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Irish great-grandmother (98) receives Covid vaccine from grandson

Irish great-grandmother (98) receives Covid vaccine from grandson

A grandmother in Co Roscommon said she had been looking forward to receiving her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, an occasion which was made all the more special by having her grandson administer the shot.

Christine Harrison (98) received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Thursday at the Roscommon Primary Care Centre, given by one of her 12 grandchildren, Dr David Harrison.

The Roscommon Herald reports the mother-of-five, who also has 19 great-grandchildren, lives with her daughter in Kiltoom in the south-east of the county and attributes her age to leading an active lifestyle.

Ms Harrison was accompanied by two of her daughters, Helen and Mary. They described their mother as a "very positive individual" who keeps busy, citing knitting as one of her passions, and someone who "always looks on the bright side of life".

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Her grandson, Dr Harrison lives in Ballyleague and was supported in the vaccine rollout by Dr Valerie Morris and nurses, Mary Kelly and Jackie Holmes.

After administering the vaccine dose to his grandmother, Dr Harrison said it was an exciting day, adding: "It is good to be able to do something."

Approximately 100 people over the age of 85 were due to receive their vaccine at the centre in Roscommon on Thursday and Friday.

Ms Harrison will return in a month's time to receive her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in line with HSE protocols.

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