Grandfather, 91, Charms World With Tale Of Getting Covid Vaccine

Today’s news has been dominated by Margaret Keenan and William Shakespeare (yes, you read that right) – who were among the first people in the world to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine outside of a trial. 

But 91-year-old Martin Kenyon wasn’t going to let them take all the limelight. 

The grandfather bumped into a news team from CNN on his way home after getting his own coronavirus jab – and immediately charmed everyone. 

Speaking to the reporter outside Guy’s Hospital in London, Kenyon described how he had simply rung up on the first day of the vaccine rollout in the hopes of getting the jab.

“I rang up Guy’s Hospital, which know very well because I have lived in London most of my adult life, and I said: ‘What’s this thing, you’re doing the vaccination?’” 

After asking him a series of “not very interesting” questions, the hospital told him he could come in for his jab that day. 

“They said: ‘Well, come at half past 12,’” he explained. “Of course, I couldn’t damn well find anywhere to park my car, so I was late.

“I went off and had a rather nasty lunch and then came back and they were ready for me. 

“And no, it didn’t hurt at all – I didn’t know the needle had gone in until it had come out.” 

Asked how he felt to be one of the first people in the world to receive the Pfizer vaccine, Kenyon replied: “I don’t think I feel about it at all. Except that I hope that I’m not going to have the bloody bug now.

“I don’t intend to have it because I’ve got granddaughters and I want to live a long time to enjoy their lives.”

But Kenyon’s family was still in the dark about his jaunt around the capital to get vaccinated. 

“Nobody knows. You’re the first to know,” he told the reporter. 

The nonagenarian finished the interview by saying: “I don’t intend to have it [Covid-19]. Well, there’s no point dying now, when I’ve lived this long, is there? I don’t plan to anyway.”  

Kenyon’s appearance on the news has won him fans from across the world. 

His interview comes on the first day of the UK’s rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine – the biggest vaccination programme in the NHS’s history. 

Care home staff and residents, people over the age of 80 and frontline health and social care workers will be among the first to receive the jab , designed by Pfizer and German company BioNTech.