‘Necessary for docs to take first shot to break any myths’

“It was a nice feeling to have received the vaccine on the first day. It was also necessary for doctors to take the first shot as it would break any myths and encourage others to come forward to take the vaccine.” said Dr Anima Halder.

Dr Anima Halder, 65, principal of state-run Infectious Diseases and Beliaghata General (ID&BG) Hospital was among the first people to get vaccinated in Kolkata on Saturday, as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee looked on during the inoculation.

“I am absolutely fine. The wait for the vaccine is finally over but we cannot let our guards down against the virus,” Dr Anima Halder said

“It was a nice feeling to have received the vaccine on the first day. It was also necessary for doctors to take the first shot as it would break any myths and encourage others to come forward to take the vaccine. I was administered the vaccine exactly at 11:11 am. Thereafter I had to wait for another 30 minutes in the observation room before I could go back to work,” said Halder.

At 5:30 pm, she was back in her office, attending meetings and signing papers.

“I am absolutely fine. The wait for the vaccine is finally over but we cannot let our guards down against the virus,” she said. Apart from being a senior citizen, Halder also has a co-morbidity, as she is hypertensive. Her husband is also a senior official of the state health department.

The centre has warned recipients to continue to wear masks and practise physical distancing, as well as hand hygiene to ensure that the virus doesn’t spread before they receive the second dose of the vaccine.

The state has seen over 564,000 cases of infection since the outbreak last March.