‘This is going to make such a difference’: Horsham GP reacts as first patients receive coronavirus vaccine

Dr David Holwell, senior partner at Park Surgery, said the jab offered the opportunity to make ‘such a difference to everyone in Horsham’.

He added: “This is what’s going to get us back to where we all need to be. We need to do it well, we need to do it safely.

“It’s a good vaccine it’s effective, it’s safe.”

Margaret Walker, 80, was the first person to receive the jab in Horsham. She said: “I’m quite relieved. It’s very good, [I’m] very pleased.”

John Elsden, 89, who was also vaccinated, added: “You hardly feel it.”

Dr Samir Khan, clinical director for the primary care network, said he was ‘a bit nervous’ ahead of giving the first jab.

He added: “It’s just like the flu jab. But all that special preparation for it adds to the occasion.

“People have been waiting for this for a long time. It gives that hope that there is some light at the end of the tunnel.”

Gerald Cheal, 83, told the County Times he wasn’t excited ahead of the jab. He added: “[It’s] just a sharp prick.”

Brenda Butson, 80, said the vaccine was ‘just like any other needle’. She added: “The staff here have been great. They have had a lot to deal with.”

Jenny Cheal, 82, said she ‘didn’t even feel’ the jab. She said she and her husband are looking forward to going out for a meal once they are immune.

Jenny added: “It’s a big relief to know that we will be immune to it.”