COVID-19 vaccine: UK grandmother becomes first person in the world to receive Pfizer vaccine

Margaret Keenan, 90, has become the first person in the UK to be given a Pfizer vaccine this morning and said it was the "best early birthday present".

Matron May Parsons administered Ms Keenan's vaccine at University Hospital in Coventry at 6:31 am.

This is the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be given in the coming weeks as part of the mass vaccination programme being rolled out across the UK with up to four million more expected by the end of the month.

Ms Keenan, is originally from Enniskillen, but has lived in Coventry for most of her adult life. She said: "I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19."

Ms Keenan who celebrates her 91st birthday next week said: "It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the new year after being on my own for most of the year.

"I can't thank May and the NHS staff enough who have looked after me tremendously, and my advice to anyone offered the vaccine is to take it - if I can have it at 90 then you can have it too."

’Today is a great day for medical science and the future’

The UK is the first country in the world to start using the Pfizer vaccine after regulators approved its use last week.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the NHS staff, the scientists who worked so hard to develop this vaccine, and the volunteers and said: "We can't afford to relax now" but vaccine rollout "will gradually make a huge, huge difference."

"We will beat this together."

Hubs in the UK will vaccinate over-80s, residents in care homes as well as healthcare workers and care staff.

Professor Chris Whitty tweeted: "Today is a great day for medical science and the future.

"Congratulations and thank you to the NHS workers, trial volunteers and scientists who have made this a reality.

"The pandemic is not over and relaxing too early would be dangerous. But this is a significant moment."

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast: "There is a long march ahead of us but this marks the way out."

He said he had felt "conflicted emotions" this morning saying he was "thrilled and delighted" to see Margaret Kennan get her jab but was also "really determined that as a country we've got to stick together.

"This virus is deadly. We've got to stick by the rules," he said.

Vaccines will be administered at 50 hospital hubs around the country with patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital as an outpatient, and those who are being discharged home after a hospital stay, first in line.

Orders have been placed for 40 million in total - enough for 20 million people, as two courses are needed.