The roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, will begin in Northern Ireland today. A member of the nursing staff at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, Sister Joanna Sloan, will be among the first group to receive the vaccine at 8am.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in the UK on 2 December, with the first consignment arriving in Northern Ireland two days later.
Northern Ireland's Department of Health expects to receive 25,000 vaccines in its initial allocation. With each recipient requiring two jabs, the plan is to vaccinate 12,500 people before the end of the year.
The plan is to provide services at two hospitals, the Royal Victoria and the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, and at five leisure centres.