Newsman: A 90 year old UK grandmother – Margaret Keenan has become the world’s first recipient of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine outside a trial following its rapid clinical approval. She will turns 91 next week, said it was the “best early birthday present “after receiving her first vaccine. . Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on a visit to a London hospital to see some of the first people getting the jab, said getting vaccinated was “good for you and good for the whole country”. Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who has named ‘Tuesday V-day,’ said this simple act of vaccination was “a tribute to scientific Endeavour and human ingenuity and to the hard work of so many people. “Today marks the start of the fight back against our common enemy, the coronavirus,” I am “Today marks the start of the fight back against our common enemy, the coronavirus,” is thrilled but warns that people must still stick to the rules Matt Hancock added.”
Meanwhile, Russia began vaccinating thousands of doctors, teachers and others at dozens of centers in Moscow with its Sputnik V vaccine on Saturday. That program is being viewed differently because Russia authorized use of Sputnik V last summer after it was tested in only a few dozen people.
At University Hospital, Coventry in central England, Senior nurse May Parsons administered the very first vaccine to Ms Keenan. “It’s the best early birthday present I could wish” Ms Keenan said , who is originally from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19,” and “My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it. If I can have it at 90, then you can have it too,” she added.
She was given the injection on Tuesday morning, at 06:31 GMT a week before she turns 91 of age.
The second person vaccinated in Coventry was William Shakespeare, 81, from Warwickshire, who said he was “pleased” to be given the jab and hospital staff had been “wonderful”.
The first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be dispensed in the coming weeks and Up to four million more are expected by the end of the month.
Prof Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, who witnessed the “historic moment”, said: “We couldn’t hug her but we could clap and everybody did so in the room.”
The UK is the first country in the world to start using the Pfizer vaccine after regulators approved its use last week.
