90-year-old in UK is first person to get approved vaccine in West

CONVENTRY • Nurses cheered yesterday as a 90-year-old grandmother in Britain became the first person in the Western world to receive an approved vaccine against Covid-19, at the start of a marathon campaign health officials hope heralds a fight-back against the pandemic.

Ms Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, called the jab she received at a hospital in Coventry, central England, "the best early birthday present".

"My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it. If I can have it at 90, then you can have it too," said the former jewellery shop worker who has two children and four grandchildren. "I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19."

Regulators in Britain - one of the worst-affected countries with more than 61,000 deaths from 1.6 million cases - became the first to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for general use last week.

Ms Keenan, wearing a Christmas-themed T-shirt, received the jab in front of cameras at 0631 GMT (2.31pm Singapore time), and received a guard of honour made up of clapping medics as she was wheeled back to her bed.

She was followed by a man called William Shakespeare who, like the world-famous playwright, is from Warwickshire.

Ms May Parsons, a nurse originally from the Philippines who has worked for Britain's state-run National Health Service for 23 years, called it a "huge honour" to administer the jab to Ms Keenan.

People over 80, care home workers and at-risk health and social care staff are first in line to get the jab, on what has been dubbed "V-Day". A second jab is required after 21 days.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who spent days in intensive care with Covid-19 earlier this year, called it "a tremendous shot in the arm for the entire nation".

But with most people not expected to get vaccinated until early next year, he said the public still needs to be careful. "We can't afford to relax," he said on a visit to a central London hospital.

The United Kingdom has ordered 40 million doses of the jab - enough to vaccinate 20 million people - with 800,000 in the first batch. Up to four million doses are expected by the end of this month.

Elsewhere in the world, China and Russia have also started vaccinating their citizens against Covid-19 in mass inoculation campaigns.

The public in Britain has largely welcomed the rapid approval of the vaccine, but ministers and health professionals are aware they still need to combat mistrust.

Reports suggest that Queen Elizabeth II, who at 94 is among those first in the line for the vaccination because of her age, could front a public awareness campaign urging compliance. The government said it would hand out vaccine cards to remind people to get the booster after three weeks, but insisted it was not introducing immunity certificates or making jabs compulsory.

In Edinburgh, project engineer Sean Wilson, 36, said that on balance, vaccination would be beneficial. "I think everybody should go for it," he added. "What is the worst that could happen? It couldn't get any worse really than what it is now."

Ms Keenan said she had not made history before but was very proud to have played her part. For now, though, she said she planned to have a little rest.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS