COVENTRY, England — An 81-year-old man named William "Bill" Shakespeare on Tuesday became the second person in the UK to receive a coronavirus vaccine.
It set off several internet posts about the original Shakespeare, such as “The Taming of the Shrew” became the “Taming of the Flu.”
The UK is getting a head start on the project after British regulators on December 2 gave emergency authorization to the vaccine produced by US drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech.
Speaking after receiving the vaccine, Shakespeare said the experience felt "groundbreaking" and that it would make a difference to his life.
Talking about the pandemic, he said: "It started changing our lives and our lifestyle."
Shakespeare asked the staff to put his "get well soon" cards made by his grandchildren on display while he got his jab.
In England, the vaccine will be delivered at 50 hospital hubs in the first wave of the program, with more hospitals expected to offer it as the rollout ramps up.
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are making their own plans under the U.K.'s system of devolved administration.
