Bhopal hospital guard says 'excited' to get vaccinated first

Bhopal, Jan 15 (IANS) A security guard posted at JP Hospital here said on Friday that he is 'excited' to be the first person to get a shot of coronavirus vaccine when the drive kicks off on Sunday in the Madhya Pradesh capital.

Asserting that the vaccine is "completely safe", Hari Singh said he had volunteered for the jab to help spread awareness among the people and allay their fears.

The world's largest inoculation drive would start on Saturday in India, for which initial consignment of the vaccine has already reached Madhya Pradesh.

Reviewing preparations for the drive, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that efforts were on to ensure that a 'safai karamchari' is the first to get the vaccine shot on January. "It will be an honour to the services of such sanitation workers who have done good work during the coronavirus crisis," he added.

Hari is also happy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with him when he launches the countrywide drive on Saturday.

Hari said that apart from performing his assigned duties, he was also advising patients and their attendants at the hospital to use face masks and maintain social distance norms.