Out British actor Ian McKellen has received a coronavirus vaccination, possibly making him the first LGBT celebrity to be inoculated.

“I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine,” McKellen, 81, said in a tweet. “I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone.”

England's health system (NHS) also tweeted the news, along with a photo of McKellen wearing a rainbow scarf as he rolled up his sleeve to get vaccinated. In another photo, McKellen gives a thumbs up.

“Sir @IanMcKellen joins the thousands of people who have now safely received the first doses of the #CovidVaccine,” the agency said.

NHS England also quoted McKellen as saying: “I really hope that, as more people get vaccinated, we will move further along the path back to a more normal way of life. We all have a part to play in the fight against coronavirus and doing our bit and getting vaccinated will save lives.”

McKellen, who is best known for playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and Magneto in the X-Men films, received his shot at The Art Pavilion in London's Mile End.

England was the first nation to begin a mass vaccination campaign using Pfizer's vaccine. The United States has also started its roll-out of Pfizer's vaccine and is poised to approve a second vaccine developed by Moderna.