Former Maharashtra Health Minister Dr. Deepak Sawant and his wife on Saturday became the couple in Mumbai to begin the vaccination process against COVID-19. His wife, a practicing doctor until five years ago is the first woman to get vaccinated in the city. The Sena leader has been a a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council received a shot of the vaccine at the Cooper Hospital in Juhu. Since the vaccination programme began from here, they are the first people in the city to receive the jab.
As India launches what is being touted as the world's biggest vaccination drive, people have queued up outside various hospitals and vaccination centres. In Mumbai the bulk of the vaccination efforts will be handled by four medical colleges Sion, KEM, Nair and Cooper. Earlier, the BMC had distributed more than 400 vials of the vaccine at each of the nine centres, along with guidelines on who can be vaccinated and the rules to follow.
Prime Minister Modi on Saturday morning launched the pan-India COVID-19 vaccine rollout via video conference. And soon after this, both Dr. Sawant and his wife were vaccinated. After receiving the first dose of the vaccine, they will be kept under observation for half an hour at the hospital.
"People must not believe in any rumours and must come together for inoculation" Sawant told FPJ ahead of receiving the vaccine. He had come arrived at the Centre with his wife - with the duo having registered themselves online ahead of time.
(With inputs from Pratip Acharya)
