Chennai: An 87-year-old Indian-origin man will be one of the first people in the world to get a vaccine against Covid-19.
Hari Shukla, who will get his Pfizer/ BioNTech shot at a Newcastle hospital in the UK, said that it is his duty to receive his first of the two-dose vaccine, a moment UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed as a ‘huge step forward’.
“I’m so pleased we are hopefully coming towards the end of this pandemic and I am delighted to be doing my bit by having the vaccine, I feel it is my duty to do so and do whatever I can to help”, said Shukla.
“Having been in contact with the NHS (National Health Service), I know how hard they all work and the greatest respect for them – they have a heart of gold and I am grateful for everything they have done to keep us safe during the pandemic,” he said.
Shukla was notified by the NHS based on the criteria set by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation as part of a phased rollout plan based on those at the highest risk of death from the deadly virus. People aged 80 and over, care home workers as well as NHS workers who are at higher risk will be first in line to receive the ‘life-saving jab’.
The UK PM struck a note of caution to warn that mass vaccination will take time and urged the public to remain ‘clear-eyed’ and continue to follow the lockdown rules over the winter months ahead.
The NHS said it is undertaking the biggest and most highly anticipated immunisation campaign in history at 50 hospital hubs, with more starting vaccinations over the coming weeks and months as the programme ramps up after the first set of doses arrived from Pfizer’s manufacturing site in Belgium.