VACCINES

December 2020 - present

Herbert Barker will be forever be etched in the history books as the first person to be vaccinated against the pandemic in Barnsley.

December 15 was historic in the borough as residents flocked to receive their first dose of the vaccine, bringing people closer to ‘freedom’.

The 85-year-old Wombwell man was reunited with Fiona Ellis, the woman who administered the vaccine 200 days prior, when he picked up his second jab in June 2021.

She admitted she was ‘terrified’ when she first started giving out the jabs, but at its height hundreds of residents were getting vaccinated every single day.

Here’s a few stories from those volunteers who were working tirelessly to keep us all safe during the pandemic.

Karen Riordan of Wilthorpe said,

“It’s been good but challenging and difficult at times.

“I really like and enjoy doing it for me I see a different side to Covid.

“You’re seeing people who haven’t been out anywhere and you can see the real impact of it all.

“I started in December and I come some evenings after work and then the weekend.

“From the beginning it’s been a very well organised and structured process.

“I’m not tired because I really enjoy doing it.

“It’s all about having a bit of banter and chit-chat because a lot of people won’t have left their house in a long time.

“I had a girl come who was really frightened of needles and talked her through it and she had the vaccine in the end it’s all about reassuring people.

“They always say ‘is that it?’ once it’s done there’s nothing to worry about.”

Janice Hyde, who has been a nurse for 44 years and working as a vaccinator since December said, “The vaccinating is a thing that we feel we need to do as we work in the NHS.

“It’s been an absolute joy especially when we were vaccinating the older people.

“They can be tiring when you’re running it alongside your normal job but it’s an incredibly rewarding role and it makes it all worth it.

“A lot of the young people get so nervous and anxious and the comment they give is ‘is that it?’ you just hope that they’ll tell that to their friends and social circles because there isn’t anything to worry about.

“One man came in and he was the most severely needlephobic I’ve ever seen with anybody.

“We took his details and took him to the couch and he cried when we gave him the vaccine he said we’ve made him feel comfortable and welcome.

“We don’t judge people we are here to give that reassurance as well as the vaccination.”

Ruth Taylor of Goldthorpe started as a volunteer but now she works on admin.

“I was local government and took early retirement about three years ago.

“I had my hi-vis jacket on in the car park when it was cold and wet it didn’t matter how cold it got it was just great community spirit.

“I’ve been in the admin role since March and you meet and work with all kinds of people.

“I find it amazing that the vaccinators come in, especially when they’re working, but they must find it just as rewarding as I do.”