A 90-year-old British grandmother, Margaret “Maggie” Keenan, on Tuesday became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech jab against Covid-19 as the UK kicked off its biggest-ever vaccine campaign in history.
At 6:31 am GMT early riser Margaret, known to family and friends as Maggie, was given the life-saving jab by nurse May Parsons at her local hospital in Coventry to mark what the National Health Service (NHS) has dubbed a “landmark moment” on V-Day or Vaccine Day in the fight against the deadly virus.
Maggie is among the first set of people contacted in advance by the NHS for the jab based on a predetermined health risk criteria.
The second person vaccinated was 81-year-old William Shakespeare from Warwickshire, who said he was “pleased” to be given the jab.
They’re joined by an 87-year-old British Indian grandfather of nine Dr Hari Shukla and his 83-year-old wife who became the first Indian-origin couple in the world to get a vaccine against Covid-19.
“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19, it’s the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year,” said Maggie, who turns 91 next week.
The former jewellery shop assistant who retired four years ago has a daughter, a son and four grandchildren and is looking forward to being able to go out again once she receives the top-up booster dose 21 days later.
“I can’t thank May and the NHS staff enough who have looked after me tremendously, 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 said.
“It’s a huge honour to be the first person in the country to deliver a Covid-19 jab to a patient, I’m just glad that I’m able to play a part in this historic day,” said nurse Parsons.
Dr Shukla and his wife got injected with their first of two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab at a hospital in Newcastle.
Shukla, a race relations campaigner based in Tyne and Wear, had been contacted by the NHS last week. His wife, Ranjan, then volunteered for the jab as she also falls within the first phase of people aged 80 and over, care home workers as well as NHS workers at high risk eligible to receive the “life-saving jab”.
“I’m so pleased we are hopefully coming towards the end of this pandemic and I am delighted to be doing my bit by having the vaccine, I feel it is my duty to do so and do whatever I can to help,” said Dr Shukla, who was born in Kenya and whose father hailed from Mumbai.
They have been picked based on the criteria set by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation phased rollout based on those at the highest risk of death from the deadly virus.