United at glass! Elderly care home resident meets her great-granddaughter for this first time behind screen after ban on family visits because of coronavirus is lifted
A 97-year-old care home resident has met her great-granddaughter for the first time after reunions were allowed to take place.
Margot Lawson met her baby great-granddaughter Cecilie behind a glass partition after her care home, CHD Living in Surbiton, London, allowed socially-distanced reunions with friends and family.
Claire, Cecilie's mother, said: 'Seeing my 97-year-old grandmother and eight-month-old daughter interacting together is something I had looked forward to for a very long time.
This is the wonderful moment 97-year-old Margo Lawson go to see her great grand-daughter Cecille from behind a glass partition at the CHD Living care home in Surbiton, London
'I was so delighted to be able to properly introduce them to one another safely; the glass partition didn't take away from this moment filled with love and laughter which I will always cherish.'
Until recently, Margot had been unable to receive visits from her family due to coronavirus restrictions, however her care home is now able to welcome visitors.
Margot said: 'It was overwhelming - I was so surprised.
'I didn't even know Claire was visiting today, so that was a wonderful surprise in itself, and then I saw Cecilie on her arm and it was just marvellous. It's made my year.'
It is hoped the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be approved by regulators in the coming days.
Professor Martin Marshall said such authorisation would help speed up the vaccine roll out in care homes.
'At the moment we are dealing with this Pfizer vaccine, which is difficult,' he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, pictured, said a second vaccine could be authorised by the end of the year
Regulators are currently deciding on whether to authorise the AstraZeneca vaccine before the end of the year allowing the NHS to increase the speed of the mass inoculation programme
'On the assumption that we are going to get approval for the AstraZeneca vaccine which is much more familiar because it is much more like the flu vaccination, then I think we will be able to roll out at a much faster pace, but certainly over the next few weeks and next couple of months we expect all care homes to be covered.'
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that if the Oxford-AstraZenca vaccine is approved by regulators before the end of the year it will ensure that the roll-out of the vaccination programme can be maintained.
'It will make a massive difference because the doses that we have of the Pfizer vaccine will keep us going until the end of January and I think we're not getting another shipment until March.
'So if we could have that Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine ready to go in January then we could keep the roll-out going at its current pace.'