VVIPs lead the way, get first Covid vaccine dose

By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Several VVIPs across the country followed PM Narendra Modi in taking the jab on the first day of the vaccination for all 60-plus and co-morbid 45-plus populations.Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu took his first dose of the vaccine at Government Medical College in Chennai and appealed to all those eligible to get vaccinated proactively and join the fight against Covid-19.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was administered the first dose of the vaccine by doctors from Medanta Hospital.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to Twitter to inform that he, too, had got his first dose. “Got my jab. For the curious, it was Covaxin. Felt secure, will travel safely,” he posted along a picture of him getting vaccinated.Union minister Jitendra Singh took the jab at AIIMS Delhi. “Let all join the #COVID-free India movement led by the PM,” he tweeted.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a civic hospital here in Mumbai. The 80-year-old former Union minister was administered Covishield vaccine. His wife Pratibha Pawar and daughter Supriya Sule, also got vaccinated.Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, 80, was vaccinated at Raj Bhawan in Jaipur under the supervision of Dr Sudhir Bhandari, principal of SMS Medical College.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his Odisha counterpart Naveen Patnaik were among the state heads to receive the shot on Monday. Nitish received the jab at IGIMS in Patna. He said arrangements had been made at the government-run super specialty hospital for inoculation of all members of the state legislature. 

Will never forget this day, say nurses who vaccinated Modi

For nurses P Niveda and Rosamma Anil, March 1 will forever remain a memorable day in their lives. Like any other day, the two nurses at AIIMS-Delhi had reached the vaccination centre in the morning as per their schedule. However, both were surprised to see that the first person to receive the jab would be none other than PM Narendra Modi. “We didn’t have the slightest idea that the PM would be coming. We were on duty at 6 am as was being told. Seniors said that some one will come, but we weren’t told. It was indeed a big surprise and a huge honour as well. A very important day in our lives,” said Niveda who hails from Puducherry.