Watch This 90-Year-Old Woman Get The First COVID-19 Vaccination Outside Of A Trial In The UK

A British woman has become the first Western patient outside of a clinical trial to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, thanks to the UK’s expedited immunisation rollout.

That patient was 90-year-old Margaret Keenan, who was given the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at around 6:30 AM (British time) at the University Hospital Coventry. The groundbreaking moment was broadcast all over breakfast TV.

Keenan, who turns 91 next week, said the jab was the “best early birthday present” she could ask for. Most of the world would agree.

“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19,” Keenan told the BBC.

“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 [the nurse who gave the injection] 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.”

The second patient to get the vaccine outside of a trial was – we shit you not – a dude named William Shakespeare. Good on him.

The vaccine will now be given to people over 80 and nursing home staff across the UK over the next few weeks.

It’s also anticipated that British PM Boris Johnson could even get the jab live on TV in a public show of confidence in the vaccine.

While the vaccinations aren’t compulsory, the UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which is enough for 20 million people to get the necessary two shots each.

It’s also hoped that other vaccine candidates will be approved in the coming weeks.

The UK is the only country to have approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for general use so far. As for Australia, our doses – if the vaccine’s even approved here – are due around March next year at the earliest.

The Russian Sputnik V vaccine is also being rolled out despite it not completing the trial phase nor being internationally certified. Meanwhile, Chinese company Sinovac has just shipped the first batch of its vaccine to Indonesia.

But considering the amount of consecutive donut days we’ve had over here compared to the thousands of new cases daily in the UK and pretty much every else, it seems we have the luxury of time being on our side and can afford to be patient.

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