ONE YEAR ON: The Covid-19 vaccine rollout
It's exactly 12 months ago since 91-year-old Margaret Keenan was jabbed in Coventry
Last updated 8th Dec 2021
Today marks exactly one year since Margaret Keenan, then aged 90, became the first person in the world, outside of a clinical trial, to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
At 06:31am on 8 December 2020, the grandmother was administered a Pfizer-BioNTech jab by Matron May Parsons at University Hospital Coventry.
Since then, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout has ramped up massively across the country with more than 118-million jabs being administered across the UK - saving hundreds of lives and reducing pressure on the NHS.
12 months on, and Margaret has described the moment she made history as the mass vaccination rollout begun.
She said: "It felt great, honestly, I could not believe that things went so well, afterwards.
"At the time I wasn't feeling good but once I got that jab and things started to be better, so I had a wonderful year - thanks to the NHS."
To mark the milestone, we've been back to University Hospital Coventry to speak to staff about how far the rollout has come in that time.
Matron May Parsons - who administered Margaret Keenan's first jab last year - said: "I think it's really phenomenal, I think the amount of uptake and the positive feeling that it's given to people about giving them the hope, and the protection that they can have from Covid.
"...the fact that our brilliant NHS was able to deliver this, sometimes it looks like it's impossible but we've done it and it's something we should carry on, and I really implore people that are eligible for the vaccine, to have the vaccine.
"Maggie has been a pioneering lady, she's been really brave and strong. It just goes to show that if a 90-year-old lady can take this, anyone can take it. I took it the next day, my children have taken it, my husband has taken it, everyone can take it, it's safe.
"If there was any other issues before about believing it the vaccine they should be gone by now."
Mark Easter, clinical director and lead pharmacist at University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire, said: "It's been a phenomenal year, an absolute triumph. From that very first vaccine we've given over 87-thousand at this organisation, and millions across the country. It's just been fabulous.
"Whilst we've got high numbers of infections across the country, the number of hospital admissions are significantly down on what we saw in the peak of wave two.
"The patients we are seeing coming in and being admitted tend to be the unvaccinated
"So over fifty per-cent of the patients that are on our wards or in our critical care aren't vaccinated, so that's a challenge we've got. So it's that encouragement to go and get a vaccine, and if you've had your two vaccines go and get your booster. We know that the booster significantly adds protection to people."
The coronavirus booster vaccine rollout is now well underway across the UK with more than 21-million third doses being administered.
People aged 40 and over, health and social care workers and younger people at risk are being offered a booster dose. More information's available here.