Margaret Keenan, the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine following its clinical approval, has today (Wednesday 9^th December) been discharged from University Hospital, Coventry.

The 90-year-old, known to friends and family as Maggie, was greeted by her daughter Sue and her grandson Connor as she left the hospital at 2pm.

Maggie will spend the coming weeks in a family bubble and is looking forward to celebrating her 91^st birthday, Christmas and the New Year with loved ones.

She said: “Yesterday was a massive day for me and for the rest of the world as we all look to get back to some sort of normality.

“It has all been such a whirlwind and everything hasn’t really sunk in yet. I feel great and I’m so pleased to be able to go home and to spend some quality time with my family.

“I would like to say thank you to the hospital and its staff for the care and support shown to me during my stay – they have been truly amazing.

“My family and I are so grateful for the positive comments and well wishes received. I would urge everybody to get their vaccine as and when they are asked to do so.”

Maggie will receive her second top up dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine later this month.

Professor Andy Hardy, Chief Executive of University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, praised Maggie and the dedicated staff who continue to roll out the biggest vaccine campaign in NHS history.

He said: “We were delighted to have the first patient in the world to have the covid vaccine and it is thanks to our incredible NHS staff that we were able and ready to start vaccinating people, like Maggie, yesterday. It is great news that Maggie is well enough to go home – she is really looking forward to spending time with her family.

“This is the first step in the largest vaccination programme the country has ever faced and it will take months to complete – we will contact people as and when they can be vaccinated but in the meantime we want to encourage members of the public to continue following the guidance in place to help keep everybody safe.”

The phased vaccination programme will see patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital as an outpatient and those being discharged home after a hospital stay, among the first to receive the life-saving jab.

Care home providers are also being asked by the Department of Health and Social Care to begin booking staff in to vaccination clinics. GPs are also expected to be able to begin vaccinating care home residents.

Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from Covid-19.