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Coronavirus: William Shakespeare, first man in world to get approved vaccine, dies of unrelated illness

  • The Englishman, 81, received the Pfizer shot in early December
  • The scene was dubbed ‘The Taming of the Flu’ on social media, in reference to the play by his famous namesake

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William Shakespeare, 81, receives the Pfizer vaccine at the start of the largest ever immunisation programme in British history on December 8, 2020, in Coventry. Photo: TNS
Tribune News Service
The first man in the world to receive a clinically approved Covid-19 vaccine has died of an unrelated illness, British officials said.

The 81-year-old Englishman, named William Shakespeare, was the first man and second person to get a Pfizer jab after Britain approved the experimental shots in early December. The first person was 90-year-old British grandmother Margaret Keenan.

Shakespeare died Thursday, but the cause of death was not immediately known, according to the BBC.

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The Coventry resident had reportedly worked at Rolls-Royce and served as a parish councillor for many years in the city’s Allesley community.

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He made international headlines after getting inoculated at University Hospital Coventry, a major milestone in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. His name helped draw even more attention – and jokes – to that special moment.

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