Man, 91, Who Said There’s ‘No Point Dying Now’ Gets Second Dose Of Vaccine

An elderly man who pointed out there was ‘no point in dying now’ after he reached the grand age of 91 has received his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine. 

Martin Kenyon received his second dose of the jab on December 29 at Guy’s Hospital in London after getting the first dose on December 8.

Kenyon was among the first to receive the vaccine when the UK started rolling it out last month, and he made headlines after pointing out that he didn’t want to fall victim to the virus after making it so far in life.

Check out a clip of his interview below:

Speaking to CNN after receiving the first dose of the vaccine, the 91-year-old expressed his hopes that he was ‘not going to have the bloody bug now’.

He continued:

I don’t intend to have [coronavirus] because I’ve got granddaughters and I want to live a long time to enjoy their lives.

There’s no point dying now when I’ve lived this long.

After the interview went live, Kenyon was dubbed a ‘national treasure’ for his straight-talking comments. He went viral and became the subject of more interviews, during which gained even more fans when he asked Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan, ‘Who are you?’.

Despite his newfound fame, Kenyon has described all the attention he’s been getting as ‘nonsense’.

Throughout his life, Kenyon was very active in the anti-apartheid movement, was friends with Desmond Tutu, and personally met Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, The Guardian reports.

After initially cold-calling Guy’s Hospital to ask for the first dose of the vaccine, Kenyon said the vaccination process has become ‘quite a machine’.

He explained:

When I went to get the first one, I was the only person there, I think. There was one man there, with a pencil and some paper and writing down a few names. This time it was very different. Very efficient.

This time, I was able to park absolutely outside the main building in a special slot. So, all was well. It was very painless.

Kenyon expressed his glee at being able to park his ‘super little car’ that he’s ‘allowed to drive everywhere around London, because [he has] a badge, which is brilliant’, and said that receiving the second dose of the vaccine means he can now hug his two ‘enchanting’ grandchildren.

Per The Guardian, he said:

Now, I don’t have to think about it again. It’s all done. I am going to survive, and I’m looking at lovely pictures of my two delightful daughters and my two enchanting grandchildren [aged seven and 10]. They are very nice children, and they love their grandfather.

Kenyon plans to continue wearing a mask as he was given a ‘rather fancy one’ for his birthday, but he acknowledged that he will soon be immune and he doesn’t think he’ll ‘pass anything on to anybody else’.

He continued:

I think all will be well. And my family are very pleased.

I suppose it means I can do all sorts of things now. I can behave badly, now. I do most of the time, but generally in secret. I am, of course, being very frivolous. But it’s new year, and I think we’ve got to cheer it up a bit.

Britain has been placed under a third national lockdown while healthcare workers roll out vaccines to those in the four priority groups: those in care homes;the over-70s; health and care workers; and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

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