Llandeilo care home receives first COVID-19 vaccine – and 108 year old Mary is the first to get vaccinated

A council residential care home in Carmarthenshire is the first in west Wales to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

Residents of Awel Tywi in Llandeilo had their first round of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine as part of a phased roll out to care homes earlier today.

One of the first of the home’s 37 residents to receive it was 108 year old Mary Keir, who is also the second oldest woman in Wales.

She said: “Having this vaccine makes me feel really safe and I’m so very grateful to the scientists who discovered it.”

The vaccine will be rolled out to all care homes once further supplies become available and this information will be communicated residents, relatives and staff at that time.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s executive board member for health and social care, Cllr Jane Tremlett said: “The arrival of the Covid-19 vaccine at Awel Tywi is very welcome news and a landmark moment in what has been a very difficult year for all of us. Having this vaccine will reduce the chance of complications from coronavirus for our most vulnerable residents and is the first step in a process of reuniting loved ones with their families. We now look forward to the vaccine being rolled out in all care homes in Carmarthenshire once further supplies become available.”

The Pfizer-Biontech vaccine is distributed in two doses per patient, with a timed period between each one.

Carmarthenshire County Council leader, Cllr Emlyn Dole, said: “We are so pleased to have this vaccine available for some of our highest at risk residents in Carmarthenshire. It’s been a hugely challenging year for everyone particularly for our vulnerable residents and their loved ones who have had limited face to face contact for a very long time. We are now a step closer to the light at the end of a very dark tunnel, and we look forward to more vaccine supplies once they become available so they can be rolled out to all care homes in the county. In the meantime we must all be very careful and continue protecting each other by limiting our contact with others, maintaining social distancing, washing our hands frequently and wearing a face mask.”