Meet Manish Kumar, India’s first Covid vaccine recipient

New Delhi: Manish Kumar, a sanitation worker who was the first person to receive COVID-19 vaccine jab at AIIMS, Delhi on Saturday said he will continue to fulfill his duties without hesitation.

“After inoculation, I will continue working without any hesitation. Earlier, I used to hesitate during duties due to coronavirus. Now, there will not be any hesitation,” Kumar told ANI.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan was also present there when Kumar was administered the vaccine.

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When asked to share his experience after getting the vaccine shot, the sanitation worker said: “I am having no issues like itching or anything. It is a big step for the country. Those who are having apprehensions after reading WhatsApp messages about these vaccines should not fear. After getting the shot, I am feeling better now.”

The drugs regulatory body of India has currently approved two vaccines. Pune-based Serum Institute of India has developed the Covishield vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University while the Covaxin has been developed by Hyderabad’s Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Medical Council of Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India’s vaccination drive against the novel coronavirus via video conferencing.

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Billed as the world’s largest vaccination program, covering the entire length and breadth of the country, the drive aims to first inoculate millions of its healthcare and frontline workers and reach an estimated 3 crore people by the end of its first phase.

A total of 3,006 session sites across all states and union territories were virtually connected during the launch. Around 100 beneficiaries will be vaccinated at each session site on the inaugural day, the union health ministry had said.

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In the first phase government and private sector health care workers, including Integrated Child Development Services workers, will receive the vaccine.