Who is Margaret Keenan and why this 90-year-old British woman is grabbing eyeballs

LONDON: Margaret Keenan alias Maggie is a 90-year-old British grandmother who became the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer coronavirus jab following its clinical approval as the National Health Service (NHS) launched its vaccine campaign on Tuesday.

She is a retired jewellery assistant from Coventry and will be 91 next week.

Margaret Keenan has a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. She originally hails from Enniskillen, Northern Ireland but she has lived in Coventry in the West Midlands for more than 60 years. She will receive a booster jab in 21 days to ensure she has the best chance of being protected against the virus.

Around 50 hospitals in the NHS have started administering the new coronavirus vaccine to people over 80, who are either hospitalised or have outpatient appointments scheduled, along with nursing home workers.

Margaret met these requirements and received the shot at University Hospital Coventry at 6:31 AM. Video footage showed her wearing a light blue mask, a grey cardigan along with a blue t-shirt with a penguin in snow and the message "Merry Christmas" as she received the shot in her left arm from nurse May Parsons.

Parsons, one of many thousands of people from around the world employed in Britain`s National Health Service (NHS), where she has worked for 24 years, said the last few months had been tough, but there was now light at the end of the tunnel.

"It’s the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year," she said.

She added that she felt extremely "privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19." Margaret is among hundreds of OAPs and NHS staff will receive the vaccine on what is being dubbed V-Day. They are the first category of Britons on the list to get the jab.

Up to four million more are expected by the end of the month. Hubs in the UK will vaccinate over-80s and some health and care staff - the programme aims to protect the most vulnerable and return life to normal. 

Britain is the first Western country to start immunising its general population in what has been hailed as a decisive watershed in defeating the coronavirus. Britain is the worst-hit European country from COVID-19, with over 61,000 deaths. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to turn the tide against the disease by rolling out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine before the United States or European Union.

The mass inoculation will fuel hope the world may be 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 tricky logistics will limit its use for now.

"Thank you to our NHS, to all of the scientists who worked so hard to develop this vaccine, to all the volunteers - and to everyone who has been following the rules to protect others," Johnson said on Twitter.

"We will beat this together."