Argentinian reporter mistakenly announces that playwright William Shakespeare had just died

An Argentinian news reporter was left red-faced after they announced that the playwright William Shakespeare had died, instead of the man who was the first man (and second person) to receive a coronavirus vaccine.

William “Bill” Shakespeare, from Coventry, died of an unrelated illness last week after suffering from a stroke. He was 81.

However, Canal 26 reporter Noelia Novillo confused Mr Shakespeare for the bard, describing the Romeo and Juliet writer as “one of the most important writers in the English language”.

Novillo said: “As we all know, he's one of the most important writers in the English language – for me the master. Here he is. He was the first man to get the coronavirus vaccine. He's died in England at the age of 81.”

She failed to note that Shakespeare the playwright had actually died in 1616. The footage that Canal 26 showed did not feature any images of The Taming of the Shrew or Twelfth Night writer either, making the report even more perplexing.

More than 400 years have passed between the two respective Shakespeare’s deaths.

The blunder soon went viral online, and Ms Novillo later clarified that she “actually knew what I was saying to people, just like I always do”.

“I expressed myself badly. I missed out a full stop, a comma, some brackets. I wanted to clear up something that was very unclear and of course, people misinterpreted it,” she said.