Grandmother who had world’s first Covid jab urges vaccine take-up on anniversary

Margaret Keenan, 91, said vaccination is the ‘best Christmas present’.

Margaret Keenan was the first person in the world to have a Covid jab at the start of the mass vaccine rollout last year (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

Margaret Keenan, who a year ago became the first person in the world to have a Covid-19 jab, has urged people to get vaccinated.

The 91-year-old said: “The best Christmas present I could have is being in good health and having had the jab and feeling free from this horrible virus.”

The grandmother, who has also already had her booster and flu jabs, described being a global name as “wonderful”.

Mrs Keenan – known as Maggie – was speaking at University Hospital Coventry the place where a year ago to the day, on December 8 last year, she became the first person to have a Covid jab at the start of the mass vaccine rollout.

I had a wonderful year - thanks to the NHS

Margaret Keenan

Describing that moment, Mrs Keenan – a mother-of-two and grandmother-of-four from Coventry in the West Midlands – 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.”

Speaking about people who have not yet had any jab, she said: “It’s amazing how many people don’t want it.

“I don’t know why because they should have it… everybody should have the jab.

“I keep saying this over and over again.”