87-year-old NRI man first to get COVID-19 vaccine in the UK

NEWCASTLE: An 87-year-old Indian-origin NRI man will become one of the first persons in the world to get a vaccine against COVID-19 when he receives his Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The 87-year-old, hailing from Northeast England, will receive his Pfizer/BioNTech jab at a hospital in Newcastle today.

Hari Shukla said he feels he must receive his first of the two-dose vaccine, a moment UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed as a huge step forward as Tuesday was dubbed V-Day or Vaccine Day in the UK.

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"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 I must do so and do whatever I can to help," the NRI manShukla has been quoted as saying.

"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 added.

It needs mention here that 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 has become the first country in the world to approve the COVID-19 vaccine.

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