Margaret Keenan, the first person outside the trial to receive Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, received her second dose on Tuesday, making her the first patient to be fully immunized against the coronavirus.
Sky News reports that Keenan received his second dose at Coventry University Hospital, three weeks after the first dose was administered on December 8.
Upon receiving his first dose of the vaccine in early December, Keenan told reporters that it was a “privilege” and “the best early birthday present I could wish for”.
“We are delighted to welcome Margaret Keenan back to Coventry University Hospital today to safely receive the second dose of vaccination, after she became the first person in the world to receive Pfizer COVID-19 after her clinical approval,” he said. Andy Hardy, chief executive of University Hospital Coventry.
“It is important for everyone to come forward to receive the vaccine when they are invited to do so and, like other hospitals and GP practices across the country, we will be following the latest expert advice and evidence to invite people to be vaccinated in the moment they need it. “
Fantastic to see Margaret Keenan receive her second dose of @Pfizer/@BioNTech_Group # coronavirus vaccine
Let’s overcome this pandemic together.https: //t.co/jDZq6c0Ths
– Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) December 29, 2020
The media 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 almost 800,000 people received a dose of the vaccine.
So far, the UK has approved only the Pfizer vaccine, although there are reports that the vaccine candidate from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will be approved sometime this week.
Coronavirus cases in the UK are skyrocketing, with a record number of cases reported on Tuesday.
In addition to the increase in cases, the UK is also struggling with a new strain of coronavirus that has been detected.
The virus variant is more infectious, the scientists said, although it does not appear to cause more serious cases of the coronavirus. Health experts in the United States and the United Kingdom said that the current vaccines that have been launched, as well as those from AstraZeneca, are considered effective against this new strain.
The European Union launched its immunization campaign on Sunday, encouraging citizens to receive the vaccine. The EU intends to immunize all its adults by the end of 2021.