‘Best thing ever,’ says UK woman who received world’s first Covid-19 vaccine shot
- One year after receiving a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine dose, 91-year-old Margaret Keenan has urged others to get vaccinated
- Britain is in the midst of rolling out booster shots in light of concern over the new Omicron variant
“It was wonderful. I cannot believe it now, what happened at the time … I’m so happy I got the jab,” Keenan, known to friends as Maggie, said in a broadcast clip to mark the anniversary. “I encourage everyone to have it.”
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Coronavirus vaccine: UK grandmother is first person outside trials to get Pfizer Covid-19 shot
After receiving her shot at a local hospital in Coventry last year, Keenan called it the “best early birthday present I could wish for”.
“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,” she said.
Britain tightens Covid-19 testing for inbound travellers
He is now urging officials to scale up the country’s ongoing booster programme to a similar level as the initial roll-out in light of concern over the new Omicron variant, which has also seen him reintroduce some mask mandates and travel restrictions.
“Vaccines remain our first and best line of defence against the virus,” Johnson said.
Omicron vs Delta: battle of coronavirus mutants is critical
Scientists are concerned that Omicron might be more transmissible than the currently dominant Delta variant and have mutations associated with lower vaccine effectiveness.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said that boosters should continue to offer good protection against severe disease even if shots are less effective against Omicron than previous variants.
May Parsons, the nurse who vaccinated Keenan, said a lot of people now seriously ill in her Covid-19 wards are unvaccinated.
“If you’re unvaccinated, there is still a chance (to get a shot),” Parsons said. “It’s not too late.”
