Family reunited as son gives his father the COVID vaccine

Aneet Kapoor, a pharmacist from Manchester, got to vaccinate his 79-year-old dad, Suneel, who has been shielding during lockdown (MCC)

A poignant vaccination reunited a father and son when pharmacist Aneet Kapoor gave his 79-year-old father the COVID-19 vaccine.

Kapoor, the owner and director of Kapoor Pharmacy Services, as well the chair of the Greater Manchester Local Pharmaceutical Committee, has been at the forefront of supporting community vaccination efforts in the city’s Whalley Range area.

Kapoor vaccinated his dad Suneel, who has spent much of the past year shielding due to being in an at-risk age group, in January.

The pair had been separated since the start of the coronavirus pandemic saw shielding introduced.

Mass vaccination centres have been set up across the UK to enable the government of reaching its target of vaccinating almost 14 million people by mid-February (Jacob King - Pool/Getty Images)

Kapoor said: “It's been a long journey, but it was great to finally be able to give [my] dad the vaccine.”

"It was an emotional moment.

"It’s been a very difficult year. I live very close to my dad, only a few doors away, but at some point over the last 10 months it’s felt like we’ve lived 4,000 miles away.

“It feels now like there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

Suneel said he was delighted he could now look forward to seeing his family again.

Revealing the reunion on its official Twitter feed, Manchester City Council said: “We're another step closer to reuniting families.”

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Since the UK’s vaccination rollout was launched in December more than 10 million people have received the vaccine.

Nine in 10 eligible residents of older adult care homes have now had their first dose of the the vaccine, figures show, meaning reunions will soon be possible for tens of thousands more families.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told MPs on Thursday that the UK is "getting safer every day" thanks to the rollout of coronavirus vaccines.

Zahawi told MPs that the government is on track to protect the four most vulnerable groups by mid-February, aiming to reach a target of 15 million first jabs by February 15.

He hailed the success of the UK's vaccination programme, telling the Commons: "Our nation is getting safer every day."

Watch: Gove confident UK vaccine supply will be delivered