He had become a kind of symbol for a new chapter in the corona pandemic: The Briton William – called Bill – Shakespeare was one of the first people in Europe to be vaccinated against the virus on December 8, 2020. After months of tough protective measures, restrictions and renunciation, hope finally came: With the vaccination, you can slowly return to normal life.
The life of Bill Shakespeare – it was just under five and a half months after the vaccination. As Jayne Innes, councilor in Shakespeare’s hometown of Coventry, announced on Tuesday, the retiree died of a stroke at the age of 81. The cause of death has no connection with the virus or with the vaccination.
Innes used the occasion to motivate the population again for the corona vaccination: The best respect that one can give the deceased is to get vaccinated.
“It was something he was very proud of”
Together with the 91-year-old British Margaret Keenan, Shakespeare became a kind of vaccination pioneer. The pictures of the first two candidates who received the active ingredient from Pfizer / Biontech at Coventry University Hospital went around the world. Shakespeare called the vaccination “wonderful” at the time.
William Bill Shakespeare, who is not related to the famous poet of the same name, leaves behind a wife and two children. In a final dedication, his wife Joy said of him: “Bill was so grateful that he was given the opportunity to be one of the first people in the world to receive the vaccine. It was something he was very proud of. He loved to see the difference the active ingredient could make in so many people’s lives. ” (cat)