Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old British grandmother, has become the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer. COVID-19
vaccine out of a trial after rapid clinical approval.
An early riser, Keenan was hit at her local hospital in Coventry, central England, on Tuesday morning at 0631 GMT, a week before her 91st birthday.
Britain began to implement the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday, the first Western country to begin vaccinating its general population in what was hailed as a decisive milestone in defeating the coronavirus.
The mass inoculation will fuel hope that the world is turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and complicated logistics will limit its use for now.
“I feel very privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19“Keenan said.
“It’s the best anticipated birthday gift I could wish for because it means that I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Years after being alone for most of the year.”
Britain’s Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) granted emergency use approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which they say is 95% effective in preventing disease, in record time: just 23 days since Pfizer released the first data from its final clinical stage trial.
Approval of a jab for use almost exactly one year from the novel. coronavirus Born in Wuhan, China, it is a triumph for science, Pfizer boss Albert Bourla, and his German biotech partner BioNTech.
But the breakneck speed at which approval was given drew criticism from Brussels where, in an unusually blunt statement, the European Union’s drug regulator said its longer procedure for approving vaccines was more appropriate as it was based on more evidence. and required more controls.
British leaders said that while they would love to take a hit themselves, priority should be given to those most in need: the elderly, those living in nursing homes and health workers.
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