London, Dec 8 (UNI) The United Kingdom rolled out its first batch of the Pfizer vaccine and administered the first dose to a 90-year-old woman who became the first person to be given a COVID jab as part of the mass vaccination programme being rolled out across the country.
The recipient Margaret Keenan, who turns 91 next week, who was administered at the University Hospital, Coventry, said it was the "best early birthday present", the BBC reported.
Ms Keenan was given the injection at 06:31 GMT - the first of 800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that will be given in the coming weeks, wherein up to four million more doses are expected to be administered by the end of the month.
The vaccination programme aims to protect the most vulnerable and hence it will vaccinate people over-80s and some health and care staff in the first phase.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock, while expressing his satisfaction at the first vaccinations taking place urged people to keep their resolve and stick to the rules for the next few months.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on a visit to a London hospital to see some of the first people getting the jab, said getting vaccinated was "good for you and good for the whole country".
About 70 hospitals nationwide are gearing up to deliver vaccines this week.
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