Covid 19 coronavirus: William Shakespeare becomes the second person to receive the Covid vaccine

What’s in a name?

Millions of people around the world eagerly await a Covid-19 vaccine as the door closes on our hellish year fighting the pandemic, but an early adopter has made headlines because of its famous namesake.

The UK has become the first country to implement a nationwide vaccination program and the first lucky patients received their injections at night New Zealand time.

The first to receive a vaccine, a 90-year-old woman named Margaret Keenan, received the first wave of publicity, but it was luck number two that really captured the public’s imagination.

Enter, stage left, William Shakespeare.

The 81-year-old, from The Bard’s home county of Warwickshire, unleashed a flurry of theatrical activity on social media based on his famous name after he reached out to be vaccinated.

Twitter jokes included “The Taming of the Flu” and “The Two Knights of the Crown”, with a joke suggesting that Covid’s British response had so far been a “Comedy of Errors.

One joked: “If Margaret Keenan is patient 1A for the vaccine, would William Shakespeare be 2B or not 2B?”

The UK is the first Western country to offer a widely tested and independently reviewed vaccine to the general public. The Covid-19 injection was developed by the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and the German BioNTech. Regulators in the United States and the European Union may approve it in the next few days or weeks.

“All ready?” Margaret Keenan asked Nurse May Parsons. “All set,” was the reply, as the hospital staff erupted in applause and also applauded as she was led down a corridor.

“I feel very privileged to be the first person to be vaccinated against Covid-19,” said Keenan, who wore a surgical mask and a blue “Merry Christmas” t-shirt with a cartoon penguin wearing a Santa hat. “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 Year after being alone for most of the year.”

The fanfare was a good cheer for the nation, if only for a moment. Authorities warned that the vaccination campaign would take many months, meaning the painful restrictions that have disrupted daily life and punished the economy are likely to continue until spring. The UK has seen more than 61,000 deaths in the pandemic, more than any other country in Europe, and has recorded more than 1.7 million confirmed cases.

All’s well That ends well.

– Additional reports, AP