination programme was officially extended to those in the 45-49 age bracket.

The centre aims to administer the AstraZeneca jab to a minimum of 4,000 per day, building up to 8,000, according to head of the vaccination programme, Patricia Donnelly.

Commenting on her visit, Kathy said: "I had to wait about an hour to have the jab and then for 15 minutes after before I could leave.

"The staff were amazing and looked after everybody very well.

“The standards of hygiene were very good; everybody working there had their full PPE, and chairs were sanitised as soon as people got up."

A full day after receiving the jab, the mum and grandmother said the most noticeable side effect had been a "sore arm" at the vaccination site.

"But it's a small price to pay for normality," she added.

For more information on how to book a Covid-19 vaccine, visit https://vaccinations.covid-19.hscni.net/booking