Margaret Keenan, a  90-year-old woman became the world's first person to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine following its emergency use approval by the British government.

According to NHS England, Keenan was vaccinated around 6:31 a.m. at her local hospital in Coventry. A nurse, May Parsons administered the vaccination.

In a statement, Keenan said, “I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against COVID-19, 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!”

Keenan will turn 91 next week. She is a former jewelry shop assistant who retired four years ago. She has a daughter, a son, and four grandchildren. She will receive a second dose (booster) of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in 21 days.

NHS nurse May Parsons said,  “It’s a huge honor to be the first person in the country to deliver a COVID-19 jab to a patient, I’m just glad that I’m able to play a part in this historic day.

“The last few months have been tough for all of us working in the NHS, but now it feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel," she added.

Parsons, originally from the Philippines, has been working in the NHS for over 24 years, She's been a nurse at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire since 2003.

Meanwhile, NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens commented, “Less than a year after the first case of this new disease was diagnosed, the NHS has now delivered the first clinically approved COVID-19 vaccination – that is a remarkable achievement."

“A heartfelt thank you goes to everyone who has made this a reality – the scientists and doctors who worked tirelessly, and the volunteers who selflessly took part in the trials. They have achieved in months what normally takes years.

“My colleagues across the health service are rightly proud of this historic moment as we lead in deploying the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine."

Steven added that it will take months to complete the United Kingdom's COVID-19 vaccination program.

In a tweet, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised all of those involved in the development of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Today the first vaccinations in the UK against COVID-19 begin. Thank you to our NHS, 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. https://t.co/poOYG1vHQe

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) December 8, 2020

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