Social Media Goes Wild as Second Brit to Get COVID Vaccine is William Shakespeare

On Tuesday, Britain rolled out a mass coronavirus vaccination program – the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will primarily be administered to high-risk groups and people aged over 80.

A video has been shared online showing the second person in the UK to receive a coronavirus vaccine. 

William Shakespeare, 81, of Warwickshire was filmed getting a Pfizer-BioNTech jab at University Hospital Coventry on Tuesday morning.

William Shakespeare, 81, was the second person in the UK to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/PCHbKZBOWk

— TRT World (@trtworld) December 8, 2020

Many ​Twitterians struggled to hold back after the learning that he shares a name with the world's most famous playwright, peppering the internet with jokes recollecting popular lines from (the late) William Shakespeare's greatest works.

The Taming of the Flu

— Dave Ward (@DaveWardDrummer) December 8, 2020

Once everyone gets vaccinated and COVID cases start dropping, we will realize fearing the vaccine was Much Ado About Nothing.

— TootieQ (@dscunning27) December 8, 2020

Twelves Nights he had to wait for that vaccine as well.

Unbelievable.

— The Clawless Lobster 🦐 (@JuiceTerry9) December 8, 2020

​However, Twitter's more sceptical users slammed the apparent name coincidence as a PR stunt designed to increase media coverage of the UK government's vaccination plan. 

It's a shame he isn't called Winston Churchill. Now that would've been a very patriotic thing to report Hugh🤣

— Sabine Roach (@Nornenland) December 8, 2020