Margaret Keenan, the first person out of trial to receive the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer, received her second dose on Tuesday, making her the first patient to be fully immunized against the coronavirus.
Sky News reports that Keenan received her second dose at Coventry’s University Hospital, three weeks after her first dose was administered on December 8.
When Keenan received her first dose of the vaccine earlier in December, she told reporters it was a “privilege” and “the best early birthday present I could wish for.”
“We were delighted to welcome Margaret Keenan back to Coventry’s University Hospital today to safely receive the second dose of the vaccination, after becoming the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 following clinical approval,” said Andy Hardy , General Manager of University Hospital Coventry.
“It’s important that everyone comes forward to get the shot when they are invited to do so and, like other hospitals and GP practices across the country, we will follow the latest expert advice and evidence to invite people to join at that time get vaccinated. they need it. “
Fantastic to see Margaret Keenan get her second dose of the @Pfizer/@BioNTech_Group #coronavirus vaccine
We are getting through this pandemic together. Https://t.co/jDZq6c0Ths
– Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) December 29, 2020
The news center reports that more than 616,000 people in the UK have taken their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine, although British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that nearly 800,000 people had been given a vaccine dose.
The UK has only approved Pfizer’s vaccine so far, although there are reports that the vaccine candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University will be approved sometime this week.
The number of coronavirus cases in the UK is skyrocketing with a record number of cases reported Tuesday.
In addition to rising cases, the UK is also grappling with a new strain of the coronavirus that has been detected.
The virus variant is more contagious, scientists have said, though it doesn’t appear to cause more serious cases of the coronavirus. Health experts in the US and UK have stated that both the current vaccines released and those from AstraZeneca are considered effective against this new strain.
The European Union launched its vaccination campaign on Sunday to encourage citizens to get the vaccine. The EU is reportedly aiming to immunize all of its adults by the end of 2021.