90-Year-Old Woman: First Person To Receive Pfizer Vaccine

As announced by Pfizer last week, the pharma giant officials rolled out the Covid jab in UK. A 90-year-old woman has become the first person to be administered the vaccine as part of the mass vaccination programme on Tuesday morning.

The woman, Margaret Keenan, from Enniskillen, who would turn 91 next week, said: “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.”

“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 received the injection at University Hospital in Coventry. Over 8,00,000 doses of Pfier/BioNTech vaccine will be administered in the next few weeks.

These doses will be given to people aged above 80 years and healthcare staff, who are more vulnerable to Covid-19.

Four million more doses are expected to be ready by the end of December.

Meanwhile, Sister Joanna Sloan, who will supervise the vaccine administration in Belfast, received the first vaccine administered in Northern Ireland. She received the shot at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said there was a “long march ahead of us but this marks the way out”.

At the same time, Hancock said: “This virus is deadly. We’ve got to stick by the rules.” He said that he expected it would take several weeks to get the first group of health workers, care staff and people aged above 80 years vaccinated.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, during his visit to London’s Guy’s Hospital, spoke to 81-year-old Lyn Wheeler, who was the first to receive the vaccine there.

“It is really very moving to hear her say she is doing it for Britain, which is exactly right – she is protecting herself but also helping to protect the entire country,” Mr Johnson said.

Earlier, the prime minister thanked the NHS and “all of the scientists who worked so hard to develop this vaccine”, the volunteers and “everyone who has been following the rules to protect others”.

The officials placed orders for 40 million in total which would be sufficient for 20 million people, as two courses are needed.