02 February 2021

Care home resident, 97, receives vaccine during video call with Boris Johnson

02 February 2021

A care home resident has said it was a “pleasant surprise” to talk to Prime Minister Boris Johnson over video call as she received her first coronavirus vaccination.

Jeanette Shadbolt, 97, and Audrey Cornall, 95, received their first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on a call with Mr Johnson on January 29.

Mrs Shadbolt, a resident at Foxholes Care Home in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, said the Prime Minister is a “a very, very amiable, charming man” who she hopes to meet again.

“It was a pleasant surprise… I was very sorry I didn’t have the time to thank him for all he’s doing and the hard work he’s putting in,” she told the PA news agency.

The care home said every resident has now been vaccinated with their first dose.

Mr Johnson congratulated Mrs Shadbolt on receiving the vaccine on Twitter, causing her name to trend on Monday evening.

He said on the call: “It’s great to see the vaccinations going into people’s arms, and it’s great to see the way it’s all going so smoothly.

“I know your care home has been through a lot, but so have many, many care homes across the country and you’re doing brilliantly.”

Mrs Cornall told the Prime Minister: “The vaccine rollout is a great scheme. I think you’re doing the best that can be done in this difficult situation.”

The best videos delivered daily

Watch the stories that matter, right from your inbox