‘I feel euphoric!’ Sir Ian McKellen, 81, safely receives COVID-19 vaccine

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‘I feel euphoric!’ Sir Ian McKellen, 81, safely receives COVID-19 vaccine as part of the UK’s priority category… admitting he feels ‘very lucky’

  • The actor is one of thousands of over-80s in the UK to be sent to the front of the queue to receive the Pfizer vaccination
  • He joins other stars in being vaccinated, such as Prue Leith and Michael Whitehall
  • Others in the priority category include NHS workers and care home staff
  • Sir Ian said on Wednesday: ‘It’s painless… it’s convenient, and getting in touch and meeting NHS staff and saying thank you to them is a bonus!’
  • He added: ‘I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone’
  • The country-wide vaccination programme is the largest in NHS history and is already in its second week 

By Andrew Bullock For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Sir Ian McKellen CBE has safely received the COVID-19 vaccine after the NHS launched its vaccine roll-out earlier this month.

The veteran British actor, 81, forms part of the first eligible groups for the vaccine and joins the thousands of over 80s, NHS staff, and care home staff who have been called upon by the NHS to attend their local GP practice or vaccination centre to be treated.

He joins other stars in being vaccinated, such as Prue Leith and Michael Whitehall.  

Vaccinated: Sir Ian McKellen CBE, 81, has safely received the Covid-19 vaccine after the NHS launched its vaccine rollout earlier this month

HOW SAFE IS THE PFIZER VACCINE?

Scientists have carried out extensive clinical trials on the Pfizer vaccine and established that it is safe to use.

And the UK regulator rubber-stamped it with a seal of approval, saying it was safe to administer, after evaluating data from 44,000 volunteers in the trials.

But today they issued an advisory notice saying that those with a history of allergies should not get the vaccine.

Concerns have been raised over the speed with which the vaccine was approved – in a matter of months – but scientists have said no corners were cut and this was possible due to the enormous number of volunteers that signed up for the clinical trials. 

Pfizer and BioNTech both said they found no serious safety concerns during their four-month long trials.

A spokesman for Pfizer said today there jab was ‘generally well tolerated with no serious safety concerns reported’.

‘The trial has enrolled over 44,000 participants to date, over 42,000 of whom have received a second vaccination.’

Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, said that the vaccine was ‘extremely safe’ and that he would be cautious about attributing the allergic reactions to the jab.

‘I think it’s probably safer in my view than many other vaccines currently available,’ he told MailOnline. ‘It really is very clean technology.’

‘I would be cautious about attributing the allergic reactions to the vaccine at this moment, especially as it hasn’t cropped up in clinical trials,’ he said.

‘The big allergic reaction to vaccines normally is an egg allergy, because historically influenza vaccines and several others have been grown in hens eggs and you inevitably get a bit of egg protein coming through with the final product.

‘But there’s nothing like that in the mRNA vaccine. The only addition is the lipid coating that they put on the mRNA before it goes into cells – but there’s no history of allergic reactions to that.’

He added that the MHRA had been ‘cautious’ in saying that those with a history of allergies should not get the vaccine. 

Professor Heidi Larson, director of the Vaccine Confidence Project, told Sky News the vaccine was approved so quickly due to a ramping up of its clinical trials. 

‘The safety regulatory process is still there but the time frame between things, they’ve tried to shorten, just in terms of it’s not sitting in a pile of things to be approved,’ she said.

After getting the vaccine at the Arts Research Centre, Queen Mary University Hospital, Sir Ian said: ‘It’s a very special day, I feel euphoric!’

He went on: ‘Anyone who has lived as long as I have is alive because they have had previous vaccinations.

‘The take-up amongst the older generation will be 100 per cent – it ought to be – because you’re having it not just for yourself but for people who you are close to – you’re doing your bit for society.

‘Of course, it’s painless… it’s convenient, and getting in touch and meeting NHS staff and saying thank you to them for how hard they’ve been working is a bonus.

‘I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine.’

The vaccine is the biggest breakthrough since the pandemic began, potentially saving tens of thousands of lives.

The country-wide vaccination programme is the largest in NHS history and is already in its second week.

Just like other routine vaccines, this works by teaching the immune system how to defend itself against attack.

The vaccine is given as an injection into the upper arm and is given as 2 doses, at least 21 days apart.

An effective vaccine will be the best way to protect the most vulnerable from COVID-19 and the UK’s roll out only began when the Pfizer vaccine, which has been trialled on around 45,000 people, was confirmed to have met the strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which enabled it to be given to the public.

Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS England Medical Director for Primary Care, said: ‘The NHS has made an excellent start to rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine across the country, with dozens of hospitals and now hundreds of local vaccination services offering the vaccine to those who need it most.

‘This is a huge step forward in the fight against coronavirus, but everyone should continue to follow all guidance to control the spread of the virus.’

The UK’s vaccination programme will build up steadily in the weeks and months ahead and will gradually be extended to more and more people in order of age and risk.

To help, people must wait to be contacted – the NHS will let people know when it’s their turn to have the vaccine.