A Peruvian man claiming to be 121 years old been given the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine after medics walked over three hours on ...
A Peruvian man claiming to be 121 years old been given the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine after medics walked over three hours on rough terrain to reach him.
Don Marcelino Abad Tolentino, from Peru's Chaglla district, is thought to be the oldest person in the Peruvian region of Huanuco to be vaccinated against the virus.
Marcelino, who Peruvian officials have claimed was born in 1900, was given the Covid-19 jab in his remote home by a team from the Health Ministry of Peru, according to an official report from April 30.
Don Marcelino Abad Tolentino, 121, from Chaglla, Peru, is believed to be the oldest person in the Peruvian region of Huanuco to be vaccinated against coronavirus (pictured getting jab)
The team walked for more than three hours across difficult terrain to reach Marcelino's home, where they then gave him his first dose.
It is unclear which vaccine he received, but newspaper Milenio said Peru has increased the number of vaccines distributed outside of the capital Lima after receiving shipments of Astra Zeneca.
Peruvian government officials said that at 121, Marcelino had become the oldest person to be vaccinated in the Huanuco region, where around 5,000 people have received a dose.
According to the Guinness World Records, the oldest person alive is Kane Tanaka, 118, from Japan, who was born on January 2, 1903.
Marcelino, who is thought to be 121 years old, was given the Covid-19 jab (above) in his home by a team from the Health Ministry of Peru, according to an official report from April 30
Marcelino, who is also known by his nickname Mashito, does not have a birth certificate, did not go to school, and never had a formal job or salary, Andina previously reported.
It is believed he only became a Peruvian citizen in 2019 when he was given a national identity document for the first time after an elderly resident drew attention to him.
Marcelino lives alone in a very remote area and survives off what he grows in his garden and exchanges from from neighbouring markets, but was able to receive Pension 65 benefits for the first time after getting formal identification.
Local media said the Peruvian government has continued to double down its efforts to vaccinate the population after it received 800,000 doses of Pfizer in April.
The government hopes to vaccinate around 400,000 people aged over 70 before going to vaccinate people aged 60 or over.
Peru has reported 1,814,127 cases and 62,375 deaths from Covid-19, the latest numbers from John Hopkins University show.
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