Sir Ian McKellen has said he's feeling "euphoric" after receiving his first Coronavirus vaccine.

The much loved actor, 81, told fans on Twitter: "I feel very lucky to have had the vaccine. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone."

McKellen received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at the Queen Mary's Hospital in London and will return in a fortnight's time for the second and final dose.

Speaking about the vaccination procedure, he told ITV News: "It is invasive of course, it looks like a weapon — a needle — but it isn't, it's a friend! I would encourage everybody to do the sensible thing, not just for themselves but for everybody else because if you're virus-free that helps everybody else, doesn't it?"

He also praised the U.K.'s state-run National Health Service (NHS) for his swift and efficient treatment, saying: "That's the real bonus of all this, to watch and see what works in this country and what doesn't work — and it seems to me the NHS is right at the top of the list for institutions that do work.

"Of course, I know I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the NHS," he added. "I'm a little bit older than the NHS but when I was a kid, having good medical treatment available when it was needed — what a wonderful notion."

You can watch him receiving his vaccine and speaking about what it means to him in this short video provided by The Telegraph:

On Friday, the F.D.A. authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for emergency use and the U.S. rollout began within 24 hours of the announcement. In the U.K., the NHS is rolling out the vaccine to elderly and the most at-risk citizens first. The Great British Baking Show's Prue Leith shared a photo of herself receiving the vaccine earlier this week.

Are you looking forward to seeing Sir Ian McKellen back at work in 2021?