Ninety-year-old Margaret Keenan receiving the first Pfizer Covid vaccination in Coventry was a "source of great joy for the city and the human race," her parish priest has said.

Image source, PA Media

"She has been a member of our parish family for many years - it was such an amazing surprise for all of us here at Sacred Heart," said Father Tony Norton.

"I first saw her this morning and I thought 'oh that's our Margaret, that is', it's just amazing."

"She's such a humble and lovely lady."

Worcester News

The Worcester News is covering these stories today:

• Two men arrested after cops find cannabis grow, external
• New bridge in place but decision to close roads on busy weekend criticised, external
• Mass brawl at city centre bar, external

A delivery man tried to stop his van being stolen by clinging on to the bonnet.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The man had been delivering parcels on Pemberton Road, West Bromwich, on Saturday, West Midlands Police said. , external

A thief got into the van and drove off with the driver clinging on before falling off when the vehicle was driven into Maybrick Road.

The man suffered a badly sprained ankle.

Officers said they believed the thief arrived in a white Peugeot 208 which was driven away by a second person.

BBC Weather Watchers

We have gone all reflective in our choice of BBC Weather Watcher photos.

These three are from users Carol in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, Graham H in Bubbenhall, Warwickshire and David 007 in Hanbury, Worcestershire:

Image source, Carol

Image source, Graham H

Image source, David 007

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

GPs in part of Herefordshire will start giving their patients the new Pfizer vaccine from Monday, a doctor said.

Image source, PA Media

Six surgeries around Leominster have banded together and will kit out a venue over the weekend to be their vaccination centre.

Crispin Fisher is a GP at the Marches surgery and said they will get the doses and then have three-and-a-half days to use them.

The Pfizer vaccine needs to be kept at a temperature of about -70C when transported but Mr Fisher said they've been told it can be stored for a few days in normal fridges.

But he said time would be crucial for elderly people to get their jab.

"It is a fast moving event and they will need to respond quickly to book up to get in for these vaccinations," he said.

A driver has died in a crash between a car and a van.

The man, in his 50s, was in a Seat Ibiza which was stationary at the time of the collision on the A5 westbound near Tamworth, Staffordshire Police said. , external

The ambulance service said, external paramedics found him in a critical condition and he died at the scene.

A woman who was a passenger in the car had to be cut free by firefighters and was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The van's driver and two teenager passengers were taken to hospital to be checked over.

Four people in all are suspected of murdering a 29-year-old man injured to the chest and back.

A fall in rates of coronavirus has been recorded across the West Midlands apart from in Staffordshire Moorlands.

In the seven days to 3 December Public Health England figures show the rate there has crept up slightly from 198 per 100,000 population to 202.

Image source, PA Media

The biggest week-on-week drop is in North Warwickshire, down from 251 to 118.

Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire are currently in tier two with the rest of the West Midlands in tier three.

The highest rate in the region is for Stoke-on-Trent at 348 and the lowest is for Stratford-on-Avon - 47 per 100,000 people.

BBC Radio Shropshire

The new Pfizer Covid vaccine should mean older people are able to socialise again by next spring, a Shropshire charity said.

Image source, PA Media

Eighty-year-olds and over are among the first to get the jab which is being rolled out from today.

Heather Osborne from Age UK Shropshire and Telford said a lot of elderly people have been lonely.

"Quite a lot of our clients have said I'm not sure that I would go out until there is a vaccine so I think that is is fantastic news that it is on its way," she said.

BBC Radio WM

An 87-year-old woman says she can't wait to "get going again" with the new Pfizer vaccine.

Image source, PA Media

Anne Fleeman, from Sutton Coldfield, told BBC Radio WM she wants to keep her independence and getting the jab will help.

"This year has been a waste of time, we have not got much time when we are over 80, we want to get going before we lose sufficient faculties to be totally independent," she said.

One of her three sons, Jim Fleeman, has been visiting her as often as he can but has to stand at the bottom of her drive due to restrictions.

"It will be great for her, she will be safe and protected, she will be able to get out into the world knowing that that is the case," he said.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said there are "huge logistical challenges" in rolling out the vaccine and confirmed the first 800,000 doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 jab are in the country.

He told the Commons earlier: "This week we will vaccinate from hospitals across the UK, from next week we'll expand deployment to start vaccinations by GPs and we'll vaccinate in care homes by Christmas."

The health secretary added he expected the summer of 2021 to be "a brighter one" than the summer of 2020.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said seeing the pictures of 90-year-old Margaret Keenan receiving the first Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in Coventry today was a "wonderful moment."

Image source, PA Media

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

Using the new Pfizer vaccine in care homes will make a "huge difference", according to the manager of one home.

Image source, PA Media

Residents in care homes are among the high-priority groups set to get the jab first.

Staff are just waiting for clarity on how smaller batches of the vaccine can be transported safely at ultra-cold temperatures of -70C.

Melanie Dawson runs the Lawns Nursing home in Kempsey, Worcestershire, and said all her residents are happy to get the vaccination and see visitor restrictions eased.

"They are very used to having the flu jab, they realise the issues of Covid and are happy to get themselves immunised and stop all this testing and wearing of masks," she said.

A friend of Margaret Keenan has spoken of her "amazement" to see her friend put in the spotlight by receiving the first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

Image source, Reuters

"I was just in the kitchen having a cup of tea,"she said," and I heard 'Margaret Keenan' and I was amazed.

"I thought it must be another Margaret Keenan, but there you go.

"She's just a marvelous person, she's so pleasant to everybody ... she's a lovely person," the friend, Sarah, said.

If you missed it earlier, the story of the day has been the first vaccination with the new Pfizer jab at the University Hospital, Coventry.

The recipient was Margaret Keenan, 90, and here are some photos showing what happened:

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

The prime minister has thanked the NHS and "all of the scientists who worked so hard" to develop the Covid-19 vaccine that has started to be administered to patients today - starting in Coventry.

Boris Johnson tweeted "We will beat this together."

The Labour Leader Sir Kier Starmer tweeted a picture of Margaret Keenan, external, the first patient in Coventry, saying that it was "wonderful to see."

BBC Radio Stoke

As vaccinations start in Coventry and elsewhere GPs are looking at how and when they can expect to roll out their programme.

Image source, PA Media

Hospitals are being used as hubs to begin the vaccination programme in part because it needs to be kept at a temperature of about -70C.

In Staffordshire, GP practices are banding together in groups of five or six to pick one site in their area to act as a smaller hub to the central Royal Stoke hospital hub.

Dr Paul Scott, chair of the North Staffordshire Local Medical Committee, told BBC Radio Stoke the process was "trickier" than their annual flu programme but he expected to begin "quite a bit before Christmas".

"Vaccines are the most powerful thing we have with many illinesses. They are the one thing which will change our life back towards the normality from before 2020," he added.

Allen Cook
BBC News

For those just joining us, this is what has happened so far with the new Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

• Margaret Keenan was given the injection at 06:31 GMT at the University Hospital, Coventry.

Image source, Reuters

• The 90-year-old was selected as she was in the right age bracket, was an inpatient ready to be discharged and was happy to take all the media attention.

• Second in line was 81-year-old William Shakespeare from Warwickshire followed by Betty Miller, also 90.
• Care home workers and NHS staff are expected to receive the vaccine at the hospital as well as at other hubs.
• Over the course of the next few weeks, 800,00 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be given.

Today's roll-out of the vaccination programme has been labelled a "momentous achievement."

Taiwo Owatemi, MP for Coventry North West, tweeted her congratulations to the team at University Hospital who have "worked through the clock to keep Coventry safe."

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

The West Midlands’ biggest hospital trust isn’t included in the roll-out of the first Pfizer Covid vaccinations today.

Image source, PA Media

Last week University Hospitals Birmingham appeared on an NHS list as one of the hubs for the first wave of the scheme but on Sunday it had been removed.

NHS England has confirmed that the city will be part of the roll-out "shortly".

It said: "The NHS will begin vaccinating patients against coronavirus this week at dozens of hospital hubs around the country, including in the Midlands, with Birmingham’s hospital hub expected to be on line and ready to vaccinate shortly, which will be complemented by local vaccination services provided by GP surgeries.”

Phil Mackie
Midlands correspondent, BBC News

So why was Maggie Keenan the first patient to be given the vaccine in Coventry today?

The simple answer is that she met the criteria and she was in the right place at the right time.

Image source, Reuters

She is in the right age bracket at 90-years-old and was an inpatient who had been admitted for tests but is ready to be discharged today.

They also needed someone who was happy to face all of the media attention, so staff checked with her yesterday and she said she was happy to be the first.

Why Coventry? I have been told it was because it was the first of the 70 hospitals which will administer the vaccines to have everything ready and in place.