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The state-run National Health Service (NHS),
which is running Britain's mass COVID vaccination programme,
posted several pictures of McKellen, in a blue T-shirt and a
rainbow striped scarf, giving a thumbs up as he received the
shot.
"It's a very special day. I feel euphoric," McKellen, 81, was
quoted as saying in one NHS post which he retweeted.
"I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. I feel
very lucky to have had the vaccination."
Nearly 140,000 people have received their first dose of the
Pfizer vaccine in Britain since roll out began on Dec. 8. People
aged over 80 are in the highest priority group.
A star of British stage and screen since the 1960s, McKellen
attained a new level of global fame in the 2000s when he
appeared as Gandalf in the movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's
novels and directed by Peter Jackson.
He was the latest British celebrity to go public about receiving
the COVID-19 vaccine, part of a collective effort to reassure
members of the public who may be harbouring doubts about the
jab's safety.
The chef and cookery writer Prue Leith, 80, who presents the
high-ratings TV show "The Great British Bake Off", also posted a
picture of herself receiving the shot.
It is not known whether Queen Elizabeth, 94, and her husband
Prince Philip, 99, have had the vaccine yet. The Times reported
they may "let it be known" once they have.
The queen is highly respected in Britain and her backing would
be a powerful message to counter anti-vaccination
misinformation.
(Reporting by Estelle Shirbon, editing by Elizabeth Piper)
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