Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old British woman, has been the first person in the world to receive the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. The woman was filmed and photographed while the vaccine was being administered – around 6.30 GMT – at Coventry University Hospital in central England.
Keenan, whom her friends and family call “Maggie,” received the first of two doses of the vaccine from Filipino-born nurse May Parsons amid widespread media attention as the US government began what the United Kingdom has called the V-Day “(Day of the V or vaccination).
The vaccine began to be supplied on Tuesday in the United Kingdom to vulnerable groups in the country, after last week British regulators gave the green light to its use in the country.
Keenan, who will turn 91 next week and hails from the Northern Irish town of Enniskillen, is a former jewelry worker with a daughter, a son, and four grandchildren. “I feel so privileged to be the first person to be vaccinated against COVID-19. It is the best birthday present, early on, and because it means that I will finally be able to spend time with my family and friends on New Years’ after having been practically all alone. The year, “Keenan told the media.
The woman thanked the National Health Service (NHS) for how they have cared for her and advised people to get vaccinated. “If I can receive it at 90, then you can receive it too,” he said.
Keenan, who has lived in Coventry for more than 60 years, will receive the second dose in 21 days. On the other hand, the nurse who gave him the vaccine has been working for the NHS for 24 years and joined Coventry University Hospital in 2003.
Vaccination in the UK
The director of the NHS in England, Simon Stevens, has thanked all the people who participated in getting this important new vaccination program up and running. “Less than a year after the first case of this new disease was diagnosed, the NHS is now providing the first clinically approved COVID-19 vaccine,” he added.
About 50 hospitals in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will begin this Tuesday with vaccinations for people over 80 years old and employees of the health sector and nursing homes. However, the residents themselves will have to wait for logistics to transfer to the vaccination site in the next few days.
According to regulators, the vaccine will be effective seven days after a person receives the second dose, although there are some protection 12 days after the first. The United Kingdom has committed 40 million doses, which will vaccinate 20 million people.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
