Mexico on Thursday inoculated its first person against Covid-19, giving a shot of Pfizer vaccine to a 59-year-old nurse and kicking off a fightback from a pandemic that has killed more than 120,000 people in the country and battered the economy, according to Reuters.

In a ceremony broadcast on national media and watched by the president, government officials directed the administration of the vaccine to Maria Irene Ramirez, head nurse at the intensive care unit of Mexico City's Ruben Leero hospital.

“This is the best gift that I could have received in 2020,” said Ramirez, adding that it would give her strength to continue the “war” against the pandemic.

Pfizer's is the first Covid-19 vaccine to reach Mexico, which has also signed deals for vaccines from other firms.

The first shipment arrived on Wednesday and only contained 3,000 doses of the vaccine. The next one will contain 50,000 doses, with Mexico slated to receive 1.4 million units of the two-shot Pfizer vaccine by Jan 31.