The first man in the U.K. to receive COVID-19 vaccine is William Shakespeare

Mass coronavirus vaccination efforts are underway in England and the first man to receive it is William Shakespeare.

The 81-year-old man -- yes, that's really his name -- got a shot of the newly approved coronavirus vaccine Tuesday. Mr. Shakespeare got the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at University Hospital Coventry ... which happens to be about 20 miles from Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of the Bard.

Mr. Shakespeare said it was "groundbreaking" for him to be getting one.

"It could make a difference to our lives from now on, couldn't it?" he said. "It's started changing our lives and our lifestyle."

The first person to get it is actually 90-year-old Margaret Keenan ... who kicked off the country's largest-ever immunization program.

The grandmother received a round of applause Tuesday morning from the nurses and medical staff at the university hospital as she returned to her ward after receiving the shot.

Of course, with the internet being what it is ... clever folks began to ask -- If Keenan was vaccine patient 1A, would that make Shakespeare 2B or not 2B?