90-Year-Old British Grandma Gets The First COVID-19 Vaccine. Shakespeare Follows

A 90-year-old grandmother received the first Pfizer vaccine shot outside the trial after Britain became the first country to approve mass vaccination against COVID-19.

Britain, the worst-hit European country with more than 61,000 deaths, rolled out the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech even before the United States or the European Union.

Margaret Keenan received the vaccine at a hospital in Coventry in central England on Tuesday morning, a week before she turned 91, Reuters reported.

Keenan told CBS News that she feels so privileged. “It is the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I finally can look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year,” she said.

Only those who are at most risk from the coronavirus will be vaccinated in the early stages. Public officials have informed the people that medical professionals will be contacting them to arrange appointments for vaccination and that most of them have to wait until next year before they have enough vaccine to extend the rollout.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a tweet: “Today the first vaccinations in the UK against COVID-19 begin. Thank you to our NHS (National Health Service), to all of the scientists who worked so hard to develop this vaccine, to all the volunteers – and to everyone who has been following the rules to protect others. We will beat this together,” he said.

The second patient to receive the jab was William Shakespeare from Warwickshire, 20 miles from the bard's birthplace. Twitter users lauded “The Taming of the Flu.”

The historical moment drew parallels with the “V-Day” in the U.K. “I think there’s every chance that we will look back on... (Tuesday) as marking a decisive turning point in the battle against coronavirus,” NHS CEO Simon Stevens told CBS News.

The initial 800,000 doses have been specifically allotted for the elderly, especially those who are above the age of 80 who are either in-patients or have already fixed outpatient appointments scheduled with nursing home workers. All these doses will be administered free of cost.

“Our goal is totally to protect every member of the population, Her majesty, of course, as well,” Dr June Raine, the chief executive of Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, told BBC.

Britain’s rollout plan to vaccinate billions of people in the country has been viewed globally with eagerness as the pandemic has taken the lives of more than 1.5 million. The U.K administration has said the vaccines will be delivered only to school children and pregnant women in the next stages.