The vaccine is ready, will you be next in line to take it? Margaret Keenan did!

 

        “GOOD FOR YOU AND GOOD FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity….it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

Charles Dickens words from “A Tale of Two Cities” seem to be written for this time in our history.

The United States just recorded its highest weekly COVID-19 death toll, a seven day average of 2.249 deaths last week, as it experiences a surge in cases according to the New York Times. This breaks the previous record of 2,232 deaths in one week set in April.

There have been over 283,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States as of Tuesday morning December 8, 2020. Over 15 million cases of the disease have been recorded.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, one year after the COVID -19 began in the United Kingdom, Britain started the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination program.

As reported on the BBC website (UK coronavirus pandemic) at 6:31 am GMT December 8, 2020, ninety-year old Margaret Keenan became the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine was given by matron May Parsons at the University Hospital, Coventry.

Mrs Keenan said she felt very privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19. “It is the best early birthday present I could wish for.”

The National Medical Director of NHS England Prof. Stephen Powis and the hospital staff who witnessed the “historic moment” clapped to congratulate Mrs. Keenan as she left the room.

Next in line for the vaccine was 81 year old William Shakespeare. (Does his name sound familiar?)

The landmark moment was replicated in 50 hospitals in the UK’s state-run National Health Service (NHS). They began giving the COVID-19 inoculation to people who are either hospitalized or have outpatient appointments scheduled. Some nursing home workers also received the vaccine which was manufactured in Belgium.

In the coming weeks 800,000 doses of the vaccine will be dispensed in the UK.

“Today marks the start of the fightback against our common enemy,” Matt Hancock, UK Health Secretary said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited a London hospital to observe some of the people who were getting the vaccination.  He commented that “getting vaccinated was good for you and good for the whole country.”

On Tuesday December 8, 2020) 616 people had died in the United Kingdom after they had received a positive test

BBC Health correspondent Nick Triggle commented that “This is a momentous day, but the NHS faces a huge task in rolling out the vaccine.” He noted that there are reports of manufacturing problems and the fact that the vaccine needs to be kept in ultra-cold storage and in batches of 975 units is an added complication. The UK. he said, is still pinning its hopes on a second vaccine developed by Oxford University. That vaccine can be kept in fridges and is British made. It is also easier to distribute and, there is an ever growing stockpile ready to use.

“If that vaccine gets the green light from regulators, there will be a genuine hope the first few months of 2021 will see rapid progress in offering the most vulnerable jabs so the UK can return to something closer to normality.”