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Intensive care nurse Karen Simeson is the first person in the world to receive a new antibody cocktail specifically designed to protect people from COVID-19.
The setting – a small office block in Wakefield – is incongruous. The kitchen has been transformed into a makeshift pharmacy where the drug is stored and prepared.
For many, getting a coronavirus the vaccine is not an option; people who are already ill or elderly have weakened immune systems.
This treatment with antibodies by AstraZeneca – which will be tested on 1,000 people in the UK – has the potential to protect people instantly and lasts anywhere from six months to a year.
It is also hoped that it can turn to health workers to keep frontline workers safe from virus.
Karen says she wanted the treatment so she could get back to some sort of normalcy.
“Professionally, I’ve seen the impact COVID has had on people working in the ICU. It’s been devastating on patients and their relatives,” he says.
“For me, this is a personal thing – I haven’t seen my mom and dad since March. I miss seeing my friends, hugging my girls.
“Getting some back to normal for me and my kids is so important.”
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Who will be first in line for the vaccine?
After Karen received the injection, she was monitored by a paramedic, but speaking to Sky News afterwards she was happy and excited to be the first person to have it.
He also hoped this would work for many in the future.
“This treatment gives us some hope,” he says. “I want it for everyone.
“I see how much my colleagues on the front line are working. We can’t go out and laugh, there is no break for us.
“We all desperately want that normalcy back and hopefully this can deliver it.
“This is extremely important because we know we will need more than one thing to save us.
“Realistically, the number of people who will need vaccines, or what I’ve had today, is huge.
“We can’t rely on just one treatment. With many different versions I hope we can roll it out faster and wider to protect everyone.”
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The next recipient to arrive is Karen’s friend, a health worker in Yorkshire, another person who will do what is necessary to live a normal life.
The responsible doctors here are confident that this antibody drug will work and are optimistic that it could protect people from the coronavirus for up to a full year.
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