Margaret Keenan, a 90-year old patient at the University Hospital of Coventry, became the first to receive a dose of Pfizer and BioNtech's newly developed COVID-19 vaccine early on Tuesday morning—marking the start of vaccine deployment in the United Kingdom.
For Keenan, a grandmother with a birthday around the corner, the vaccine is a chance at reintegrating with the rest of her world that for so long a time has been held six feet away.
"I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19," Keenan said.
"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 won’t be the last.
In what Health Secretary Mat Hancock referred to as a coronavirus "V-Day," Keenan's vaccination is one of 800,000 doses to be administered in the coming weeks. BBC News reports that as many as four million doses could be shipped out by the end of December.
"Today marks the start of the fightback against our common enemy, the coronavirus," Hancock said.
Pfizer's vaccine is also nearing deployment in the United Sates. Currently in the hands of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the candidate is under the final stages of the review process. Trials demonstrate that the vaccine performs well regardless of patient age, weight, or race—a good indication the candidate performs reliably across the board.
With a 95 percent chance of protection after two doses, the vaccine is expected to be approved sometime in December. And while it’s deployment will trail behind efforts in the United Kingdom, it’s a process that has reached completion at an unimaginably quick speed.
It's a point of concern for some virologists.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told audiences that the United Kingdom had not been as throughout in its testing as the FDA. He warned that its quick deployment might hinder public willingness to take the vaccine.
"If you go too quickly and you do it superficially, people are not going to want to get vaccinated," Fauci told audiences.
He assured listeners that the FDA's process would take slightly longer, but that they would get it right.
"We have the gold standard of a regulatory approach with the FDA," he said. "The way FDA is, our FDA doing it, is the correct way."
Back in the United Kingdom, Keenan says she hopes the public will accept the vaccine. Her advice is simple:
"My advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it. If I can have it at 90, then you can have it too," Keenan said.
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