William Shakespeare, world's first man to get approved COVID jab dies of unrelated illness

The first man of the world to receive an approved COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020, named William 'Bill' Shakespeare, had died suffering a stroke. The UK-based man passed aged 81 at the same University Hospital in Coventry where he was administered the COVID jab, according to Birmingham Live. The UK became the world’s first country to start administering the experimental Pfizer vaccine which was authorised for emergency use to curb the rising coronavirus cases. William Shakespeare, who was the resident of Warwickshire, received his shot on live tv and the scene was dubbed as 'The Taming of the Flu' across social media, in reference to Shakespeare's play. He was the first man in the country to get the jab, second to a 90-year-old British woman Margaret Keenan. 

Shakespeare worked at Rolls-Royce and served as a parish councillor for many years in the city’s Allesley community. He actively supported UK’s Labour Party. The Englishman is survived by his wife, Joy, their two sons, and several grandchildren. Coventry Councilor and personal friend Jayne Innes told Coventry Live that Shakespeare was the campaigner of the vaccine to return the lives in the UK to normal and the best tribute to Bill [nickname for William] would be to get the jab. 

Parish council for 20 years

Further, she said, that the late Shakespeare has been the chairman of the parish council for 20 years and was renowned amongst friends as a “lovely man” who was dedicated to efforts for making his local area flourish. She continued that Bill and his colleagues had planted numerous trees back in the 1980s to restore the greenery and reduce environmental hazards. He was also very committed to the establishment of Coundon Wood in 2005 and in a fundraiser for the purchase of Elkin Wood, now managed by the Woodland Trust in 1997, the Whoberley ward councilor for 30 years, added.  Grief poured for the Warwickshire native of the Coventry Labour Party, who was the inpatient at the Coventry hospital’s frailty ward. People across social media remembered the moment Shakespeare made international headlines after getting inoculated. 

IMAGE: AP