Care home celebrates Covid jab with sherry

The Amwell, on Asfordby Road, believes it is the first home in the town to get everyone who lives there vaccinated, following a visit by medics from Latham House Medical Practice.

And more than 40 residents of Waltham Hall Nursing Home received the jab on Tuesday, including 100-year-old Joan Heaton.

While most residents of the borough will be given the vaccine at the town’s designated vaccination centre at Melton Sports Village, GPs and nurses are visiting care homes to administer it to prevent residents having to travel and reduce their chances of picking up the virus.

Staff at The Amwell arranged balloons around the exit to the door of the room where the vaccine took place next to a sign saying ‘I’ve had my Covid-19 Vaccine!’

Forty-one residents at the specialist residential, dementia and respite care home had the Pfizer jab before taking a short rest in the home cinema area for a period to ensure none of them suffered any side effects.

They will need to have a second dose in the next three to 12 weeks.

More than 75 per cent of staff have also received the vaccine so far, with many travelling to vaccinations centres outside Melton Mowbray before Christmas and others also receiving the jab this week.

Receptionist Freya Taylor, who had the jab this week, said: “It was painless – and just like a normal injection.

“Some people had sore arms but overall, everybody was absolutely fine.

“Everybody at the home is delighted that all the residents have had their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine and it also means now three out of every four staff members are also protected so far as well.

“We look forward to everybody receiving the second dose in the next few weeks.”

Despite everyone being vaccinated, The Amwell will continue with strict infection control guidelines at the home, including use of PPE by all staff.

Residents and staff at Waltham Hall were thrilled to welcome Dr Simon Wooding from Long Clawson Surgery and his assistant Tracy this week to administer the Oxford vaccine.

The 42 residents and most of the 112 staff - those who had been unable to get their jab earlier at Leicester General - were given it.

The home’s Faye Connolly told the Melton Times: “Many of the residents said afterwards that they were looking forward to getting back to normality, seeing friends and family.

“The oldest resident to get the vaccine was Joan Heaton, who will be 101 on Tuesday.

“She was very smiley and glad to have the vaccine.

“Many of the residents had a sherry afterwards to celebrate.”

There have been 37 coronavirus-related deaths in care homes in the Melton borough, just under half of the total number of people (77) who have passed away across the borough after testing positive.

Across Leicestershire as a whole, 875 people have died with Covid, with 255 of those people being residents in county care homes.