MERIDEN, Conn. — She is simply over a century outdated, and he or she has lived via not one, however two pandemics. On Tuesday, Meriden resident Muriel Reid obtained her COVID vaccine and FOX61 cameras had been there to doc the completely happy second.
FOX61 greeted Ms. Muriel Reid on the door. How is she feeling, “Good!” she exclaimed. Murial was given the royal therapy at Meriden’s Senior Heart. A pink feather boa, a beaded necklace, and a Mardi Gras-themed masks in honor of Fats Tuesday. Lea Crown, the Director of the Meriden Well being Division mentioned, “It’s implausible. We’ve had a number of older people. Folks of their 80’s, 90’s and now 102.”
Then it was time for the large second. It was over in a literal pinch and Muriel — was wheels up! “I’m able to go house and go prepare dinner,” she mentioned.
However Muriel needed to stick round for a precautionary quarter-hour like all people else.
“We all know that as they’re within the ready space there are a number of smiling faces underneath these masks,” Crown mentioned.
This was Muriel’s second dose. So, in roughly two weeks she must be 95% immune from COVID. “It’s mandatory. You’ve obtained to guard your self,” she mentioned. “Getting this can assist to not get the virus.”
Her caretaker Carrie Teeletold FOX61 she is respiration a “enormous sigh of aid. She is a visit. I completely love this woman.”
Muriel was born in June of 1918, simply 4 months into the Flu pandemic of 1918, generally known as the Spanish Flu, that lasted till 1920. That pandemic contaminated a couple of third of the world’s inhabitants and killed between an estimated 17 and 100 million folks. Muriel doesn’t bear in mind a lot of that, however mentioned she’ll always remember COVID. “I didn’t imagine it might unfold a lot however it stored getting greater and larger,” she defined.
Muriel is widowed, lives alone, however has two kids. She got here to America from Jamaica in 1968 to start out her life in Meriden. “She’s probably not capable of exit buying as a lot as she want to. She’s very lively, she needs to be on the market,” mentioned Teele.
And earlier than Murial left us to go prepare dinner her rice and shrimp. She supplied an endorsement. “Would you really useful that different folks get the vaccine?” requested FOX61’s Matt Caron. “Yeah! You’ll shield your self,” mentioned Muriel.
In all, one other 120 folks got their second dose on the Meriden Senior Heart Tuesday. By the tip of the week, they’ll have vaccinated about 2,200 folks. However the vaccine continues to be in brief provide. Meriden’s clinics are booked stable via mid-March.
