London – Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Northern Ireland, became the first person in the world on Tuesday to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine shot outside of a trial as Britain began vaccinating its population.
An early riser, Keenan received the jab at her local hospital in Coventry, England, on Tuesday at 6.31am British time, a week before she turns 91.
Britain began rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday, the first Western country to start vaccinating its general population in what was hailed as a decisive watershed in defeating the coronavirus.
The mass inoculation will fuel hope that the world may be turning a corner in the fight against a pandemic that has crushed economies and killed more than 1.5 million, although ultra-cold storage and tricky logistics will limit its use for now.
"I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19," said Keenan.
"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."